Hallowed ‘Banaras’ to replace unsung ‘Manduadih’ railway station

VARANASI: After almost 65 years, ‘Banaras’ is back on the map of Indian Railways as Manduadih Railway Station has been renamed as Banaras Railway Station. The maps of then Bengal & North Western Railway, available in Railways records of 1909 and 1937, contain the name of Varanasi Junction as ‘Benaras Cant’.
UP minister of state with independent charge and MLA from Varanasi North Ravindra Jaiswal confirmed the news.
“The Union home minister’s office has given the confirmation,” he said.
“Varanasi’s Manduadih Railway Station has been renamed as Banaras. The Central government has changed the name, sensing public sentiments. Home minister’s office has confirmed this, congratulations to all, thanks to Piyush Goyal, Manoj Singh, PMO, Amit Shah,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal added that people of the city were grateful to Union home minister Amit Shah and also chief minister Yogi Aityanath for fulfiling their long- pending demand. “I had also put the demand for renaming before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers including Sadanand Gauda, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal and also Manoj Sinha.”
Earlier in UP, names of Mughalsarai and Allahabad railway stations were changed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction and Prayagraj Junction, respectively.
North Eastern Railway officials, however, said on Wednesday that an official communication from the railway ministry in this regard is awaited at their offices. “We have not received any official communication regarding renaming of Mandiadih railway station from the railway ministry so far,” said NER Varanasi division spokesman Ashok Kumar.
NER officials said former minister of state for railways and now Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha had initiated the move of renaming of Manduadih station as Banaras station in February 2019. As the Yogi government accepted the idea and forwarded it to the Union ministry of home affairs, the process gained momentum.
Renowned historian Prof Rana PB Singh said, “Since the introduction of rail service in India by the British and spread of Bengal & North Western Railway, the railway station in Varanasi was known as ‘Benaras Cant’. When Dr Sampurnanad became second chief minister of UP, he ensured renaming of the district from Benaras to Varanasi and Benaras Cant railway station to Varanasi Junction on May 24, 1956.”
TProf Singh welcomed the move, saying the “name Banaras should not be forgotten as it exists since Buddhist era as mentioned in Pali literature”.
Retired senior officer of culture department Ratnesh Verma said, “This holy city is known by names like Kashi, Varanasi and Banaras. Most of its world famous products including sari and paan (betel) are famous as Banarasi. Thus, the people of the city are demanding a milestone in the name of Banaras.”
The Railways has about a dozen railway station in the region including Varanasi Junction, Varanasi City, Kashi, Manduadih, Sarnath, Bhullanpur, Shivpur, Vyas Nagar, Awadhoot Bhagwan Ram Halt, Shivpur and Babatpur among others.