Political, historical and social reasons have been important in this trend of name change. Let us have a look at some of these prominent names-
Uttar Pradesh became United Provinces
Uttar Pradesh was known as United Provinces for a few years even after independence. Its name was changed in the year 1950. Uttar Pradesh is one of the largest states in the country, but before the year 2000, its area was even more. The people of the hill region of UP started demanding a separate state and on November 9, 2000, this part was separated and Uttaranchal state was formed.
Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand
On November 9, 2000, a few years after the formation of Uttaranchal state, its name was changed. The name of Uttaranchal was changed to Uttarakhand in the year 2007 to pay tribute to those who raised their voice for the separation of the state and were part of the Uttarakhand movement.
Chennai was earlier known as Madras
Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, was earlier named Madras. The name was derived from the word Madrasapattinam. It was renamed in 1996 and is now known as Chennai.
Poona to Pune
The city of Pune in Maharashtra was known as Poona during the British rule. The name of the city was changed from Poona to Pune in the year 1978.
Banaras became Varanasi
In the year 1956, the city of Banaras in Uttar Pradesh was renamed and is now known as Varanasi. The name Varanasi is derived from two rivers, Varuna and Assi.
Bombay to Mumbai
The city of Mumbai in Maharashtra was known as Bombay since 1996. It was named Bombay during the British rule and in 1996 the government decided to change its name to Mumbai. Mumbai is made up of the words Mumba and I. Mumba means Maha Amba and Ai is a Marathi word meaning mother.
Calcutta became Kolkata
Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, was earlier known as Calcutta. The city was renamed Kolkata in the year 2001.
