Legacy Clash

In Indore, a city where the past is never quite forgotten, a recent decision to rename Residency Kothi has sparked an unnecessary and unseemly controversy. The Indore Municipal Corporation’s mayor-in-council has announced that this minor relic of the British era will now be known as “Shivaji Kothi.” What should have been a routine gesture of rechristening has instead opened up a vexatious debate. At the heart of this controversy are two towering figures of Maharashtra’s and India’s history — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ahilyabai Holkar — whose legacies deserve more respect than to be dragged into a squabble over a minor colonial structure.

The squabble over the renaming appears not only disproportionate but also tone-deaf. To attach Shivaji’s illustrious name to a small, largely forgotten British relic is to insult the grandeur of a leader who carved out a kingdom from the Mughal empire and left a legacy that echoes across western India. To reduce Shivaji’s immense stature to a plaque on a building that holds minimal cultural or architectural significance is to misunderstand the scale of his contributions.

Opponents of this renaming, notably the Congress Party and local organizations, suggested naming the building after Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, the iconic 18th-century queen who ruled Indore and is remembered for her administrative genius and piety. Holkar’s presence quite literally looms large over Indore. The city’s architecture, temples, and civic sense bear her mark.

Yet, this entire controversy feels needlessly divisive, not least because of the social tensions currently simmering in neighbouring Maharashtra, where the Dhangar-Maratha rift has been festering for some time. Notably, Ahilyabai is venerated by the Dhangars—a shepherd community—for her roots in their lineage, a reverence so strong that even Ahmednagar in Maharashtra was recently renamed ‘Ahilyanagar’ in her honour. This connection adds yet another layer to the discussion, showing that Ahilyabai’s legacy is not just local, but has a wide and cherished following.

So, the real question becomes: why this building, and why this debate? Residency Kothi, though historic, is hardly the sort of structure that merits a titanic struggle over renaming. Shivaji’s legacy is far greater than a small plaque on an old colonial building, and Ahilyabai’s contributions to Indore deserve far more than to be shoehorned into a symbolic contest over such a modest piece of architecture.

If the Indore Municipal Corporation is serious about honouring its historic figures, the solution should be simple: go bigger. If the intent is to truly reflect the city’s heritage, rename the city itself after Ahilyabai Holkar. After all, it was under her rule that Indore flourished into a hub of commerce, culture, and religious significance. Her imprint on the city is so pervasive that it would be far more fitting to have the entire city, not just a minor structure, bear her name. As for Shivaji Maharaj, his monumental contributions demand recognition on a far grander scale befitting a figure of his stature.