In an August 28, 2023, speech to scientists at the ISRO Command Center, Prime Minister Modi disclosed that the Chandrayaan-3 landing site will now be known as “Shiv Shakti Point”.
The name “Statio Shiv Shakti” has been accepted for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) working committee for Planetary System Nomenclature. The date of approval was March 19, 2024.
The International Astronomical Union has formally recognised Shiv Shakti, the lunar lander landing site of Chandrayaan 3, six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement. The Vikram lander’s landing site in Chandrayaan was given the name “Statio Shiv Shakti” on Tuesday by the globally renowned agency for the nomenclature of celestial objects.
Prime Minister Modi explained the meaning of the name’s symbol of humanity’s strength and well-being. “By highlighting its symbolic unity from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, India chose to name the touchdown points where Vikram Lander made a soft landing on the moon’s surface as ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’
The name “Shiv Shakti” honors Hindu mythology and adds a cultural and spiritual element to the lunar landing site by representing the cosmic balance between Lord Shiva, the transformer and destroyer, and Goddess Shakti, the divine feminine energy.
The internationally recognized body that gives names to planetary surface features is the IAU. It does this by adhering to certain norms and guidelines.
For example, Rule 4 stipulates that “solar system nomenclature shall be worldwide in its selection of names. Recommendations submitted to IAU national committees will be considered, but the International Astronomical Union is responsible for the final selection of names. Where appropriate, the [working group] strongly advocates for an equitable selection of names from ethnic groups, countries, and genders on each map; nevertheless, landing site maps may include a higher number of names from the country planning the landing.
According to IAU Rule 9, except for names of historical people from before the 19th century, names with political, military, or religious importance may not be used. The name means “Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature; landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander,” according to the Gazetteer citation..
