Renaming Of Aurangabad To Sambhaji Nagar: A Brief History Of Aurangabad

  • 06 Jan 2021

  • Recently, there is discussions/collusion towards renaming Aurangabad city in Maharashtra as Sambahji Nagar.
  • Originally called Khadki, the city in its present-day avatar was founded in 1610 by the Deccan-based military commander Malik Ambar (Nijamshahi dynasty), originally a slave from Ethiopia, who relentlessly fought against the Mughals.
  • Malik Ambar’s son Fateh Khan later changed its name to Fatehnagar.
  • In 1636, Aurangzeb, who had not yet become the Mughal emperor, captured Fatehnagar and made it part of the Mughal empire.
  • In 1653, he renamed it Aurangabad, and it was made the regional capital of the Mughal Empire.
  • He tortured and later killed Chhatrapati Sambahji Maharaj, son of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Aurangabad where he lived until his death.
  • After the Mughals’ hold over power weakened in the early 18th century, Aurangabad became part of the Hyderabad Nizams’ territory.
  • It was part of the Bombay state briefly after India attained independence.
  • Since the formation of Maharashtra in 1960, Aurangabad has been a part of the state.