Gurgaon to Gurugram? Next what? Here’s a list of Indian cities that were renamed!

Every time a city is renamed, people feel that the city loses its charm. But they don’t really care for the new name. They continue to use the name they’re used to. Recently, the Haryana government announced to rename its leading industrial hub Gurgaon to Gurugram—and continue to face stiff resistance from it residents. Reportedly, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had been using this name in formal meetings since long.

Let’s look at a few major cities in India that were renamed.

1. Mumbai: Once a popular Portuguese port, the city was called Bom Bahai which when translated literally means a good bay. The Britishers changed it to Bombay, which became the city’s character and still lives with the name of the high court, stock exchange and the local bus service. It was renamed Mumbai in 1995—derived from goddess Mumba Devi, or Maha amba, the patron goddess.

2. Bengaluru: In a bid to get rid of the Anglicized name like the remaining metro cities, the Karnataka government renamed Bangalore Bengaluru. Bengaluru is derived from its 9th century name Bengaval-uru. Translated as ‘the city of guards’ in old Kannada, the new name came into effect in 2014. The government also renamed 12 towns/districts including Mysore (Mysuru), Belgaum (Belagavi), Mangalore (Mangaluru) and Hubli (Hubbali).

3. Kolkata: The former capital of British India Calcutta was renamed Kolkata in 2001. It is believed that the name is derived from Kalikata, one of the three villages that form Kolkata, and from goddess Kali’s name.

4. Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s capital was initially called Madras. The name was derived from Madraspattinam (a fishing village in the area). Some historians also believe that the name was derived from the Portuguese family which ruled the region Madeiros. Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996—named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal temple.

5. Pune: Originally known as Poona, as derived from the inscription of Punya Vishaya from the Rashtrakuta dynasty, it was renamed Pune (a more Marathi-sounding name) in 1978.

6. Kochi: Cochin—an important trading centre—was once upon a time called the Queen of the Arabian Sea. The anglicized name made way for a Malayalam word Kochi in 1996, derived from ‘Kochu azhi’, meaning a small lagoon.

7. Varanasi: The cultural capital of India was originally known as Kashi, derived from the word Kasha which means brightness. The global pilgrimage centre was renamed Varanasi in 1956 to accommodate the names of its two rivers Varuna and Assi. It is also known as Banaras.

8. Shimla: Simla was the summer capital of British India. After India’s independence, an ‘H’ was added to its name to pay homage to goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of Kali, who is worshipped in the hills.

9. Vadodara: The land of banyan trees was known as Baroda until 1974. It was officially renamed Vadodara, as derived from ‘Vatpatrak’ or a banyan-tree-leaf. The residents unofficially continue to refer to the city as Baroda.

10. Puducherry: The humble union territory too fell prey to the name-change game. In 2006, Pondicherry, a French name and fondly known as Pondi, was renamed as a more local-friendly ‘Puducherry’.

Also read:

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s #RoyalVisitIndia: Days 3 and 4