The reason for changing the old city names in India has been to retain the originality and eliminate the British colonial influence in the naming convention. There are 25 renamed cities of India that have been renamed to their original name to retain the authentic culture post the Indian independence. These are the old city names in India which have become the identity of the people living in these cities.
Renamed Cities Of India: Old City Names In India
This is also known as Trichy in Tamil Nadu and was previously called Trichinopoly. This name means three-headed demon. Trichy has a history since 3rd century B.C and has been ruled by various dynasties from Chiola, Pallava, and also the British. This is one of the renamed cites of India which has many prestigious educational institutes are located in the city which makes it an important educational center in Tamilnadu.
Vadodara is derived from the name of the Banyan tree or the heart of the Banyan tree which is called the Vatodar. This is an industrial city in Gujarat popular for its artworks and artists. It has a history of being an ancient city where even the early man dwelled. It is situated on the banks of Mahi River. One of the oldest city in India that exists since the Stone age.
Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam means, ‘ The City of Lord Anantha.’ Since 1991 this is one of the renamed cities of India. Thiruvananthapuram was the original name of the city before it was changed to Trivandrum and back to Thiruvananthapuram. This city is famous for its temples.
Bombay was changed to Mumbai in 1995 after Shiv Sena proposed the idea to have a name with Maratha heritage. Mumbai is derived from the name Mumba Devi who is the goddess of Mumbai. Mumba stands for Mumba Devi and ‘Ai’ of Mumbai stands for ‘Aai’ which means mother in the Marathi language. Bombay was changed to Mumbai because Shiv Sena didn’t want a name from British colonization. Now Mumbai is one of the famous renamed cities of India.
Madras was given this name when the Portuguese ruled the place and it meant Mother of God, and derived from the Portuguese name ‘Madre de Deus.’ During the British rule Madras was called ‘Madras Presidency,’ and post-independence it was changed to ‘Madras Province.’ In the year 1996, Madras was changed to Chennai. Though the name has been changed to Chennai, many educational institutions are still named Madras University, Madras Christian College, etc. Chennai name has been derived from a Telugu ruler, Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, who was a ruler from Vijayanagara Empire.
In the year 1996, the name Cochin was changed to Kochi. Kochi means small harbor and is derived from the word ‘Kochu Azhi.’ The old city names in India, Cochin was anglicized during the British rule. Most of the names of the Indian cities were anglicized during the British rule because they could not pronounce the original names. Kochi has been a trading center since ancient times.
Kalikata was the original name of Kolkata. Meaning of Kalikata means ‘Ground of goddess Kali.’ In 2001 Calcutta was renamed to Kolkata. They wanted to eliminate the colonial name and retain the original name and retain the pride of Bengali culture.
The original name of Pondicherry before French settled was known as Pandiyargal Serum Yedam. The name then changed to Puducherry before it was called Pondicherry. It was renamed back to Puducherry in 2006 to retain its original essence. ‘Pudu’ means new and ‘Cherry’ means residential area. Pondicherry was a trade hub between Africa and Asia.
Kanpur was called Kahniyapur for 210 years and has been an industrial city since. It was then called Kanhapur for a few years till the name changed to Kanpur. The name was changed to Cawnpore in 1770 during the British rule. Kanpur has been one of the military villages since long. The old city names in India was changed back to Kanpur to remove a colonized name for an Indian city.
Belagavi is the second capital city of Karnataka. Belagavi is derived from a Sanskrit word Venugram meaning, ‘Bamboo Village.’ The new name has not been well received by the people of the state and there have been protests about the same. This is one of the renamed cities of India and also called as ‘The Sugarbowl of India,’ as there is huge cultivation of sugarcane in the city.
Pune was originally called Punya Vishya because of the confluence of the rivers Mutha and Mula. The confluence of these rivers is called Punya. Pune was called Punyanagari before its name changed to Poona and then Pune. When King Shivaji ruled Pune, it was called Punewadi. Poona was named during the British rule. Later the name changed from ‘Poona’ to ‘Pune.’
The ‘City of Lights’ was named Varanasi based on the Vamana Purana. Rivers ‘Varuna’ and ‘Asi’ flow in this region and the name Varanasi is derived from the name of these two rivers. In ancient times Varanasi was known as Kashi, the City of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Benaras is what the British had called the city before it was changed back to Varanasi.
The original name of Visakhapatnam has been derived from the Buddhist Princess Visakha from the 5th Century B.C. Waltair was the name of the city during the British rule. There is also another theory that depicts that the name of the city was got from God of valor, Lord Visakeshwara. In modern times it is also called Vizag. This is one of the renamed cities of India, which was changed to have a local name instead of a British name.
Calicut has been renamed to Kozhikode before 2 years of independence. ‘Kodu’ means ‘fortified’ and ‘Koyil’ means ‘Palace.’ The British couldn’t pronounce the original name so they called it Calicut. The original name has been retained since the time British left India.
During the British rule, they called Guwahati as Gauhati. Guwahati means marketplace in Assamese. The old city names in India, Guwahati has a history of many mythological kingdoms. This is one of the scenic tourist destinations that has a strong Buddhist culture.
Read More: 15 Most Freezing Coldest Places In The World: Lowest Temperature In World
Nepal is a paradise for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Kathmandu is the capital of…
The Chapora fort is one of the most popular forts in North Goa which was…
The Jag Mandir Palace is located on the picturesque Lake Pichola, Udaipur. This is a…
The Economic Intelligence Unit has specialists that analyze the political, environmental, and economic status of…
Travelers to different countries have to exchange currency depending on the rate of currency on…
Hot springs, also called thermal springs are hot water emerging from under the ground. Sometimes…