In a historic move fulfilling a demand that dates back nearly four decades, the Maharashtra government has officially renamed Islampur in Sangli district as Ishwarpur. The decision was formalised through a gazette notification issued on Tuesday, marking the completion of the long administrative process required for renaming towns in India.
The change also applies to the civic body, which will now be called Urun Ishwarpur Nagar Parishad. The gazette notification comes after the Survey of India, the Central government’s national mapping agency, gave its final approval to the name change last month.
The renaming proposal was first approved by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on July 18, following which it was forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for final clearance.
“The power to change names lies with the Centre. The State Cabinet has done its part by approving the decision and sent the proposal to the Union government for approval,” Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had said while presenting the proposal in the assembly earlier this year.
Following the final approval, the Maharashtra government issued directives to the Indian Post Department and the Indian Railways to update the city’s name across all records, signage, and communication systems, according to a report by the Times of India.
The demand to rename Islampur as Ishwarpur dates back to 1986, led primarily by members of the Shiv Pratisthan, a Hindutva organisation founded by Sambhaji Bhide. The organisation had repeatedly petitioned the Sangli district administration and the state government, arguing that the name “Ishwarpur” reflected the town’s ancient cultural and religious heritage.
Supporters of the movement hailed the state’s decision as the culmination of a long struggle. “This is not just a name change; it’s the restoration of our town’s spiritual identity,” a local Shiv Sena leader from Islampur said, recalling how the campaign persisted across multiple governments.
With the Survey of India’s endorsement and the state’s gazette notification, the administrative process for renaming has now been completed. All government departments, including postal, railway, and local civic bodies, are expected to update their records and systems accordingly.
