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The Centre on Friday renamed Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to Sri Vijaya Puram. PM Modi stated that the new name honors the islands’ “rich history and heroic people” and represents a shift from the colonial mindset to celebrating heritage.
Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized that Sri Vijaya Puram reflects the triumph of the freedom struggle and the islands’ significant historical role. Originally named after British naval officer Captain Archibald Blair, the renaming aims to highlight the islands’ strategic and developmental importance.
1. Captain Archibald Blair began his naval career in the Bombay Marine, part of the British East India Company, as a lieutenant in 1771. His notable contributions include surveying and exploring remote areas under British control, especially the Andaman Islands, from December 1788 to April 1789.
2. Captain Blair’s findings were presented to the British governor-general on June 12, 1789. His reports significantly influenced the British decision to colonize the Andaman Islands.
3. During his expedition, Blair discovered a natural harbor on the southern part of Great Andaman Island. Initially named Port Cornwallis in honor of Commodore William Cornwallis, the port was later renamed Port Blair to honor Blair himself.
4. In 1789, Blair established the first British settlement on Chatham Island, overseeing the construction of cottages and deforestation. He recognized the harbor’s strategic importance for British operations in the region.
5. Despite early successes, the settlement struggled with disease and local resistance, leading to its relocation and subsequent failure. Blair returned to England in 1795. His work laid the foundation for British presence in the Andaman Islands, which later became a penal colony in 1858 for Indian freedom fighters from the First War of Independence.
