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Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that Bhadohi district has now been renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi.
Announcing the new name during a programme held in the district, Adityanath said, “Now our Bhadohi district will be called Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi.”
During his visit to the district, the chief minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 112 projects worth over ₹1,340 crore.
“On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the government had said Bhadohi district, renowned for its carpet industry, would be known by the name of Satguru Ravidas Maharaj, a saint who united society through his spiritual devotion,” Adityanath said.
He added that it is “deeply gratifying” that Sant Ravidas’s 600-year-old vision, in which everyone had food and benefited from welfare schemes without discrimination, has been realised.
Reciting a couplet by Sant Ravidas, Yogi said, “Sant Ravidas Maharaj once said ‘aisa chahu raj main jahan saban ko mile anna, chhoto bado sab mil basai, Ravidas raje prasanna’. (I desire such a kingdom where everyone receives food; where high and low dwell as equals, and Ravidas remains content). Sant Ravidas Ji dreamed of such a rule 600 years ago.”
“At present, it feels great when 80 crore people get free rations under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi without any discrimination,” he said, adding, “Renaming Bhadohi becomes relevant now.”
Bhadohi was a part of Varanasi district before it became the 65th district of the state on June 30, 1994.
In 1997, it was renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar by the Mayawati-led government. The BJP government under Ram Prakash Gupta renamed it as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi in November 1999. In December 2014, the Akhilesh Yadav-led government officially changed its name back to Bhadohi.
On July 29 this year, Adityanath announced that the Bhadohi district would once again be renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar, as the ruling BJP kicked off a Dalit outreach initiative from the prime minister’s constituency, Varanasi.
In June, the chief minister announced renaming Fazil Nagar town in Kushinagar as Pawagarh in honour of Lord Mahavir.
In 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj and Faizabad district as Ayodhya.
The government also renamed the Mughalsarai railway station as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in August 2018.
In October 2025, Adityanath had said that the government would move a proposal to rename the Mustafabad village in Lakhimpur Kheri as ‘Kabirdham’ to restore the area’s historical and cultural identity linked to Sant Kabir.
In April this year, Adityanath announced that Miyanpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri would be renamed Ravindra Nagar in honour of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
In August this year, Aligarh mayor Prashant Singhal said that a proposal to rename the city to Harigarh had been sent to the state government for implementation.
Proposals were also made to rename Basti after Maharishi Vashishth.
In August 2025, Ketki Singh, the BJP MLA from Bansdih in Ballia, urged the Centre and the state government to rename Ghazipur after Maharishi Gautam.
At Sunday’s event, the chief minister also said the Kashi Naresh PG college has been given the status of a university.
“When students get degrees from here, they will get degree degree from Kashi Naresh University, Sant Ravidas Nagar,” he added.
Highlighting the development potential offered by Bhadohi’s geographical location, Adityanath said Sant Ravidas Nagar is situated between the holy city of Varanasi and Prayagraj. The region boasts both rich heritage and infrastructure development driven by the “double-engine” government.
He said when the decision was made to extend the Ganga Expressway via the Vindhya Expressway, he specifically directed Sant Ravidas Nagar be connected to this network.
The chief minister said the Sant Ravidas Kutiya in Aurai tehsil remains a focal point of faith for devotees.
Efforts have been made to integrate the Sita Samahit Sthal at Sitamarhi into the Ramayana Circuit, he said, asserting that funds are now being invested in developing pilgrimage sites, preserving and beautifying the legacy of our ancestors, and honouring people’s faith.
