Place names in India

Last updated

Place names in India are usually in Indian languages. Other languages include Portuguese, Dutch, English and Arabic.

Contents

Since Indian Independence, several Indian cities have adopted pre-English names, most notably Chennai (formerly Madras), Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Visakhapatnam (formerly Waltair), and Pune (formerly Poona).

Common place names

Most place names are named after prominent geographical features, such as rivers and lakes. Others are named after personalities such as kings or historical figures. Although Hindu history was a main influence, Islamic and Christian influences are present, particularly in central and northern India.

Anglicized names

Some anglicized names have been officially changed to reflect native pre-colonial spellings. The names of the cities, towns, and villages are usually in Indian languages, while most street names carry English names. Examples: Washermanpet, George Town, Chennai

Variations

Certain names have variations in different languages. Oor/Ooru is a common Dravidian name which means a place, also known as Oor in Tamil and Malayalam, whereas it is called Ooru in Telugu and Kannada.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Common suffixes include, -ooru, -palli, -pudi, -peta, etc.

SuffixMeaningEtymologyExamples
-abadcityUrdu آباد < Persian ـآباد/آباد < Middle Persian ʾp̄ʾt' (ābād, “populous, thriving, prosperous”). < Proto-Iranian *āpāta-, < Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect”) Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Nizamabad
-baghtownUrdu باغ ("garden") < Persian باغ‎ bâğ < Middle Persian 𐭡𐭠𐭢‎ (bāɣ, “garden, orchard”) < Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰāgá- (“portion, share, allotment”) < Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (“to divide, distribute, allot”) Suryabagh, Nausena Baugh
-cherlatownTelugu చర్ల (charla "town") Macherla, Chengicherla
-guda/-gudem/-gudemuvillageTelugu గూడ (gūḍa "village. hamlet") < Telugu గూడెం (gūḍem) గూడెము (gūḍemu) Tadepalligudem, Galigudem, Dumbriguda
-kot/-kotafortTelugu కోట (kōṭa "fort, fortress") < Proto-South-Dravidian *kōṭṭay ("fort, castle). Samalkot, Kasimkota,

Sriharikota

-nagar/-nagaram/-nagarutownTelugu నగర్ (nagar), నగరం (nagaraṁ), నగరు (nagaru) < Proto-South-Dravidian *nakar ("town, city"). [4] Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, Vizianagaram,
-ole/-olutownAnglicized Telugu -ole < Telugu ఓలు (ōlu "town") < Old Telugu ప్రోలు (prōlu "city, town") Ongole, Nidadvolu
-ooru/-oor/-ore/-ur/-uruvillageAnglicized Telugu -ore < Telugu ఊరు (ūru "village") < Proto-Dravidian *ūr ("village, habitation") Guntur, Nellore, Chittoor, Eluru, Anantapur
-palem/-palemu/-palle/-pallem/-pallemu/-pallivillageTelugu పాలెం (pāleṁ), పాలెము (pālemu), పల్లె (palle), పల్లెం (palleṁ), పల్లెము (pallemu) < Telugu పల్లి (palli "village") పల్లీ (pallī "village") < Proto-Dravidian *paḷḷi ("(small) village") [4] Peddapalli, Madanapalle, Nadimpalle
-patnam/-patnamuport cityTelugu పట్నం (paṭnaṁ "patnam") Vishakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, Krishnapatnam
-pedu Yerpedu
-pudivillage(Old?) Telugu పుడి (pudi "village") Kuchipudi
-pur/-puram/-puramu/-puricityTelugu పూర్ (pūr) పూరం (pūraṁ) పూరము (pūramu) పూరి (pūri) < Sanskrit पुर (pura) < Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁- (“stronghold”) Markapur, Hindpur, Atchutapuram
-put/-puttuvillageTelugu పుట్టు (puṭṭu "village, put") < Proto-Dravidian (?) Manchingiput, Jalaput,
-seemaregionTelugu సీమ (sīma "region, kingdom") < Sanskrit सीमा (sīmā "border, region") Rayalaseema
-vada/-wadaarea, placeTelugu వాడ (vāḍa "area, place") Vijayawada, Vemulawada
-vaka/-wakatownTelugu వాక (vāka "town") Gajuwaka, Hanumanthavaka
-valasatownTelugu వలస (valasa "town, migration") Thangarapuvalasa, Palavalasa

Arunachal Pradesh

Namdapha National park, Roing, Tezu, Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, Namsai, Parsurum Kund, Bhairabkunda, Khonsa, Jairampur, Bhismaknagar, Changlang, Hawai, Nampong, Koloriang, etc. [5]

Assam

SuffixMeaningEtymologyExamples
-gā̃ovillageSanskrit (ग्राम, grāma) Bongaigaon, Chaygaon, Morigaon, Nagaon
-hāṭ/hāṭīmarketSanskrit (हाट, hāṭa) Guwahati, Jorhat, Moranhat
-pāṛāneighbourhoodSanskrit (पद्र, padra) Bilasipara, Goalpara, Rangapara
-pursettlementSanskrit (पुर, pura) Badarpur, North Lakhimpur, Tamulpur, Tezpur

Bihar

Bodh Gaya, Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Raxaul, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Pawapuri, Sasaram, Hajipur, Bihar Sharif, Kesaria, Sonpur, Munger and Bhagalpur Division.

Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Jagdalpur, Bilaspur, Durg, Kanger Ghati National Park, Bhilai, Sirpur, Ambikapur, Korba, Kawardha, Raigarh, Dongargarh, Tirarthgar, Atal Nagar, Mainpat, Indravati National Park, Ratanpur, Rajim, Chitrakoot, Rajnandgaon, Dhamtari, Kanker and Champa.

Delhi

New Delhi, Gurugram, Mehrauli, Karol Bagh, Delhi, Rohini, Chanakyapuri, Sonipat, Dwarka, Vasant Kunj, Pitam Pura, Bahadurgarh, Greater Kailash, Delhi Cantonment, Shahpur Jat, Shahdara, Najafgarh, Badarpurh, Nangloi Jat, Saidul Ajaib and Bawana.

Goa

Panaji, Calangute, Palolem Beach, Anjuna, Baga, Old Goa, Candolim, Margao, Vagator, Colva, Dona Paula, Vasco Da Gama, Mandrem, Morjim, Canacona, Mapusa, Arpora, Bogmalo Beach, Benaulim, Cavelossim, Ponda, Varca, Bardez, Majorda, Mobor, Dabolim, Agonda and Mormugao.

Gujarat

Common suffixes [6]
SuffixExamples
-padraVaṭapadra, Vaḍapadra
-vadraJaravadra, Phalavadra
-pallī/-pallīkāĀbhīrapallī, Āśāpallī
-valī/-valli/-vallikāKacchāvalī
-sthalī
-hrada
-drahaVaṭa-draha
-saraJaṁbu-sara
-pāṭakaAṇahila-pāṭaka
-vāṭaka
-ijya/-ijjaAvayānijya,, Karkijja
-vasaṇaCaṇḍāvasaṇa
-vasahikā/-vāsaka
-vāḍāĀdhivāḍā
-vaḍa
-pura/-purī/-nagara/-paṭṭanaĀnandapura, Nāndipurī, Girinagara
-siddhi/-sāḍhi

Jammu and Kashmir

Pangong Tso, Zanskar, Nyak Tso, Samba, Ramban, Khardong, Manikiala and Ranjit Sagar Dam Lake.

Jharkhand

Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Purulia, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Maithon, Hazaribagh, Netarhat, Bokaro Steel City, Ghatshila, Giridih, Rajmahal, Dumka, Parasnath Hill, Rajrappa, Medininagar, Patratu, Chaibasa, Panchet, Betla, Deoghar, Sahebganj, Pakur, Kodarma and McCluskieganj, Gumla.

Karnataka

Common endings are Ooru, Palaya, Halli, Pete, Seeme. Less common are prefixes such as Sri.

SuffixmeaningCommon place names
BhaviwellArabhavi, Sulibhavi, Bilebhavi, Nagarbhavi, Thondebhavi
Gudhabitation Nanjangud, Handigud
HallivillageKanchamaranahalli, Arehalli
Kericolony Madikeri, Tallikeri
KotefortBagalakote, Jangamakote
Ooru/uruvillageBengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Kitturu. Emmiganuru,
PetetownChikkupete, Hosapete
NagaratownVijayanagara, Jayaprakashanagara
PuracityKundapura, Narasimharajapura, Kanakapura

Kerala

Common suffixes include Angadi, Athani, Ur, Cheri/Shery, Kulam, Kad, Nad, Pally, Kode/Code, Kara, Mangalam, Kal, Puram, and Puzha.

SuffixMeaningCommon place names
UrShire Nilambur, Tirur, Thrissur, Kannur, North Paravur.
Cheri/SheryStreet Thalassery, Cherpulassery, Kalpakanchery, Manjeri, Thamarassery.
NadVillage Eranad, Kuttanad, Wayanad, Thondernad.
KulamPond Ernakulam, Kunnamkulam, Kayamkulam, Mararikulam, Mankulam, Unnikulam, Punnayurkulam, Muthukulam.
AngadiMarket Parappanangadi, Tirurangadi, Pazhavangadi, Melangadi.-
Athani Athani, Puthanathani, Karinkallathani
KadForest Puthukkad, Purakkad, Thalakkad, Palakkad, Vadakkekad.
PuzhaRiver Alappuzha, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Cherupuzha, Noolpuzha.

Maharashtra

Common suffixes include Pur, Ner, Gav, Abad, Khed, Oli, Wadi, Nagar, Tur, Vali, and Ra.

Manipur

Imphal, Loktak Lake, Moreh, Moirang, Ukrhul, Andro, Bishnupur, Shirui, Kakching, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Thoubaul, Khangkhui, Jiribam, Leimaram, Khonghampat, Khongjom, Leimakhong, Tengnoupaul, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Senapati, Nambol, Nony, Jessami, Singda, Thanga and Khayang.

Mizoram

Aizawl, Lunglei, Champhai, Thenzhal, Murlen National Park, Serchhip, Murlen, Siaha, Kolasib, Hmuifang, Vairegte, Mamit, Saitual, Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Zokhawthar, Baktawng, Farkawn, Phulpui, Sialsuk, Khawnlung, Tlabung, Lengpui and Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary.

Orissa

In Odisha (formerly known as Orissa) common suffixes are Pur, Garh, Gada.

SuffixMeaningCommon Place names
PurCity Sambalpur, Berhampur, Rairangpur, Subarnapur, Puri
GarhFort Bargarh, Debagarh, sundergarh, Nayagarh

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, common suffixes are Oor, Nagaram, Puram, Kudi, Cheri, Paakkam, Pattinam, Palayam, Kaadu, Pettai, Mangalam, Seemai, naththam, palli and Kuppam. One common prefix is Thiru. The majority of names are in Tamil language. Telugu and Kannada place names can be seen in border areas. Sanskrit names are found because of the historical relationship of Sanskrit with Hinduism.

SuffixMeaningCommon Place names
Oor/ur/oreVillage Ambattur, Thanjavur, Karur, Hosur, Tirupur, Coimbatore, Vellore.
KaaduForest Yercaud,
PattinamCoastal area Nagapattinam
Puramectal Kanchipuram, Ramanathapuram, Viluppuram
NagaramCity Vanagaram
Nibee Theni
Kalpaving stone namakkal
Kudisettlement karaikkudi, paramakudi, thoothukkudi

Tripura

Common suffix include mura.

suffixmeaningcommon places
assaAmbassa, Bagbassa
barihouseChuraibari, Jolaibari
chharastreamLaxmanchhara, Nabinchhara, Karaichhara, Bagaichhara, Dhanichhara, Sanichhara
muraTeliamura, Sonamura
purUdaipur, Amarpur, Madhupur,
nagartown or cityAmpinagar, Dharmanagar, Jubarajnagar

West Bengal

Global Indian influence in place names

See Indosphere, Sanskritization, Indianization of Southeast Asia.

In the Indianised cultures outside India, places were given Sanskritised names to make them sound more noble. Examples include:

Indonesia

Indonesia, as a hugely Sanskrit and Indic-influenced country, contains many Sanskrit-named cities and placements:

Malaysia

Rajwada

Thailand

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dravidian languages</span> Language family mostly of southern India

The Dravidian languages are a family of languages spoken by 250 million people, mainly in southern India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan. Dravidian is first attested in the 2nd century BCE, as inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi script on cave walls in the Madurai and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil language</span> Dravidian language native to South India and Sri Lanka

Tamil is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian Union territory of Puducherry. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in the four other South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also spoken by the Tamil diaspora found in many countries, including Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Mauritius. Tamil is also natively spoken by the Sri Lankan Moors. One of 22 scheduled languages in the Constitution of India, Tamil was the first to be classified as a classical language of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shri</span> Sanskrit honorific

Shri is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pekanbaru</span> City and capital of Riau, Indonesia

Pekanbaru is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic centre on the eastern side of Sumatra Island with its name derived from the Malay words for 'new market' . It has an area of 632.26 km2 (244.12 sq mi), with a population of 897,767 at the 2010 Census, and 983,356 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,007,540. It is located on the banks of the Siak River, which flows into the Strait of Malacca, Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and has long been known as a trading port.

<i>Bangsawan</i> Indonesian and Malaysian traditional opera

Bangsawan is a type of traditional Malay opera or theatre performed by a troupe, and accompanied by music and sometimes dances. The bangsawan theatrical performance encompasses music, dance and drama. It is widely spread in the Malay cultural realm in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. The artform is indigenous in Malay Peninsula, Riau Islands, Sumatra and coastal Borneo.


A gopuram or gopura is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South Indian architecture of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, and Sri Lanka. In other areas of India they are much more modest, while in Southern Indian temples they are very often by far the highest part of the temple.

Ramakrishna Puram popularly known as R.K. Puram, is a residential colony in Delhi. Named after the saint Sri Ramakrishna, it houses many high-profile corporate houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asika</span> Town in Odisha, India

Asika or Aska (ଆସିକା)/(ଆସ୍କା) is a town and a Notified Area Council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Fondly known as the Sugar city of Odisha. Asika is a major commercial and transportation hub of Ganjam .There are 2 National Highway's are pass across the town(157 & 59). It's famous for Maa Khambeswari Temple and Maa Khambeswari's Baishakhi Yatra which is celebrated every year.

Thorapadi is a part of Vellore Corporation. It is a prominent area in the city of Vellore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanniyar</span> Hindu agrarian caste in Tamil Nadu, India

The Vanniyar, also spelled Vanniya, formerly known as the Palli, are a Dravidian community or jāti found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dvarapala</span> Door guardian statue

A Dvarapala or Dvarapalaka is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the gada (mace). The dvarapala statue is a widespread architectural element throughout Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina cultures, as well as in areas influenced by them like Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selat Panjang</span> Town in Riau, Indonesia

Selat Panjang is the capital of Kepulauan Meranti Regency, which is part of the province of Riau in Indonesia. The regency is a new regency in Riau province which was established on 19 December 2008 after being separated from Bengkalis Regency. The city is located on Tebing Tinggi Island, which is separated by a narrow channel from Sumatra, and across the Strait of Malacca from Singapore.

Indrapura may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura</span> Sultanate that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau (1723–1949)

The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, often called Sultanate of Siak, was a kingdom that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau from 1722 to 1949. It was founded by Raja Kechil, who was from the Johor Kingdom, after he failed to seize the throne of the Sultanate of Johor. The polity expanded in the 18th century to encompass much of eastern Sumatra as it brought various communities under its control through warfare and control of trade between the interior of Sumatra and the Melaka Straits. The Dutch colonial state signed a series of treaties with Siak rulers in the 19th century, which reduced the area of state influence to the Siak River. For the remainder of the Dutch colonial era, it operated as an independent state with Dutch advisors. After Indonesia's Independence was proclaimed on 17 August 1945, the last sultan of Siak declared his kingdom to join the Republic of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nandinagari</span> South Indian script related to Devanāgarī

Nandināgarī is a Brahmic script derived from the Nāgarī script which appeared in the 7th century AD. This script and its variants were used in the central Deccan region and south India, and an abundance of Sanskrit manuscripts in Nandināgarī have been discovered but remain untransliterated. Some of the discovered manuscripts of Madhvacharya of the Dvaita Vedanta school of Hinduism are in Nandināgarī script.

Mangupura is the capital of Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia. The city has been the capital of Badung Regency since the enactment of Regulation Number 67, of 16 November 2009. Previously, the capital was located in Denpasar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aru Kingdom</span> Kingdom in Sumatra

Aru was a major Sumatran kingdom from the 13th to the 16th century. It was located on the eastern coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. In its heyday the kingdom was a formidable maritime power, and was able to control the northern part of the Malacca strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singhapala</span> Ancient region of Cebu, Philippines

Singhapala was an ancient fortified city or a region, the capital of the Indianized Rajahnate of Cebu. The location of this ancient city is what is now the modern Barangay Mabolo in the northern district of Cebu City. Founded by Sri Lumay or Raja Muda Lumaya, a half-Tamil prince.

Oikonyms in Western, Central, South, and Southeast Asia can be grouped according to various components, reflecting common linguistic and cultural histories. Toponymic study is not as extensive as it is for placenames in Europe and Anglophone parts of the world, but the origins of many placenames can be determined with a fair degree of certainty. One complexity to the study when discussing it in English is that the Romanization of names, during British rule and otherwise, from other languages has not been consistent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirupati district</span> District in Andhra Pradesh, India

Tirupati district is one of the eight districts of Rayalaseema region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. This district is known for its numerous historic temples, including the Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and Sri Kalahasteeswara temple. The district is also home to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, a rocket launch centre located in Sriharikota. The river Swarnamukhi flows through Tirupati, Srikalahasti and joins the Bay of Bengal.

References

  1. ↑ "Untitled".
  2. ↑ "Untitled".
  3. ↑ "Untitled".
  4. 1 2 Southworth, Franklin (2005). Linguistic Archeology of South Asia. RoutledgeCurzon. pp. 74, 76.
  5. ↑ https://www.google.com.au/destination/compare?q=places+in+arunachal+pradesh&site=search&output=search&dest_mid=/m/018ckn&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUyu-G777fAhXGuI8KHSDcDiYQ6tEBCDEoBDAA
  6. ↑ Sankalia, Hasmukh D. (1949). Studies in the Historical and Cultural Geography and Ethnography of Gujarat. Deccan College. pp. 51–80.
  7. ↑ "Things you should know before visiting temples in Bali". The Jakarta Post.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.