The Army has renamed Kolkata’s Fort William, the headquarters of its Eastern Command, as ‘Vijay Durg’.

The decision was taken in mid-December 2024, and internal communications within the military have already adopted the new name, though an official announcement is still awaited.

Confirming the development, Wing Commander Himanshu Tiwari, Chief Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Defence (Kolkata) that the decision to rename the fort was made in December 2024.

About Fort William

The historic Fort William was built by the British in 1781 and was named after King William III of England. The renaming to ‘Vijay Durg’ pays homage to the oldest fort on Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg coast, which served as an impregnable naval base of the Marathas during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s reign. The move symbolises India’s recognition of its own military heritage over colonial relics.