Do You Know How Your State Got its Name? Know Origin and Interesting Facts Here

India is a fascinating country that embraces the diversity of this globe because it is a blend of many religions, civilizations, customs, heritage, etc. There are 28 states in India and all of them have an interesting origin story.

Do you know the origin of the name India, Hindustan? India derived its name from the Indus River and the Aryan worshippers referred Indus River as Sindhu. The invaders of Persia converted it to Hindu. As a result, Hindu and Sindhu are combined to form the name "Hindustan." There were 562 princely states after 1947 when India gained its independence. The majority of the states joined India. A large number of these princely states were changed into new states. Subsequently, Indian states were divided up according to language according to the States Reorganization Act of 1956. Here we will talk about how the Indian States got their names.

Andhra Pradesh

It derives from the South-related Sanskrit term andhra. There are tribes in this region that go by the name "Andhras." Moreover, Satvahanas were referred to as Andhra-Bhrutya, or "Officers of the South," by former Mauryan officials.

Arunachal Pradesh

It is derived from Sanskrit word Aruna meaning ‘dawn lit’ and acha means ‘mountain i.e. Dawn Lit Mountain. Many believe Arunachal is a Sanskrit word - Aruna +Chala (Sun rising), thereby making it Sun rising land.

Assam

Its name comes from the 600-year rule of the "Ahoms" in Assam. Moreover, Ahom is derived from the Indo-Aryan term Asama, which meaning "uneven."

Bihar

The word "Bihar" is derived from the word "Vihar," which means "A place of learning."As there are many universities and educational institutions in Bihar for many years.

Chhattisgarh

It was formerly known by the name Dakshin Kosala, albeit there is no proof of this. An interesting point is It has 36 forts and 36 in hindi means 'chhatis'. Therefore, the name Chattisgarh.

Goa

Many people say Portuguese gave the state its name Goa. But very few people are aware that the Sanskrit term GO, which means cow, is at the heart of Goa's origin. The area's first settlers, who worked in agriculture, gave it its current name.

Gujarat

It is originated from Gujara and this region was ruled by them in 700 and 800 and so known as land of Gujjars.

Haryana

There are several stories related to the name of this state. Some people say that this name could be broken into HARI means greenery and ARANYA means forest, making it green forest.  However another story is that during Mahabharata reign Lord Krishna came to this place and so, got the name Haryana.

Himachal Pradesh

Hima means "snow" and achal means "mountain" in Sanskrit, which together translate to "The Home of Snowy Mountains."

Jharkhand

Jhar, which means forest, and Khand, which means land, are its Sanskrit roots. Overall, it is referred to as the "Land of Forest" and is also called "Vananchal."

Karnataka

Several academics thought that this name came from the word KARNAD, which meaning lofty land and refers to the Decan Plateau. Nonetheless, other people hold the opinion that Karnataka was named after the language Karna ataka, which means "easy to hear" in Sanskrit.

Kerala

There are several stories regarding its name, some say it was originated from ‘Chernna’ means added and ‘alam’ which means land. Many people claim that The keralam word is originated with the rulers of Chera dynasty from 1st to 5th century AD from word ‘chera alam’ and later it came to be known as Keralam. In Sanskrit keralam word means as the land added on. Geographically, Kerala is originated as an addition of land mass by the sea.

Madhya Pradesh

Pradesh is a province, while Madhya is the Central region. Madhya Pradesh is the Central Province in Hindi. Prior to Independence, the British controlled the majority of the state's Central Provinces. In 1950, Makrai, Chattisgarh, and the Central Province were united to form what is currently known as the "Central Province."

Maharashtra

A Chinese traveller named Huan Tsang first mentioned Maharashtra in the seventh century. The name is derived as: Maha = great, and Rakshtrika = Ratta, the tribe/dynasty of pretty chiefs (753-983) that ruled the Deccan region.

Manipur

Manipur's Sanskrit name translates to "Diamond city." Kangleipak was the state's original name, and Kangla served as its capital. Kangleicha is a term for Kangleipak residents.

Meghalaya

It derives from the Sanskrit words "Megha" and "Alaya," which together indicate "abode" or "the region of clouds."

Mizoram

It comes from the words "Mi," which means "people," and "zo," which means "highlander."

Nagaland

It derives from the Burmese word "Naka," or "Naga," which refers to individuals who have pierced ears or noses. Also known as The Nagas' homeland.

Odisha

The name of the state was originally Orissa, but recently it was changed to Odisha, which means Odra Desh. The Odra people, who lived in the region's centre, are the source of this name.

Punjab

The Indo-Iranian term for Punjab is broken into PANJ, which means five, and AAB, which means water, forming it Panj pania di dharti. Here, the Jehlum, Chanab, Raavi, Bias, and Satluj rivers are mentioned.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan is short for "Rajas' home." The state was also known as Rajputana, or the Land of the Rajputs, during the British rule.

Sikkim

According to some historians, the word Sikkim derives from the Limbu language, where "SU" stands for "New" and "KHYIM" for "Place," making it a "New place or land."

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu translates to "tamil motherland." Moreover, the Tamil word for "homeland" or "country" is "Nadu," which also means "sweet nectar."

Telangana

The word "Trilinga," which meaning Three Shiva Lingas, is the source of the phrase.

Tripura

This name is a combination of the Kokborok terms TUI, which means near, and PRA, which means water.

Uttar Pradesh

Since Uttar is translated as North and Pradesh as province, Northern Province is what Uttar Pradesh is.

Uttarakhand

Uttaranchal state is separated from Uttar Pradesh in 2000 which means ‘Northern Mountains’ i.e. Uttar means north and anchal is mountain. Later its name was changed to Uttarakhand which means ‘Northland’.

West Bengal

It is derived from a Sanskrit word ‘Vanga’. And different versions came after it like in Persia it is called by Bangalah, in Hindi as Bangal and in Bengali as Bangla. Word West added to it after the Partition of Bengal in 1905 and in 1947 again partition took place in which West Bengal became a state in India and East Bengal as a separate nation as Bangladesh.