Renaming of cities in India

Renaming of cities in India has taken place since 1947 following the end of the British imperial period. Several changes have been controversial, and not all proposed changes have been implemented. Each has required approval by the Government of India in Delhi.

Some renaming of states and territories in India has also taken place, with substantial name changes in both local language and in English such as the old British state name of Travancore–Cochin to Kerala (1956). The most notable exceptions are Indian English spelling-changes of Orissa to Odisha (2011)[1] and the union territory of Pondicherry (which includes the city of Pondicherry) to Puducherry (2006).

History

A key aspect of Post-independence Political integration of India was the harmonization of names and territories of both states and cities. Some changes to nomenclature were introduced in the early years itself. For example, 'Jubbulpore', 'Jajesmow', 'Cawnpore' were renamed to Jabalpur, Jajmau and Kanpur in 1947–48. 'United Provinces' was renamed to Uttar Pradesh in 1950.[2]

A major development occurred when the Government of India brought the Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of India and the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.[3] Together, these Acts dispensed with the erstwhile four-fold classification of States and also made major changes to the various state boundaries. The reorganization enhanced administrative convenience and also quelled movements demanding establishment of 'linguistic states'.[4]

Later, Madras (the capital of Tamil Nadu) was officially renamed Chennai in 1996.[5] The name of Calcutta, which was amongst the first cities to be settled by the British, was changed to Kolkata (reflecting the local Bengali pronunciation) in 2001.[6]

Causes for renaming

Need for standardisation of spelling

India has various local languages. Even (Romanised) English spellings in long and wide use often vary depending upon which government department or agency uses them. To the point, a few examples are Quilandy versus Koyilandy (Malayalam: കൊയിലാണ്ടി), Cannanore versus Kannur (Malayalam: കണ്ണൂർ), and Rangiya versus Rangia (Assamese: ৰঙিয়া). Different departments of the government may have used official spellings in use at the time, while locations associated with Indian railways mostly maintained British-era spellings. The confusion inherent in such variations has often resulted in serious consequences like people having two "different" addresses (theoretically designating the same place) in their official records leading to legal disputes, or one house having residents of different house addresses due to differing place names. Many people argue that such confusion can lead to indeterminate and/or unintended consequences.[7]

Renaming in local languages

In the post-colonial era, several Indian states' names were changed. Some of these changes coincided with the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories that organized them along linguistic lines. At this time, for example, Travancore-Cochin was renamed Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം). Later state name changes include the reorganization of Madhya Bharat into Madhya Pradesh (Hindi: मध्य प्रदेश) in 1959;[8] and the renaming of the Madras State to Tamil Nadu (Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு) in 1969, of the Mysore State to Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ) in 1973, and of Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड) in 2007.

Name changes have varied with respect to the levels of language at which they have been applied, and also accepted. Some of these local name changes were changes made in all languages: the immediate local name, and also all India's other languages. An example of this is the renaming of predominantly Hindi-speaking Uttaranchal (Hindi: उत्तराञ्चल) to a new local Hindi name (Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड Uttarakhand). Other changes were only changes in some of the indigenous languages. For example, the renaming of the Madras Presidency to Madras State in 1947 and then Tamil Nadu in 1969 required non-Tamil speakers to change from an approximation of the British name (Tamil: மதராஸ் மாகாணம் Madras Presidency, then Madras State Tamil: மதராஸ் மாநிலம்) to a native Tamil name (Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு Tamil Nadu, 'Tamil country').

In general, changes to the local names of cities in the indigenous languages are less common. However, a change in English may sometimes also be a reflection of changes in other Indian languages other than the specific local one. For example, the change of Madras (Tamil: மதராஸ்) to Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை) was reflected in many of India's languages, and incidentally in English, while the Tamil endonym had always been Chennai and remained unaffected by the change.

Renaming in English

Change in official English spelling

The renaming of cities is often specifically from English to Indian English in connection with that dialect's internal reforms. In other words, the city itself is not actually renamed in the local language, and the local name (or endonym) in the indigenous languages of India does not change, but the official spelling in Indian English is amended. An example is the change from English Calcutta to English Kolkata – the local Bengali name (কলকাতা Kôlkata) did not change. Such changes in English spelling may be in order to better reflect a more accurate phonetic transliteration of the local name, or may be for other reasons. In the early years after Indian independence, many name changes were affected in northern India for English spellings of Hindi place names that had simply been Romanized inconsistently by the British administration – such as the British spelling Jubbulpore, renamed Jabalpur (जबलपुर) among the first changes in 1947. These changes did not generate significant controversy. More recent and high-profile changes – including renaming such major cities as Calcutta to Kolkata – have generated greater controversy.[9] Since independence, such changes have typically been enacted officially by legislation at local or national Government of India level, and may or may not then be adopted by the media in India, particularly the influential Indian press. In the case of smaller towns and districts which were less notable outside and inside India, and where a well known English name (or exonym) could not be said to exist, older spellings used under British India may not have had any specific legislation other than changes in practice on the romanization of indigenous Indian language names.

Realignment of the official Indian English name to an alternative local name

Aside from changes to the official English spellings of local names there have also been renaming proposals to realign the official name, hence the English name with an alternative local name.

Notable examples

States

Cities

Notable city names that were officially changed by legislation after independence include:

For others, by state order, see list of renamed Indian cities and states.

Town names that derive from ancient names:

Proposed changes

Several other changes have been proposed for states and towns.

States and union territories

Cities

Andhra Pradesh

  • Chavataputtedu to Brindavanam
  • Guntur to Gartapuri
  • Nellore to Vikrama Simhapuri or Simhapuri[20]
  • Sunnipenta/Sundipenta to Vishnugiri

Bihar

Gujarat

Himachal Pradesh

Telangana

Uttar Pradesh

Maharashtra

  • Pune to Rajmata Jijau Nagar – Amidst a surge of Marathification in Maharashtra after the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad, a NCP MLC, Amol Mitkari has demanded this name change,[31] and although it is highly unlikely to materialize, there has been a 'growing' movement to rename Pune's sister city, Pimpri-Chinchwad, as Jijau Nagar.[32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ India and the World Bank: The Politics of Aid and Influence - Page 126 Jason A. Kirk - 2011 "Orissa (Note: This state was officially renamed Odisha in March 2011)"
  2. ↑ "The renaming game - One India One People Foundation". 2 February 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ Munjal, Diksha (18 October 2022). "How were the States formed and how has the Indian map changed since 1…". The Hindu.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Nehru and linguistic States - Frontline". 31 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ "Names of all places to return to Tamil roots". The New Indian Express. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  6. ↑ Easwaran, Kenny. "The politics of name changes in India". Open Computing Facility, University of California at Berkeley. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Aggarwal, Rajesh (25 October 2014). "Merging NPR and UID ???". igovernment.in. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014.
  8. ↑ The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics, 1925 to the 1990s. - Page 134 Christophe Jaffrelot 1999 - "The new state included Madhya Bharat, the Bhopal region, the former Vindhya Pradesh, Mahakoshal and Chhattisgarh (the last two regions forming the Hindi-speaking parts in the former Madhya Pradesh; see map, pp. xxii-xxiii)."
  9. ↑ Mira Kamdar Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming ... 2007 Author's introduction Page xi "India's information-technology capital's new name, should it be adopted, will mean "town of boiled beans." The name changes are not without controversy among Indians. In several instances, the name change represents a struggle between a cosmopolitan elite and a local, regional-language populace over defining the city in ways that go far beyond a simple change of name."
  10. ↑ "Cabinet approves alteration of the name of the State of "Kerala" to "Keralam"" (Press release). Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 24 February 2026.
  11. ↑ MacRae, Penelope (25 February 2026). "Indian state of Kerala to be renamed Keralam to reflect local pronunciation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "David Rumsey: Geographical Searching with MapRank Search (beta)". Rumsey.mapranksearch.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Beam, Christopher (12 July 2006). "How Bombay became Mumbai. - Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Staff (21 August 2007). "Bangalore now Bengaluru". Oneindia.com. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Deccan Herald: Centre clears change in names of Karna cities, Belgaum now Belagavi". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Karnataka cities get new names". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Temples and legends of Himachal Pradesh - Page 38 Pranab Chandra Roy Choudhury - 1981 "Mandi takes the name from Mandavya. The name of the place was first Mandav Nagar and then corrupted into Mandi."
  18. ↑ Gazetteer of the Nellore District: Brought Up to 1938 - Page 151 Government Of Madras Staff, Government of Madras - 1942 "... of the Ramayana (2000 — 1500 BC) was a dense jungle, while the town of Nellore, which came into existence only several centuries later, was known as Simhapuri (Lion's town), from the supposed existence of lions in the adjacent forests."
  19. ↑ Hindu, The. "Demand to rename Andhra Pradesh as 'Telugu Naadu' resurfaces at third World Telugu Conference".
  20. ↑ "Nellore may be renamed Simhapuri: Venkaiah Naidu". Aap7am.
  21. ↑ Kushwaha, Maharshi (22 July 2026). "Why Is Allahabad Called Prayagraj? The Story Behind the Name Change". [Prayagraj Portal].
  22. ↑ "As Gujarat sets to rename Ahmedabad to Karnavati, Shiv Sena demands name change of Osmanabad and Aurangabad". Hindustan Times. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "Veraval-Patan municipality to be rename as Somnath". The Times of India. 31 March 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  24. ↑ Latief, Samiya (23 October 2018). "10 Indian cities that changed their names". Times of India.
  25. ↑ Today, Ind. "BJP Proposes Name Changes for Hyderabad and Moosapet".
  26. ↑ Today, Ind. "BJP Proposes Name Changes for Hyderabad and Moosapet".
  27. ↑ "Proposal to rename Aligarh as Harigarh to be sent to Uttar Pradesh government". The Hindu. 7 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "Akbarpur News: यूपी में नाम बदलने का सिलसिला जारी, इलाहाबाद-फैजाबाद के बाद अब अकबरपुर की बारी". 9 May 2024.
  29. ↑ "कल्याण सिंह के नाम पर हो कासगंज जिले का नाम: जिला पंचायत की बैठक में पास हुआ प्रस्ताव, कन्नौज में गांव मियागंज का नाम बदलने का ज्ञापन भी डीएम को सौंपा गया". Dainik Bhaskar. 6 September 2021.
  30. ↑ "About District | District Shamli, Government of Uttar Pradesh | India".
  31. ↑ "Rename Pune as Jijau Nagar, says NCP MLC Amol Mitkari; Hindu Mahasabha objects". The Indian Express. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  32. ↑ "Jijau Nagar demand becomes louder…". Pune Times Mirror. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
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