From Bombay To Mumbai Kerala To Keralam, Why India Is Changing Their Names

2026-02-24 02:18:28

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Over the decades, post-independent India has witnessed a series of demands for renaming states and cities and most governments and political parties have had to back them. Many of those who demand the renaming claim that past invaders and colonial rulers had changed the original names of states and cities in previous centuries to suit their convenience.

On Tuesday, India's Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal for the renaming of Kerala to Keralam, meeting a longstanding demand of the state government.

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The state's chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, had in 2023 and 2024 moved resolutions to change the name to 'Keralam' in all languages included in India's constitution and they were passed both the times by the state assembly. Vijayan said that the state has always been known as 'Keralam' in Malayalam and there has been a demand from the citizens of Kerala since the national freedom struggle to rename it.

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The Indian government's approval comes ahead of the assembly polls in the southern state, the dates for which will be announced soon. They are likely to be held in March or April.

Incidentally, Malayalam-speaking regions in south India had historically been ruled by different kings. In the 1920s, the demand for a separate state for Malayalam-speaking people emerged and the Aikya (unified) Kerala movement sought the integration of the three historical regions of Malabar, Kochi and Travancore.

After Independence in 1947, the princely states were integrated and two years later, Travancore and Kochi were merged to form Travancore-Cochin state. The State Reorganisation Commission later recommended the creation of Kerala by including Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk, while excluding the southern taluks of Travancore, which became part of Tamil Nadu

What's in a name

India has seen a large number of states and cities undergo changes in names. India is itself known as Bharat, and when the Constitution was made in 1949, it was mentioned – India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.

Several Indian states have seen their names being changed over the decades. They include Uttar Pradesh (1950, known earlier as United Provinces), Madhya Pradesh (1959, Madhya Bharat), Maharashtra and Gujarat (1960, Bombay), Tamil Nadu (1969, from Madras), Arunachal Pradesh (1972, NEFA), and Karnataka (1973, Mysore)

Many cities have also been renamed over the decades. They include Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Bengaluru (Bangalore), Mangaluru (Mangalore), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Gurugram (Gurgaon), Guwahati (Gauhati).

Most of the names have been changed on the basis of local traditions and demands and many political parties back the popular demands to renames states and cities. However, not all moves have had the whole-hearted backing of the people and disputes frequently arise. For instance, in Mumbai, some parties oppose any reference to 'Bombay' and signboards mentioning it are tarred by miscreants.

Some notable institutions, however, continue to use the original name and have been spared by political parties. The Bombay Natural History Society, a wildlife research organisation continues to use 'Bombay'; similarly, the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay, the Bombay College of Pharmacy, and Bombay Scottish School.