Parashurampuri

On 20 August 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, officially approved the renaming of the town Jalalabad in the Shahjahanpur district (Uttar Pradesh) to Parashurampuri. 
From now on, administrative references, maps and official documents should refer to the town as Parashurampuri. 
In effect: Jalalabad → Parashurampuri.

Why the renaming — motivations & reasons
The renaming is not arbitrary; it reflects a combination of cultural, historical and social-symbolic motivations given by proponents:

The town is — according to local belief and tradition — regarded as the mythological birthplace of Parashuram, the warrior-sage and sixth avatar of Vishnu in Hindu tradition. There is a temple and associated religious heritage in the area devoted to Parashuram. 
Supporters argued that the old name “Jalalabad” — originally given during Mughal rule (after Akbar) — carried connotations of former rulership, and in some narratives, linked to “ghulami” (slavery/subjugation) under foreign rulers. They felt renaming it to something rooted in Indigenous/Hindu tradition would restore local cultural identity. 
The local municipal board of Jalalabad, prior to the renaming, passed resolutions in support of this change (e.g. in March 2018 and September 2023) — indicating that among many residents there was longstanding demand for this name revision. 
So the decision aims to reflect what many locals consider their heritage — religious, cultural, and mythological — rather than keeping a Mughal-era place-name.

Process & Official Approval
The state government of Uttar Pradesh forwarded a request to the MHA (after municipal and district-level approval) for the name change. 
The MHA responded with a “no objection” letter in August 2025. 
The next step is for the state to publish a formal gazette notification in Hindi, English (and other regional languages) to make the name-change legally official for all administrative, civic and survey purposes. 
Once the gazette notification is out, “Parashurampuri” will become the official name everywhere — postal services, government records, maps, etc.