Place names in India
Place names in India are usually in Indian languages. Other languages include Portuguese, Dutch, English and Arabic.
Since Indian Independence, several Indian cities have adopted pre-English names, most notably Chennai (formerly Madras), Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
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 mythological characters. Although Hindu mythology 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 are Ooru, Palli, Abad, Pudi, Pedu, Pet/Peta, Patnam, Wada, Cherla, Seema, etc.
| Suffix | meaning | Common place names |
|---|---|---|
| Ooru/Ur/Ore | Village | Guntur, Nellore, Chittoor, Eluru |
| Abad | City (Nizam era) | Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Nizamabad |
| Patnam | Port City/ Town | Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, Krishnapatnam |
| Wada | Area | Vijayawada, Vemulawada |
| Palli/Palle/Palem | Village | Peddapalli, Madanapalle |
| Nagar/Nagaram | City | Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, Vizianagaram |
| Pet/Peta | Town | Suryapet, Chilakaluripet |
| Pur/Puram | Town | Markapur, Hindupur |
| Gudem | Village | Tadepalligudem, Galigudem |
Arunachal Pradesh
Namdapha National park, Roing, Tezu, Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, Namsai, Parsurum Kund, Bhairabkunda, Khonsa, Jairampur, Bhismaknagar, Changlang, Hawai, Nampong, Koloriang, etc.[1]
Bihar
Bodh Gaya, Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Raxaul, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Pawapuri, Sasaram, Hajipur, Bihar Sharif, Kesaria, Sonpur, Munger and Bagalpur 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.
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.
| Suffix | meaning | Common place names |
|---|---|---|
| Bhavi | well | Arabhavi, Sulibhavi, Bilebhavi, Nagarbhavi |
| Gud | habitation | Nanjangud, Handigud |
| Halli | village | Kanchamaranahalli, |
| Keri | colony | Madikeri, Tallikeri, |
| Kote | fort | Bagalakote, |
| Ooru/uru | village | Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Kitturu. Emmiganuru, |
| Pete | town | Chikkupete, Hosapete |
| Pura | city | Kundapura, Narasimharajapura, Kanakapura |
Kerala
Common suffixes include Angadi, Athani, Ur, Cheri/Shery, Kulam, Kad, Nad, Pally, Kode/Code, Kara, Mangalam, Kal, Puram, and Puzha.
- Ur - Nilambur, Tirur, Thrissur, Kannur, North Paravur.
- Cheri/Shery - Thalassery, Cherpulassery, Kalpakanchery, Manjeri, Thamarassery.
- Nad - Eranad, Kuttanad, Valluvanad, Wayanad, Thondernad.
- Kulam - Kunnamkulam, Mararikulam, Mankulam, Unnikulam, Punnayurkulam.
- Angadi - Parappanangadi, Tirurangadi, Pazhavangadi, Melangadi.
- Athani - Athani, Puthanathani, Karinkallathani
- Kad - Puthukkad, Purakkad, Thalakkad, Palakkad, Vadakkekad.
- Kode/Code - Kozhikode, Puthucode, Alamcode, Areekode, Veliyankode.
- Kara - Mavelikkara, Edakkara, Mullurkara, Anakkara, Ramanattukara.
- Mangalam - Kunnamangalam, Chathamangalam, Kunhimangalam, Chendamangalam, Enadimangalam.
- Pally - Karthikappally, Puthuppally, Kanjirappally, Vadanappally, Pulpally.
- Kal - Kottakkal, Chirakkal, Pothukal, Pulikkal, Edamulackal.
- Puram - Thiruvananthapuram, Malappuram, Angadipuram, Sivapuram, Kadampazhipuram.
- Puzha - Alappuzha, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Cherupuzha, Noolpuzha.
Maharashtra
Mumbai, Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, Pune, Lonalva, Nashik, Shirdi, Alibag, Mahabaleshwar, Ganpatipule, Matheran, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Khandala, Malvan, Ajanta, Panchgani, Takarli, Satara, Ratnagiri, Raigad Fort, Thane, Igatpuri, Saputara and Bhandardara.
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.
| Suffix | Meaning | Common Place names |
|---|---|---|
| Pur | City | Sambalpur, Berhampur, Rairangpur, Subarnapur, Puri |
| Garh | Fort | Bargarh, Debagarh, sundergarh, Nayagarh |
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, common suffixes are Oor, Nagaram, Puram, Kudi, Cheri, Paakkam, Pattinam, Palayam, Kaadu, Pettai, Mangalam, Seemai 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.
| Suffix | Meaning | Common Place names |
|---|---|---|
| Oor/ur/ore | Village | Ambattur, Thanjavur, Karur, hosur, tirupur, Coimbatore, Vellore. |
| Kaadu | Forest | Yercaud, |
| pattinam | Coastal area | Nagapattinam |
| puram | ectal | kanchipuram, ramanathapuram, viluppuram |
| Nagaram | City | Vanagaram |
| ni | bee | theni |
| kal | paving stone | namakkal |
| kudi | drink | karaikkudi, paramakudi, thoothukkudi |
Tripura
Common suffix include mura.
| suffix | meaning | common places |
|---|---|---|
| assa | Ambassa, Bagbassa | |
| bari | Churaibari, Jolaibari | |
| chhara | Laxmanchhara, Nabinchhara, Karaichhara, Bagaichhara, Dhanichhara, Sanichhara | |
| mura | Teliamura, Sonamura, |
Places with multiple names
Some cities have different names in different languages
- Mangalore is also known as Kudla, Mangalapuram and Kodial.
Global Indian influence in place names
See Indosphere, Sanskritization, Indianization of Southeast Asia.