Lansdowne to be renamed Jaswantgarh
4th July, 2023
Culture and Heritage
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Context
- The town was named after Lord Lansdowne.
- Now a decision to change the name of town has been taken by Lansdowne Cantonment Board.
- Proposed name for this hill station is Jaswantgarh.
Lord Lansdowne
- He was a british politician also known as Henry Charles Keith Petty-Firzmaurice.
- During 1888 to 1894, he served as Viceroy of India.
- After this he also served as the Governor General of Canada.
- In UK, He was the Leader of the House of Lords and also served as secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
- He is given credit for supressing Manipur Rebellion of 1891.
- He also perpetuated divide and rule policy and promoted Hindu-Muslim divide.
Lansdowne Cantonment
- This cantonment is located in the district of Pauri Garhwal of Uttarakhand
- In 1886, a decision to raise a separate Regiment of the Garhwalis was taken on the recommendation of Commander-in-Chief India.
- Kalundanda, a forest area 6,000 feet above sea level was selected as a Cantonment site and centre for the training of Garhwal Rifles.
- In 1887, Subsequently First Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles moved into Kalundanda.
- In 1890, this place was named Lansdowne after Lord Henry Lansdowne.
- It has a total area of 1503.8 acres and a population of 5,667 civilians and military personnel.
- It is a Category III cantonment.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh
- Rifleman Jaswantgarh, a member of 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, is a war hero of 1962 war and a recipient of Maha Vir Chakra.
- He was awarded the second highest gallantry award due to his role against the People's Liberation Army of China in Battle of Nuranang during 1962 war
- The battle was fought in the North-East Frontier Agency, current Arunachal Pradesh.
- During an attack involving Chinese medium machine gun, he volunteered to fight and seized this medium machine gun.
- In the process he neutralised the Chinese detachment of five sentries but injured seriously.
- He finally succumbed to his injuries and posthumously awarded Maha Vir Chakra.
Must Read Article:
Lord Lansdowne
https://www.iasgyan.in/ig-uploads/pdf/info_viceroys.pdf
PRACTICE QUESTION There are increasing instances of changing the name of a place. How significant is the practice of changing the name of a place? Critically Analyze. (150 Words) |