Bakhtiyarpur Municipal Council Seeks Renaming To Magadh Dwar, Citing Link To Invader Khilji

Patna: Bakhtiyarpur Municipal Council has submitted a proposal to chief minister Samrat Chaudhary, requesting that the town be renamed "Magadh Dwar."

Current name honours invader Bakhtiyar Khilji, council contends

Bakhtiyarpur Municipal Council while pleading for renaming the town contends that its current name honours the invader Bakhtiyar Khilji.

The town of Bakhtiyarpur is located in Patna district and is the birthplace of former chief minister Nitish Kumar. In 2021 when the media asked whether Bakhtiyarpur`s name should be changed, Nitish who was holding the CM post at that time had shot back and remarked, “What rubbish!” “Why will the name be changed? It is my birthplace. Some people keep talking about Bakhtiyarpur without any reason,” he added. At that time, the then BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur had called for Bakhtiyarpur's renaming. In July 2019, the then BJP MP Gopal Narayan Singh demanded in Rajya Sabha that the name of Bakhtiyarpur railway station be named after Buddhist names such as Nalanda and Rajgir. He argued that the station, named after ruler Bakhtiyar Khalji, was an "oppressor" who destroyed the Nalanda University and killed 2,000 to 3,000 Buddhist monks. In 2018, Union Minister Giriraj Singh also raised the matter.

Lalu Prasad forwarded renaming request to union minister in 2006

In 2006, the then railway minister Lalu Prasad had written to then union home minister Shivraj Patil, forwarding two requests by former Bihar governor Buta Singh and then chief minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for the purpose of renaming Bakhtiyarpur railway station after freedom fighter, Sheelbhadra Yajee.

Historians, however, remain divided on whether Bakhtiyarpur was, in fact, named after Bakhtiyar Khilji. While various claims are made regarding this, no concrete historical evidence is clearly available to substantiate them. Despite the lack of definitive proof, a strong perception persists among the public that the town is indeed linked to that specific ruler.

Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji was a Turko-Afghan military general. Between 1200 and 1205 AD, he conquered several regions across Bihar and Bengal.

According to historical records, Bakhtiyar Khilji invaded Bihar around the year 1203 and subsequently captured Nadia, the capital of Bengal. He is best remembered for his attack on Nalanda University. Numerous historical accounts assert that he inflicted damage upon major Buddhist centers of learning, such as Nalanda and Odantapuri.

During this period, a large number of Buddhist monks were killed, and many others were forced to flee the region. Although some historians contend that Nalanda University had already fallen into a state of decline, Bakhtiyar Khilji is generally held responsible for its ultimate destruction.