Mughal Heritage in Delhi: Toponymics Manipulation

In the post-colonial world, when new nations one after another gained independence and got out of the colonialists hand, “toponymic games” have become a global phenomenon. The main goal of such manipulations was to return historical justice, to remove associations with the oppressive past from the collective memory of citizens. Post-colonial India was also affected by renaming stir at various levels. Toponyms associated with Muslim dynasties began to undergo changes at the most.Muslim dynasties ruled India from the XIII to the mid XIX century. Over this long period of time, they had a great impact on the history and culture of India. Muslim influence especially affected the capital city of Delhi. This significant historical period is also reflected in the toponymy of the city. The article shows how the names of streets associated with the history of Mughal India are being erased from the map of Delhi and from the memory of the inhabitants of Delhi in recent years (often it’s being done at the initiative of politicians affiliated with the pro-Hindu BJP). Each year the New Delhi Municipal Committee receives more than 300 street and park renaming requests. Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi (which name was changed to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road in August 2015) was the first to be renamed. In an effort to make nice with the Hindu majority, rename claims are on the rise during India’s election campaigns. Nonmuslims say that all the troubles of the country came to the fore as the result of the Muslim invasion. So, the point of street rename is not in the dissonance of toponyms themselves, but in their meaning.