Days after the disputed Bhojshala complex was declared a Hindu site, leading to calls for re-installation of a ‘Vagdevi’ idol there, Executive Council of Bhopal-based Barkatullah University has passed a proposal to include the Goddess in its name. Instead of bearing the name of Barkatullah, a famed freedom fighter, the 55-year-old institution should be named ‘Vagdevi Bhojpal University’, the council has written to Governor and Chancellor Mangubhai Patel.While Vagdevi, the Sanskrit name for Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning, is associated with Bhojshala, Bhojpal is believed to be Bhopal’s former name. Barkatullah University was earlier known as Bhopal University, and was named after Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, who belonged to the city, by the state Congress government in 1988.AdvertisementIf Raja Bhoj was a medieval king who may have built a lake and written 80 books, Barkatullah, separated by nine centuries, was a revolutionary who died without seeing the freedom he had fought for.Vice-Chancellor Professor S K Jain told The Indian Express that the proposal to change the name from one to the other received majority support in the Executive Council.What happens now?Demands for renaming Barkatullah University have periodically surfaced in local politics and gained momentum after the renaming of Habibganj Railway Station in Bhopal as Rani Kamlapati Railway Station in November 2021.AdvertisementMust Read | Decode Politics: What is ‘Know BJP’ campaign, under which Nitin Nabin met Nepal’s ruling party chiefSeveral procedural hurdles remain. Approval from the Governor/Chancellor is required, as well as likely amendments to the legislation governing the university.BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said: “The proposal will now be sent to the government for further consideration. Once it reaches the government, an appropriate decision will be taken. At this stage, I believe it is a positive step.”Historian Shahnawaz Khan, who has written extensively on Bhopal’s history and the freedom movement, questioned the rationale behind the renaming, pointing to Barkatullah’s contribution to India’s Independence struggle and his association with the city.“Barkatullah University is among the most recognised educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh. Maulana Barkatullah was not merely a resident of Bhopal, he was a major freedom fighter who also served as Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of India established in Kabul in 1915,” Khan told The Indian Express.“On the other hand,” he added, “there is little evidence of Raja Bhoj ever building anything in Bhopal, or even having stayed here.”Who was Raja Bhoj?A Paramara ruler of Malwa, Raja Bhoj’s reign is generally dated between 1010 and 1055 CE, based on contemporary inscriptions and copper plate grants.His reputation rests on warfare and governance but also scholarship. Numerous works on architecture, engineering, literature, medicine, philosophy, astronomy and statecraft have been attributed to him. Folklore also credits Raja Bhoj with founding Bhopal and constructing the Upper Lake through a massive dam project.Also Read | Why ‘illegal immigration’ spectre is now resonating in Arunachal PradeshHowever, historians caution that much of what is popularly believed about Raja Bhoj comes from texts written centuries after his death and, like it happens, legend and facts were deeply intertwined in his story.Who was Maulana Barkatullah?Born in Bhopal in 1854, Mohamed Barkatullah Bhopali went on to become one of the most international figures of India’s freedom struggle, spending much of his life outside the country – from London to Tokyo, Berlin, Kabul, Moscow and San Francisco – campaigning against British rule through writing, diplomacy and revolutionary organisation.In Japan, he taught Hindustani at the University of Tokyo while building anti-colonial networks. His work helped establish Japan as an important centre for Indian revolutionary activity long before Subhas Chandra Bose emerged on the scene.He was one of the founders of the Ghadar Party, which was set up in 1913 in San Francisco and was among the most radical anti-colonial organisations of its era. The movement advocated armed rebellion against British rule and sought to inspire mutiny among Indian soldiers serving the empire.Barkatullah’s most significant political achievement came in December 1915 when he helped establish the Provisional Government of India in Kabul. Raja Mahendra Pratap served as President, and Barkatullah as Prime Minister. This ‘government’ attempted to secure international support for Indian independence and represented one of the earliest efforts to establish an Indian government-in-exile.Barkatullah also worked closely with revolutionary networks in Germany and later engaged with Soviet leaders after the Russian Revolution.He died in San Francisco in 1927, 20 years before India gained Independence.Politics of renamingBJP governments under Shivraj Singh Chouhan earlier and CM Mohan Yadav now have pursued a sustained programme of renaming cities, railway stations, schools, institutions and public places, arguing that the exercise restores historical, cultural and civilisational identities while honouring local heroes, freedom fighters and tribal icons.But critics see these as selective attempts to diminish Muslim-associated names from public life.But if Bhopal’s pre-Islamic heritage remains visible in Bhojpur, Bhojtal and traditions linked to Raja Bhoj, the city’s history has also been shaped to a large extent shaped by Pashtun Dost Mohammad Khan and by four remarkable Begums who ruled it between 1819 and 1926. The city has a rich culture of Urdu literature, Islamic scholarship and architectural patronage.Congress MLA Arif Masood said the state could honour Raja Bhoj or Vagdevi through a new institution. “Changing the name of a historic institution is unfortunate,” he said, adding that Barkatullah’s place in India’s freedom movement could not be ignored. “People are now asking who Barkatullah was.”