With BJP in power in Delhi, VHP wants national capital renamed 'Indraprastha'

As the demand for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district gathers momentum, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is getting busy in Delhi.

The VHP, an affiliate organisation of the RSS, is surveying the historical monuments in the national capital to study the land records and 'spot' symbols of Hindu kings whose rule preceded that of the Mughals in Delhi. It is replicating the project of the ruling BJP and and its ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which are carrying out field surveys and inspections of different historical structures for a similar purpose.

“We are carrying out a survey of historical monuments in Delhi like Humayun’s Tomb to find out if there are any symbols of Hindu kings who also ruled Delhi," Vinod Bansal, national spokesperson of the VHP, told The Federal.

Dilip Deodhar, a Nagpur-based author and RSS observer, believes more such claims are going to crop up. “These are civilisational issues which will continue as the BJP gains political power. The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has made the VHP believe it can work towards fulfilling other demands,” he told The Federal.

Delhi to Indraprastha

Bansal said the VHP is also rooting for a name change for the capital city. Its leaders say that since the Mahabharata "happened" in and around Delhi, which the epic refers to as 'Indraprastha', efforts should be made to rename it thus.

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“For more than two decades, VHP leaders have been saying that Delhi is not the original name of this place and it should be changed to Indraprastha,” Bansal told The Federal.

“Our earlier leaders like (the late) Ashok Singhal had written to both the Union and Delhi governments to propose a change in the name of Delhi,” he said.

BJP in Delhi

Now that the BJP has returned to power in Delhi after more than a quarter century, “we are hopeful something good will happen", said Bansal. "The name change will finally happen.”

The VHP’s renewed demand comes amid a raging row over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district in Maharashtra. The Sangh Parivar organ is now focusing on the tombs of Humayun and Safdarjung in Delhi. Both the tombs date back to the times when the Mughals ruled Delhi.

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“There are many Mughal symbols in these monuments but we want to find out if there are any symbols representing the Hindu kings who ruled Delhi,” Bansal said. “Even the Mahabharata happened in this part of the country. What happened to the Hindu Kings who ruled Delhi?” he asked.

Eyes on Qutab Minar

The scrutiny is not just of Mughal era structures. The VHP is also planning to study the monuments constructed during the Tughlaq era to 'unearth' symbols and remains of Hindu kings who ruled Delhi.

The VHP claims the 13th century Qutub Minar, a major tourist attraction like Humayun’s Tomb, was also built after the demolition of Hindu temples. It now wants the Qutub Minar complex to be opened for worship by the Hindu community.

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For long, the VHP has been insisting the revered Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan was built over a temple, and that a study should be conducted of the Dargah premises to find the remains of the temple.