MP urges renaming station after Gajapati

Berhampur: Berhampur MP Pradeep Panigrahi has urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to rename Paralakhemundi railway station after Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, recognising the visionary and architect of modern Odisha.

Through a formal letter, Panigrahi highlighted that the station, now rejuvenated under the prestigious Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, stands as a symbol of progress, yet awaits a name that echoes the glorious legacy of Odisha’s past. Renaming it as “Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Railway Station” would be a befitting tribute to a titan whose contributions shaped the very soul of the State.

Panigrahi noted that Maharaja Gajapati was far more than a regional monarch. He was a visionary statesman, a guiding force behind Odisha’s socio-political awakening, and a principal architect in the formation of Odisha as India’s first linguistic State in 1936. His resounding voice at the historic Round Table Conferences still reverberates through the corridors of time. Adding another jewel to his illustrious legacy, the Maharaja’s royal lineage pioneered the establishment of the Paralakhemundi Light Railway in 1900, an endeavour that breathed new life into the region’s economy and connectivity, ushering in an era of development and opportunity.

In a further mark of homage, the MP has also proposed the installation of a majestic full-sized bronze statue of the Maharaja within the station premises, so that every traveller may pause, reflect, and draw inspiration from the life of this great son of Odisha.

As the winds of change gently blow across Paralakhemundi, this proposal seeks not merely a renaming, but the eternal enshrinement of a legacy that continues to illuminate the path of a proud and resurgent Odisha.