Gandhinagar, November 7: A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the renaming of Faizabad district as Sri Ayodhya, the Gujarat government is mulling over changing the name of Ahmedabad to Katnavati. Deputy CM of the state Nitinbhai Patel hinted that the state government might rechristen Ahmedabad as Karnavati. Speaking to a news agency, ANI, Patel said, “Since long, there's been a demand to change the name of Ahmedabad and rename it as Karnavati. If we get people's support for the legal process, we're ready to change its name. People of Ahmedabad like the name Karnavati. Whenever time is appropriate, we'll change it.” Ram Temple in Ayodhya: Yogi Adityanath Assures Work 'Will Start Very Soon'.

Ahmedabad is India’s only city with the tag of ‘World Heritage’. Historically, the area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval. Chaulukya ruler Karna of Anhilwara (modern Patan) had waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati river. Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D. had laid the foundation of a new walled city near Karnavati and named it Ahmedabad after the four saints in the area by the name Ahmed.

Yesterday, during an official visit to the holy town of Ayodhya to celebrate Diwali, Adityanath announced that his government would be renaming the Faizabad district as "Sri Ayodhya". The announcement comes days after his government changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj. The decision, though condemned by the Opposition, was defended by the UP CM, claiming that his government has not renamed the city, "but restored its original name".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 07, 2018 03:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).