Indore, Oct 21 (PTI) The decision to name the historic Residency Kothi in Indore in Madhya Pradesh after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has evoked opposition from some quarters who demanded it be named after Holkar dynasty ruler Devi Ahilyabai.
The 200-year-old building had witnessed the valour of revolutionaries during the 1857 War of Independence. It is one of the major historical buildings of Indore in which VIPs visiting the city are accommodated and important government meetings are held.
“We have full respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but the 300th birth anniversary of Devi Ahilyabai is being celebrated across the country this year. Therefore, we demand from Indore Municipal Corporation that the Residency Kothi be named as Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Rest House,” Punyashlok Sanstha head Jatin Thorat told PTI.
He said a formal memorandum will be submitted to the municipal administration regarding their demand and further course of action will depend on the reply.
Members of the organisation during the day put up a banner proclaiming the structure as ‘Devi Ahilya Bai Kothi’, eyewitnesses said.
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said the decision to rename Residency Kothi as Shivaji Kothi was taken unanimously by the Mayor’s Council (MIC) based on the suggestions of residents.
Historian Zafar Ansari said the construction of Residency Kothi was started by the East India Company in 1820, adding British officers living in it controlled all princely states of Central India from here.
“On July 1, 1857, revolutionary Saadat Khan and his armed comrades carried out a fierce attack on Residency Koth, demolished its entrance and gained control of the building. The revolutionaries took down the East India Company flag and hoisted the Holkar dynasty flag on it,” he said.
“Khan was arrested in 1874 from then Rajputana (now in Rajasthan), tried and hanged on October 1 that year in the Residency Kothi complex,” Ansari said. PTI HWP MAS BNM
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