The name of Mustafabad tehsil in Yamunanagar district in north-east Haryana has been changed to 'Saraswati Nagar', an official spokesman said on Tuesday.
The renaming of Mustafabad - having a population of over 8,500 and about 100 km from here - was done in view of the importance of the Saraswati river in Hindu mythology.
"A notification on the name change has been issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department," the spokesman said.
Haryana's first Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already sanctioned Rs.500 million for the excavation work of the river. Construction of a palaeo-channel, digging of borewells, carbon dating and other works have already been initiated in this regard.
The Saraswati river finds mention in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, Ramayana and others, giving credence to the belief that the river existed during those times.
