Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the under-construction Dighalipukhuri–Noonmati flyover in Guwahati will be named after Maharaj Prithu, an iconic ruler of ancient Kamarupa.
The chief minister made the announcement during his address at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara in Guwahati, on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day on Friday.
Calling the decision part of the government’s “sacred duty” to preserve Assam’s pride and heritage, CM Sarma said the move would inspire the youth to learn about the state’s historical figures.
“Earlier this year, we honoured King Bhagadatta of Kamarupa by naming the Dispur flyover after him. Now, we have decided that the Dighalipukhuri–Noonmati flyover will bear the name of the mighty warrior Maharaj Prithu,” he said.
The Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA), in a statement, also lauded CM Sarma’s views that the move was a part of the State government’s sacred duty to preserve Assam’s cultural heritage and to inspire younger generations by honouring historical figures who defended the region against aggression by Islamic invaders.
The PPFA has also urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to install a life-size statue of the iconic monarch, also known as Visvasundaradeva, alongside the flyover, which is set to become the longest in Northeast India.
According to the forum, such a tribute would appropriately honour Prithu’s legacy and his significance in Assam’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
Sarma announced that the four-lane elevated corridor, which will connect the Dighalipukhuri (Ambari) area with the Noonmati locality, will be named after the medieval Kamarupa king.
Prithu defeated the Turkish-Afghan invader Mohamad -I- Bakhtiyar Khilji and annihilated his army in 1206 CE.
By then, the Muslim aggressor killed over 10,000 Buddhist monks and destroyed the well-known centres of learning Nalanda and Vikramshila in central India. Khilji even tried to invade Tibet, bypassing the Kamrup kingdom, but could not overpower the Tibetan forces and returned through the Kamrup territory, when mighty warrior Prithu dismantled his armed forces, somewhere in present day North Guwahati.
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“Prithu Maharaj should be honoured as he stood firmly against the invaders to safeguard the Hindu cultural legacy of Kamrup, where Sanskrit was recognised as Raj Bhasa, and prevented an early foreign aggression in this part of Bharat. The legendary Kamrup ruler earned strategic support from various tribal communities like Bodo, Koch-Rajbongshi, Keot, to overpower the Muslim forces,” stated the PPFA.
