Place names in India

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

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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 Proto Tamil 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 Tamil *kōṭṭay ("fort, castle). Samalkot, Kasimkota,

Sriharikota

-nagar/-nagaram/-nagarutownTelugu నగర్ (nagar), నగరం (nagaraṁ), నగరు (nagaru) < Proto Tamil *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 Tamil *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-Tamil*paḷḷi ("(small) village") [4] Peddapalli, Madanapalle, Nadimpalle
-patnam/-patnamuport cityTelugu పట్నం (paṭnaṁ "patnam") < Tamil*pattinam ("port town") 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.
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.

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 Aryans Modified Tamil Into sanscrit For ex: Sriperumbudur is Actually Thiruperumputhoor they sanscritized tamil

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

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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.
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