Why the capital of the Andaman Islands was recently renamed to Sri Vijaya Puram
In short: Long known as Port Blair, this strategic Indian capital city underwent an official name change in September 2024. Beyond its new identity, the city serves as the primary gateway to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, housing a unique tri-command military base and a history defined by colonial penal settlements.
The city now officially called Sri Vijaya Puram, previously known as Port Blair, sits on South Andaman Island. Its history is deeply tied to British colonial efforts in the late 18th century, when officer Archibald Blair first established a naval base in the region. By 1858, the British returned to set up a penal colony, specifically targeting participants of the Indian rebellion of 1857. This legacy of incarceration culminated in the construction of the Cellular Jail, finished in 1906, which held independence activists far from the mainland.
The region's strategic importance has shifted through various global conflicts. During the Second World War, Japanese forces occupied the area in March 1942, later transferring nominal control to Subhash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind organization in 1943, though real power remained with the Japanese military. Following the war, the territory was returned to British control in 1945 before becoming part of the Dominion of India in 1947. Since the 1980s, the city has evolved into a vital defense hub, hosting the Indian Armed Forces' only integrated tri-command.
Today, the city functions as the administrative capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory. It is a diverse urban center, with a 2011 census population of over 108,000, which grew to an estimated 140,572 following municipal expansions in 2015. The city’s demographic landscape is linguistically varied, with Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Bengali speakers among the largest groups. Despite facing natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the city remains the primary logistics and relief base for the surrounding islands, supported by the Veer Savarkar International Airport and its major maritime port.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Port Blair
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