Patna: After almost five decades, the Bihar government, led by Nitish Kumar, has responded to the demands of people of Gaya as it approved the renaming of Gaya to Gayaji. But why was it renamed? This decision is widely hailed as an overdue gesture of respect towards the city’s central place in Sanatan Dharma, reported Patna Press.
The name Gayaji acknowledges Gaya’s identity as the place where ancestors are believed to attain salvation. Thousands of pilgrims from India and abroad flock to Vishnupad temple every year, offering pinddaan to their forefathers.
“Gaya means Vishnupad; Vishnupad means the place that grants salvation to ancestors,” said Shambhulal Vitthal, president of the Gayapal and Shri Vishnupad Managing Committee, as quoted by Patna Press. He claimed the name is a mark of reverence and that’s why there has been this demand since 1971.
The call to rename the city dates back to a campaign by the Gayapal Samaj. Along with local hoteliers and priests, Samaj had petitioned the Bihar government and even the Railway Ministry to rename the station to Gayaji Junction. In 2014, the state government said it had written to the Centre regarding the matter.
Gaya is also home to the Shaktipeeth Maa Mangala Gauri temple. It is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths in India, located atop the Bhasmkut mountain.
Vishnupad temple was built in 1787 by Queen Ahalya Bai of Indore. The black stone temple features intricate craftsmanship, towering 100 feet high with a gilded vase. The temple’s sanctum houses Lord Vishnu’s 13-inch footprint.
Religious leaders had argued that like Kashi is respectfully called Kashiji by devotees, Gaya deserves the same reverence. “Wherever we travel, people already call it Gayaji,” said Acharya Navinchandra Mishra Yagnik, in an interview to Patna Press.
