Hin: बोकारो स्टील सिटी bokāro stīl siṭī ‘Bokaro River’ – City, Jharkhand From Mun: bokā, ‘river’; and Skt: vara/wara, ‘settlement’ Boka may have originally meant ‘river’ in the local Mundari tribal language but was later reinterpreted as a proper name,...
Hin: देवघर deogarh ‘Abode of the Gods’ – City/District, Jharkhand From Skt: deva, ‘god’ ; and gṛha/ghar, ‘dwelling’, ‘abode’ ’ Deoghar is a major Hindu pilgrimage sitem an abode of the gods. It boasts the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple, one of the twelve...
Hin: धनबाद dhanbād ‘Wealthy Settlement’ – City, Jharkhand From Skt: dhana, ‘wealth’ ; and vāṭa/vāda, ‘settlement’, ‘habitation’ The name Dhanbad likely refers to the region’s historical association with wealth, particularly its rich coal reserves, which...
Hin: दुमका dumkā ‘Echoes’ or ‘Drumbeats’ – City/District, Jharkhand From San: dumka. ‘sound’, ‘echo’, ‘drumbeat’ The name Dumka likely originates fnom the sounds of the hills in this region that amplifies echoes and even tribal drums.. Dumka is...
Hin: गिरिडीह giridīh ‘Hill Settlement’ – City/District, Jharkhand From Skt.: giri, ‘hill’, ‘mountain’; and Hin.: ḍīh/ḍih, ‘mound’, ‘settlement on elevated land’ Giridih is in a rugged, hilly region, part of the Chotanagpur Plateau....
Hin: हज़ारीबाग़ hazārībāġ ‘Thousand Village Garden’ – City/District, Jharkhand From Per/Hin: hazār.hazārī ‘of, pertaining to or related with a thousand; ‘and Hin: bāgh , ‘garden’. Sir John Houlton (1949) has this to say about the name: It takes its name from the...
Hin: जमशेदपुर jamśēdpūr ‘Jamshed’s City’ [Tatanagar] -City, Jharkhand From Perso-Arabic: Jamshed, a personal name + Skt: pura, ‘city’ Jamshedpur was named after Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata (1839–1904), the pioneering industrialist who envisioned...
Hin: पलामू palāmū / मेदिनीनगर medinīnagar ‘Land of Palāś Trees’ District, Jharkhand and ‘City of Medini Rai’ – City, Jharkhand Palamu From Mun: palāmu ‘land of Palāś trees [Butea monosperma]’ The Palāś tree, known for its bright red-orange flowers, is sacred in...
Hin: राँची / रांची rā̃cī ‘Bamboo Forest’ – City/District, Jharkhand From Mun: rānchi/rā̃cī, ‘bamboo (forest)’ There are many more (but less likely) tales about this name’s origin: Thomas Wilkinson, a British captain, chose Archi, an Oraon tribal...
