How the 28 states of India were named (How The 28 Indian States Got Their Name History )
India is such a country, where people of almost all religions, communities, and sects live. This is the reason that the cultural history here is very rich. Here different types of cultural history are associated with the names of different places. It is worth noting that the word Hindustan itself also carries a history within itself. The people living on the banks of the Sindh River of India were called Sindhi, which later came to be known as Hindus by the Parsis. In this way, this place was named ‘Hindustan’. There are a total of 28 states in this country at the present time. Similar cultural secrets are hidden behind the names of these 28 states. Many states and union territories in India have their own languages.
How the 28 Indian States Got Their Name
Here the reasons behind a total of 28 names will be described.
Himachal Pradesh :
This word gives the meaning that a region is covered with snow. He means ice and achal means established. In this way, it is such a state, where snow always accumulates. It is also called the home of snowy mountains.
Punjab :
The word Punjab is a word derived from the Indo-Iranian culture. It is worth noting that five rivers flow from this area. Hence the word ‘Punjab’ consists of Panj meaning five and Aab meaning water. It is also called the land of five rivers.
Uttarakhand :
In the year 2000, a new state Uttaranchal was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. Initially, it was called Uttaranchal, which literally means northern hill. After this, this place came to be known as Uttarakhand instead of Uttaranchal. It means the northern part of an area.
Haryana :
The name of this place is associated with the Mahabharata period. The meaning of the word Haryana is associated with the arrival of Hari i.e. Shri Krishna. At the time of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna himself had come here, due to which this place became famous as Haryana. Read Saksham Yojana Haryana here.
Uttar Pradesh :
The meaning of the name Uttar Pradesh is reflected in its name itself. It means the state was established in the northern direction. Therefore, the part of India which is spread towards the north direction is known as Uttar Pradesh.
Rajasthan :
This word itself contains the word ‘Raja’. It is worth noting that there was one glorious king in this region. The remains of the palaces of these kings are still found in this state. Due to being the stronghold of Rajput kings, this place got its name Rajasthan. Its name has also been Rajputana in ancient times.
Bihar :
The word Bihar is derived from the Pali word Vihara. The word Vihara means camping at a place for an excursion. Slowly this word got distorted and became Bihar. This state has also been a pilgrimage site for Buddhist monks for a long time. Read the student credit card scheme in Bihar here.
West Bengal :
West Bengal was called Bengal or Banglah in ancient times. This word is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Vang’. With the partition of Bengal during the year 1905, the name of this place got associated with the west and this place came to be known as West Bengal. After the partition of India in the year 1947, this state was named West Bengal. The eastern part of Bengal is called Bangladesh.
Jharkhand :
The word Jharkhand is made up of two words ‘Jhar’ and ‘Khand’. Jhar means forest and Khand means land. Because of this Jharkhand means the land of forest. Forests are also found here. Jharkhand is also called ‘Vananchal’.
Odisha :
The origin of name Odisha is derived from the word ‘Odra’. It means those Odra people who live in the middle of India.
Chhattisgarh :
This place was earlier known as Dakshin Kosala. However, the relation of this place with this name is not found. It is noteworthy that a total of 36 forts have been found in this state. Due to the presence of these 36 forts, this place is called Chhattisgarh.
Madhya Pradesh :
The literal meaning of Madhya Pradesh is the state located in the middle of a country. It was a huge state before independence. It included places like Brar, Makar, Chhattisgarh, etc. Being located in the middle of India, it is called Madhya Pradesh. It is also called the heart of India.
Gujarat :
The word Gujarat originated from the word ‘Gujra’. This place was almost ruled by Gujjars. Due to the rule by these Gujjars, it is called the land of Gujjars or Gujarat.
Maharashtra:
There are many theories associated with the origin of the word Maharashtra. As per the name, it means great country. Earlier it was also known as Rashtrika. The emergence of the word nation in Maharashtra is also believed to be due to the rule of the Rashtrakuta dynasty.
Goa:
The correct analysis of the name of this state is not available. Some historians believe that Goa is a European or Portuguese word. Some people also associate it with cow, because cow also means cow.
Andhra Pradesh :
Andhra means ‘South’. Along with this, some such tribe resides in this region, which is known as Andhra. Even during the Mauryan period, the bureaucrats of the South were also called ‘Andhra Bhrtya’ in the administration.
Karnataka :
The origin of the word Karnataka is from ‘Karu’. It means skyscraper. This is the area of the Deccan Plateau, which was a very high area. Hence, because of this, this place was named Karnataka.
Tamil Nadu :
Tamil Nadu is made up of two words Tamil and Nadu. Nadu means birthplace. Because of this, this place is known as the home of Tamils. Due to the large number of Tamil people found in this place, this state got its name Tamil Nadu.
Kerala :
Many historical and cultural beliefs are also associated with this name. The word Kerala is believed to have originated from the rulers of the Chera dynasty. Kerala in Sanskrit means a united land. So it can be said that Kerala is an extra land out of the sea because it is situated on the seashore.
Telangana :
The word is derived from the word ‘Trilinga’, which means the three linga of Lord Shiva. Hence this place has a spiritual significance as well.
Sikkim :
The origin of this word is from Limbu. In ancient times, it also meant a new huge building. Although in the immediate time, it is also called Dzong in the Tibetan language.
Arunachal Pradesh :
The word Arunachal is made up of a combination of two words. These two words are Arun and Achal. So this is the place from where the sun is seen rising. Because of this, this place is called Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam :
The word Assam means important rulers. This place was ruled by such a ruler for 6 centuries. It also has another meaning of irregular, because in Indo-Aryan culture Asama means irregular.
Meghalaya :
This state is called the House of Clouds. The word Meghalaya is made up of two words Megh and Aalaya. Because of the high chances of rain here, this place was named Meghalaya.
Manipur :
Due to the abundance of gems in this place, it is called Manipur.
Mizoram :
In the word Mizoram, ‘Mi’ means people, and ‘Jo’ means hill. Since Mizoram is a hilly region, this place is called Mizoram.
Nagaland :
The word Naga in Nagaland is derived from the Burmese word Naka. Naga means those people whose noses and ears are pierced. These are people of a special race. It is also sometimes called the land of the Nagas.
Tripura :
The origin of Tripura is believed to be from the word ‘Tuipara’. In this tui means water and para means near. It is also believed that due to the rule of a king named Tripura at this place, it is called Tripura.
