Renaming of cities in India
The process of renaming of cities in India started after the end of the British imperial period in 1947 and continues to date. There were political controversies about several renamings. Not all proposed renamings were actually implemented. Every renaming of a city in India has to be approved by the central government.
Important examples
Major cities that have been renamed after independence include:
- Mumbai (formerly Bombay, renamed in 1995)
- Chennai (formerly Madras, renamed in 1996)
- Kolkata (formerly Calcutta, renamed in 2001)
- Vijayawada (formerly Bejawada)
- Visakhapatnam (formerly Waltair; before that, Vizagapatnam)
- Kadapa (formerly Cuddapah, renamed in 2005)
- Shimla (formerly Simla)
- Kanpur (formerly Cawnpore, renamed in 1948)
- Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum, renamed in 1991)
- Pune (formerly Poona)
- Kochi (formerly Cochin, renamed in 1996)
- Sagar (formerly Saugor)
- Jabalpur (formerly Jubbulpore)
- Narmada (formerly Nerbudda)
- Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry, renamed in 2006)
- Indore (formerly Indhur)
- Kozhikode (formerly Calicut)
- Udhagamandalam (formerly Ootacamund)
- Tiruchirapalli (formerly Trichinopoly)
- Thanjavur (formerly Tanjore)
- Kannur (formerly Cannanore)
- Varanasi (formerly Benares)
- Guwahati (formerly Gauhati)
Primary reasons for renaming urban sites
There are several different reasons for proposals of renaming cities, that include:
- to adjust the spelling in English language to the spelling in the local language. (e.g.: Simla to Shimla)
- to switch back to the local name from an English name derived from the original.
- to switch from a name of European origin to a name of Indian origin.
- to switch from a name of Persian or Arabic origin to a name of Indian origin.(e.g.: proposed change of Ahmedabad to Karnavati)
Popularity of new names
The degree to which these name changes have caught on in popular English use varies. For example, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai have caught on, whereas Bengaluru (Bangalore)[1] and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)[2] have not. In many languages other than English, the new names gained limited or no popularity at all; even in the cases of Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai, they are still referred to as Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Popular culture also has remnants of the old city names in use, years after the changes. Bombay Stock Exchange, Bombay Talkies, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai, Madras Talkies, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, University of Madras, Madras High Court, Madras Rubber Factory in Chennai and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in Kolkata are prominent examples.
Proposed changes
Several other changes have been proposed but are yet to receive the sanction of the central government.
Other name changes that have been proposed include:
- Ahmedabad to Karnavati [9]
- Allahabad to Prayag or Tirth Raj Prayag [10]
- Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar
- Bhopal to Bhojpal [11]
- Delhi to Indraprastha [12]
- Indore back to Induru
- Mughalsarai to Deen Dayal Nagar [13]
- Hyderabad to Bhagyanagaram
- Patna to Pataliputra [14]
- Bangalore to Bengaluru (process stalled by the delay on clearances from Union Home Ministry)
- Mysore to Mysooru
- Mangalore to Mangaluru
- Alibag to Shribag
See also
References
- ^ "Bengaluru VS. Bangalore". GoogleBattle.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "Thiruvananthapuram VS. Trivandrum". GoogleBattle.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ Милан Мишић (2008-11-28). "Свет : Tерористички удар на Бомбај : ПОЛИТИКА". Politika.rs. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Kalkuta, Zapustena prestonica - Jeftina putovanja". Jeftinaputovanja.net. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Madras". Travelog. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ DesarrolloWeb. "Guía de Bombay". Guiarte.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Calcuta, pasaporte a la India Oriental". E-travelware.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Индийский дневник. Мадрас. - Впечатления об Индии, рассказы и воспоминания путешественников, путеводитель - Индия Ру". India.ru. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ Harit Mehta, TNN, Feb 1, 2004, 01.42am IST (2004-02-01). "Ahmedabad is Karnavati, only in speeches - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dropping names". Expressindia.com. 2001-03-12. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ TNN, Dec 18, 2006, 02.42am IST (2006-12-18). "Now, Indore to become Indur, Bhopal Bhojpal - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Content". Organiser. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Rediff On The NeT:". Rediff.com. 1999-02-11. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "Fresh demand to rename Patna as Pataliputra". news.SmasHits.com. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2010-11-04.