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 name suffixes denote 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, Kunnu, Parambu/Paramba and Puzha.

SuffixMeaningCommon place names
UrShire Nilambur, Tirur, Thrissur, Kannur, North Paravur.
Cheri/SheryStreet Thalassery, Cherpulassery, Kalpakanchery, Manjeri, Thamarassery, Kozhenchery.
NadVillage Eranad, Kuttanad, Wayanad, Thondernad.
KulamPond Ernakulam, Kunnamkulam, Kayamkulam, Mararikulam, Mankulam, Unnikulam, Punnayurkulam, Muthukulam.
AngadiMarket Street Parappanangadi, Tirurangadi, Pazhavangadi, Melangadi.-
AthaniPorter's rest Athani, Puthanathani, Karinkallathani
KadForest Puthukkad, Purakkad, Thalakkad, Palakkad, Vadakkekad.
KunnuHill Kottakkunnu, Vallikkunnu, Konathukunnu, Kudappanakunnu, Pulinkunnoo.
Parambu/ParambaGround/Plot Thaliparamba, Koothuparamba, Madathiparambu, Kizhuparamba, Thunchan Parambu.
PuzhaRiver Alappuzha, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Cherupuzha, Noolpuzha.

Chadayamangalam,

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, Thenzawl, Murlen National Park, Serchhip, Murlen, Siaha, Khawzawl, Kolasib, Hmuifang, Vairengte, Hnahthial, Lawngtlai, 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

Common suffix include -mura.

suffixmeaningcommon places
abadMurshidabad
barihouseChuraibari, Jolaibari
talaMaheshtala, Taratala
purDurgapur
nagartown or cityBidhannagar

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 South India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan, with pockets elsewhere in South Asia.

<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. It is one of the two longest-surviving classical languages in India, along with Sanskrit, attested since c. 300 BCE. The language belongs to the southern branch of the Dravidian language family and shares close ties with Malayalam and Kannada. Despite external influences, Tamil has retained a sense of linguistic purism, especially in formal and literary contexts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telugu language</span> Language native to South India

Telugu is a classical Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family, and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of the languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the dialect of erstwhile Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Coastal Andhra.

<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 center on the eastern side of Sumatra Island with its name derived from the Malay (Indonesian) word 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 2023 was 1,123,348. 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 to the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ettumanoor</span> Municipality in Kerala, India

Ettumanoor is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about 129 km (80.2 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Ettumanoor has a population of 26,993 people, and a population density of 1,687/km2 (4,370/sq mi).

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">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 present-day Siak Regency, and nearby other regions from 1722 to 1949. It was founded by Raja Kecil, who had close relations with the Johor Sultanate, after he failed to seize the Johor throne. 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 Malacca Strait. The Dutch colonial state signed a series of treaties with the 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, Sultan Syarif Kasim II, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Tamil</span> Form of Tamil used from 300 BCE to 700 CE

Old Tamil is the period of the Tamil language spanning from the third century BCE to the seventh century CE. Prior to Old Tamil, the period of Tamil linguistic development is termed as Proto-Tamil. After the Old Tamil period, Tamil becomes Middle Tamil. The earliest records in Old Tamil are inscriptions from between the 3rd and 1st century BCE in caves and on pottery. These inscriptions are written in a variant of the Brahmi script called Tamil-Brahmi. The earliest long text in Old Tamil is the Tolkāppiyam, an early work on Tamil grammar and poetics, whose oldest layers could be as old as the mid-2nd century BCE. Old Tamil preserved many features of Proto-Dravidian, the reconstructed common ancestor of the Dravidian languages, including inventory of consonants, the syllable structure, and various grammatical features.

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.

Proto-South Dravidian is the linguistic reconstruction of the common ancestor of the southern Dravidian languages native to southern India. Its descendants include Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, Badaga, Kodava, Irula, Kota and Toda. South Dravidian is sometimes referred to as South Dravidian I by linguists.

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.

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.