Jun 25, 2024
By: Kunal Kambli
Credit: BCCL
India’s southern state of Kerala appears on the verge of being renamed to ‘Keralam’, following the recent unanimous passing of the resolution by the state assembly.
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Ahead of that prospective name change, here’s a look-back at the 11 Indian states and territories that have seen their names changed since independence.
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After the Radcliffe Commission's 1947 partition of East Punjab, the Muslim areas became Pakistan’s West Punjab, while the Hindu and Sikh regions remained with India. In 1950, the province was officially renamed Punjab.
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Post-independence, the princely states of Rampur, Banaras (now Varanasi) and Tehri-Garhwal were integrated into the United Provinces. On January 25, 1950, this entity was renamed Uttar Pradesh.
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Formed from 25 princely states on May 28, 1948, Madhya Bharat was renamed Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 1956. Prior to the renaming, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal State merged into Madhya Bharat, with Bhopal becoming its capital.
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Hyderabad State existed from 1948 to 1956. Following the States Reorganisation Act, it merged with Andhra State and was renamed Andhra Pradesh in 1956.
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Established on July 1, 1949, Travancore-Cochin was originally called the United State of Travancore and Cochin. On November 1, 1956, it merged with the Malabar District of Madras State to form the new state of Kerala.
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The extensive Bombay Province under British rule, stretching from Mysore to Karachi, was divided by the Bombay Reorganisation Act of 1960. This Act created the new states of Gujarat (for Gujarati speakers) and Maharashtra (for Marathi speakers).
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Following India's 1947 independence, Madras Presidency became Madras state, covering present-day Tamil Nadu. In 1969, it was renamed Tamil Nadu by Annadurai’s government.
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Responding to popular demand, the Union Cabinet approved the renaming of Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand in August 2006. The change was enacted after the bill was signed by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in December 2006.
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The islands previously known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi were officially renamed Lakshadweep in 1973, years after becoming a union territory in 1956. The new name means “one lakh islands” in the local languages.
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Pondicherry, named during the French colonial period, was officially renamed Puducherry in 2006 through an Act of Parliament. This revert to its original Tamil name was meant to honour the region's indigenous history.
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The Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2010, along with the Constitution (113th Amendment) Bill, was signed by President Pratibha Patil. This legislation officially changed the state's name to Odisha and its language from Oriya to Odia.
Credit: BCCL