name changes to Indian cities

[sellexxaa]

What is the history behind the name changes of Bombay, Calcutta etc? What do the old and new names mean?

[Octavius]

Ever since independence in 1947, many locations in India have changed their names. Much of this resulted from the reorganization of the states on linguistic (language) lines (as opposed to British colonial divisions). However, in the last six years, many major towns and cities have been renamed in ways that affect foreigners more. Among this flood of changes, three stand out. These are the former cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, which, together with Delhi, are considered the "mega cities" of India.

The case of Mumbai was the first major change to happen, and is thus the best known. In 1995, the ruling party in the government of the state of Maharashtra (of which Bombay was capital) announced that Bombay's name would be changed to its Marathi name, Mumbai. The casual observer would assume that the name "Bombay" was a British corruption of the original "Mumbai". However, this is not actually the case. In actuality, the Portuguese colony on the islands was called "Bom Bahia", meaning "Good Bay" or "Good Harbor". This colony, not any ancient settlement, was given to King Charles II of England as his dowry for marrying the Portuguese princess Catherine de Braganza in 1661, at which point the name was anglicized to "Bombay".

[Whickerman]

so what's calcutta called now?

[Octavius]

Kolkata

[abstibus]

Why is Delhi now New Delhi? Any ideas?

[heathfield]

Calcutta was the British capital of India until, in 1911, Deli was declared the new capital. Many old buildings in Dehli were then pulled down to make way for new goverment buildings, and the new part of the city became known as 'New Dehli'. 'Old' Dehli still exists alongside.

[jno]

Madras is now Chennai, which is the hardest to remember. The old name may have come from a Portuguese church, Madre de Deus, or a madrasa; either way, it was seen as a colonial name.