‘In Mughal era, Gkp was called Muazzamabad’

GORAKHPUR: : As social media is flooded with reactions over the renaming of Faizabad by the BJPled UP Government, some local residents aver that Gorakhpur was originally called Muazzamabad in the 17 century, after Muazzam Shah, the second son of Aurangzeb. Some even claim that it remained Muazzamabad for 100 years. HT spoke to historians, writers and those with knowledge about the old city.

“As per my knowledge, from 1486 till today, the name of city had been Gorakshpur or Gorakhpur in revenue records, except for some time in between when it was called Muazzamabad, after Muazzam Shah, who came here while hunting but the name didn’t last long. In 1802, it was renamed Gorakhpur by Britishers,” said DDU Gorakhpur University history professor Rajanant Rao, adding that the city earned name after Guru Gorakshnath, the 9th Century saint who came here from Punjab. The city’s name is primarily linked with Hindu tradition of Goraksha (saving cows) and Baba Gorakhnath (whose temple is located here and the deity is revered by lakhs of people in east UP.) He added that the name of the city was mentioned as ‘Gorakhpur Sarkar’ in Aain-e Akbari, which is a 16th Century detailed document record of Akbar’s empire. Eminent Urdu writer Darskshan Tajwar, who has done a lot of work on the 1857 revolt and the freedom struggle, said, “According to Mahbub-Ut-Tareekh, written by the first successor of Imamabara, Muazzam Shah came to city with his father Aurangzeb, after being injured.

He found the city deserted following which he ordered it to be inhabited again. Thus, the city came to known as Muazzamabad.” Syed Farhan, a blogger and eminent journalist said, “Born in 1643, Muazzam Shah, who was the second son of Aurangzeb, became the seventh Mughal ruler and became popular with the name Bhadur Shah I.”