Historians have frowned upon the Gujarat government’s proposal to rename Ahmedabad as Karnavati, saying it doesn’t make sense to tinker with history for an imaginary city. The move may also put the city’s heritage tag at stake.
Karnavati finds no mention in historical documents and the name appears only in a couple of literary works, said Professor Makrand Mehta, a historian.
Citing a reference of Merutungacharya’s poem ‘Prabandhchintamani’, Mehta said the poet had mentioned that in 1094 AD, Karnadev Waghela defeated Bhil king Asha of Ashaval and established a settlement.
“Interestingly, the poem was written in 1306 AD and has a mention of Karnavati,” said Mehta. Since 9th century, he said, the Ashaval settlement has been mentioned in several historical documents and books, but not Karnavati.
Jain fiction Prabandhchintamani too has mentioned Karnavati. “The origin and rise of Karnavati is mentioned here as an imaginary city,” added the professor.
Mehboob Desai, another history professor, discarded the theory that Karnavati was ever established. “In the history book Gujarat no Itihas by Ratnamanirao Jote or in the books written by SP Mishra and Elliot, there is no mention of Karnavati city.” Even the settlement of Asha Bhil � Ashaval or Ashapalli was separate than the city of Ahmedabad.”
“Ahmed Shah properly established the city, Ahmedabad, after his name in 1411. The establishment of Ahmedabad has a number of records. The city has flourished after that till date. How did the idea of changing its identity appear?,” remarked Desai.
A senior government official said Ahmedabad has got the Unesco ‘Heritage City’ identity and renaming it could be a big challenge. “Ahmedabad has been popular among the global community as a city which has ancient architectural combination of Islamic and Hindu culture,” he said.
Another historian Shirin Mehta said Ahmedabad was established adjoining to Ashaval by Ahmedabad Shah.
“The city was established by the ruler systematically, schematically and strategically in a jungle next to the settlement of Asha Bhil. There were tradesman, Jains, Banias, tribals stayed in the city. Keeping in mind the trade route in all directions, the city was established,” said Shirin Mehta.
Manvita Baradi, state convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and member of Heritage Conservation Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, said this is just a temporary political move. “Will the change of name bring any change? There is no logic behind it. The city should continue to be identified as Ahmedabad. There were many settlements at that time,” she said.
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