PATNA: Days after the newly installed NDA government in Bihar renamed the Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden in Patna, the Bakhtiyarpur Municipal Council has submitted a proposal to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, requesting that the town be renamed “Magadh Dwar”.
The Bakhtiyarpur Municipal Council, while urging the renaming, contends that the current name honours the invader Bakhtiyar Khilji. Although a similar demand was made during former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s tenure, it could not be implemented. Mr Nitish Kumar’s residence is located in Bakhtiyarpur.
The town of Bakhtiyarpur is situated in Patna district and is also the birthplace of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In 2021, when asked by the media whether the town’s name should be changed, Mr Kumar, who was Chief Minister at the time, dismissed the suggestion, saying, “What rubbish!” He added, “Why should the name be changed? It is my birthplace. Some people keep talking about Bakhtiyarpur without any reason.”
At that time, the then BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur had called for the renaming of Bakhtiyarpur. In July 2019, then BJP MP Gopal Narayan Singh raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, demanding that Bakhtiyarpur railway station be renamed after Buddhist heritage sites such as Nalanda and Rajgir.
He argued that the station, named after Bakhtiyar Khilji, commemorated an “oppressor” who destroyed Nalanda University and killed between 2,000 and 3,000 Buddhist monks. In 2018, Union Minister Giriraj Singh also raised the issue.
In 2006, then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad wrote to then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, forwarding two requests from former Bihar Governor Buta Singh and then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to rename Bakhtiyarpur railway station after freedom fighter Sheelbhadra Yajee.
Historians, however, remain divided on whether Bakhtiyarpur was indeed named after Bakhtiyar Khilji. While various claims exist, there is no conclusive historical evidence to substantiate them. Despite this, a strong public perception persists that the town is linked to the historical figure.
Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji was a Turko-Afghan military general. Between 1200 and 1205 AD, he conquered several regions across Bihar and Bengal.
According to historical records, Bakhtiyar Khilji invaded Bihar around 1203 AD and subsequently captured Nadia, the capital of Bengal. He is best remembered for his attack on Nalanda University. Numerous accounts suggest he damaged major Buddhist centres of learning, including Nalanda and Odantapuri.
During this period, a large number of Buddhist monks were killed, and many others were forced to flee the region. Although some historians argue that Nalanda University had already declined by then, Bakhtiyar Khilji is widely held responsible for its eventual destruction.
On 29 April, the Samrat Choudhary-led government renamed the Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden as Patna Zoo.