The British colonial government’s former summer capital of Simla in India’s northern Himalayan region is likely to be renamed in a bid to free the town from the "oppressive" mental slavery of the past.

The local branch of prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, wants to rechristen the picturesque hill town established by the British in 1864, after the Hindu goddess Shyamala Devi.

“Before the British arrived Simla was known as Shyamala” Himachal Pradesh state chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said over the weekend. "My government will seek public opinion on the demand to revert to this name," he added.

Other hard-line right wing organisations aligned with the BJP like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or World Hindu Council, are also demanding Simla’s renaming.

“Sticking to names (of places) given by (British) oppressors is a sign of mental slavery” said state VHP head Aman Puri. "Changing their names is a small but significant step in renouncing it (servitude)," he added.