Port Blair was named after this British officer: A glimpse into history

Sri Vijaya Puram: The BJP-led central government on Friday renamed Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to Sri Vijaya Puram. The original name used to be said to hold a colonial legacy, and the reason at the back of the change is to free the u . s . a . from British colonial imprints. “Inspired by the vision of PM Narendra Modi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, at the present time we have made up our minds to rename Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram,” Home Minister Amit Shah said on X.

Shah tweeted that Port Blair, now Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved at some stage in the liberty struggle, highlighting Andaman and Nicobar Islands unique role at some stage in the same.

“The Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is at the present time poised to be the crucial base for our strategic and development aspirations,” he tweeted.

Highlighting the historical significance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Home Minister stated that it used to be the internet site where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose first unfurled the Tiranga. The islands also house the Cellular Detention center, where Veer Savarkar and other freedom opponents endured hardship of their struggle for India’s independence.

Origin of the City’s Name: Port Blair

The old name of the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands used to be derived from a British naval officer from the 18th century – Lieutenant Archibald Blair.

The Blair Of Port Blair?

Once a humble fishing village, the town used to be christened in honour of Archibald Blair, a 18th century Royal Navy Lieutenant. Blair used to be notably influential in British colonial pursuits and his stake at some stage in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands represented a element of the broader British agenda to put claim on this important territory.

Year 1789 saw the Bengal Government’s move to check a detention center on Chatham Island, found at some stage in the southeastern waters of Great Andaman. This act used to be a nod to the respected Archibald Blair and his impactful contribution.

Blair used to be instrumental in figuring out and developing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at some point of a time when Britain used to be brooding about exploring these largely unknown lands. He embarked on thorough explorations and laid the groundwork for administrative structures—important for subsequent colonial progress. Resulting from his dedication, Port Blair used to be a hub for colonial governance on the islands. His comprehensive maps and thorough evaluations of the world delivered valuable insights, which the British Raj later utilized to disclose the total potential and grandeur of what we now know as Port Blair.

Port Blair holds its name in tribute to someone who used to be vitally important to the British colonial work at some stage in the Bay of Bengal’s eastern region. As time passed, the port developed into a miles-reaching center for defense force strategies, governance, and trade at some stage in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Resulting from its role as a British operational base, it enabled an effective regulate and management of the nearby islands.