Khultabad town, housing Aurangzeb tomb, to be renamed as Ratnapur: Minister

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat has said the name of Khultabad town, where the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb is located, will be changed to Ratnapur.

The minister for social justice, some other state leaders and right-wing outfits have been demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb from Khultabad, located around 25 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city.

The graves of Aurangzeb, his son Azam Shah, Nizam Asaf Jah and many others are located in the area.

Last month, Shirsat said there was no place in Maharashtra for the grave of Aurangzeb, the cruel emperor who tortured and executed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Speaking to reporters here over the weekend, Shirsat said Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was earlier known as Khadki, and later renamed as Aurangabad.

"Likewise, Khultabad was earlier known as Ratnapur. Names of many places were changed during the reign of Aurangzeb. We are going to change the name of Khultabad to Ratnapur," the Shiv Sena leader said.

"We are conducting a process of changing the names of all those places having 'bad' (like Auranga'bad') in their names. Ratnapur was changed to Khultabad during Aurangzeb's rule," the guardian minister of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district said.

The government is positive about making a memorial there (in Khultabad) which will showcase the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj, Shirsat said.