Hin: अफ़ज़लगढ़ afzalgarh ‘Afzal’s Fort’ [Afzalpur] – Town, Bijnor District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: afzal ‘excellent, superior’; Hin: garh ‘fort’ Founded during the Mughal period, Afzalgarh likely takes its name from a noble or administrator named Afzal, a common...
Hin: आगरा āgara ‘Gateway to the Forest’ [Agrabana, Akbarabad] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: agra, ‘front’, ‘beginning’; and vana, ‘forest’, ‘wood’ Ancient Agravana was a forested region long associated with Vaishnavism and the Krishna...
Hin: अलीगढ़ aligarh ‘Ali’s Fort’ [Kol, Koil, Allygurh] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: ali, ‘exalted, noble’; Hin: garh, ‘fort, stronghold’ Aligarh, historically known as Kol or Koil, has been a significant settlement for centuries. The name Aligarh was given in...
Hin: अयोध्या ayodhyā ‘The Unconquerable’ [Saketa] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh Skt: a- (अ) ‘not’; yudh (युध्) ‘fight, war’; and yā (या) ‘to go’ → ‘the place where no battle happens,’ meaning ‘invincible’ or ‘unassailable.’ Ayodhya is one of the oldest and most...
Hin: आज़मगढ़ āzamgaṛh ‘Azam’s Fort’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: āzam, ‘great, powerful’ ; and Hin: garh, ‘fort’, ‘stronghold’ Azamgarh was founded in the 17th century by Azam Khan, a local noble of the Mughal period, who named the settlement...
Hin: बलिया balliyā ‘The Sandy Land’ [Balia, Balhika] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Pkt: ballī, ‘sandbank’, ‘silted land’; Ballia, situated on the banks of the Ganges and Ghaghara rivers, derives its name from the ballī (sandbanks) formed by the rivers....
Hin: बरेली barelī ‘Barelal’s Settlement’ [Bans-Bareilly] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Barelal, a local chieftain; Hin: -ī suffix denoting place or settlement. Bareilly was traditionally known as Bans-Bareilly. It is said to be have been founded in the early 16th...
Hin: बिठूर bithūr ‘The Seat of Saints’ [Bithur, Brahmavarta] – Town, Kanpur Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: bith ‘seat, throne’; and (p)ur, ‘town’, ‘settlement’ Bithoor is a revered pilgrimage town on the banks of the Ganges, historically associated...
Hin: बदायूँ badāyū̃ ‘Banyan Cluster’ City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: vaṭa, ‘Indian fig-tree’ [possibly Ficus benghalensis, a species of banyan tree also known as East Indian fig]; vana, ‘tree’, ‘thicket’, ‘cluster’...
Hin: बुलंदशहर bulandśahar ‘The Elevated City’ [Baran] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: buland (बुलंद) ‘high, elevated’; Hin: shahar (शहर) ‘city’ Bulandshahr, meaning ‘the elevated city,’ derives its name from its strategic location on high ground near the Ganges....
Hin: चित्रकूट chitrakūṭ ‘The Hill of Many Wonders’ [Chitrakuta] – Town, Uttar Pradesh/Madhya Pradesh border. Skt: chitra, ‘wonderful, picturesque’; kūṭa, ‘peak’, ‘hill’ Chitrakoot, meaning ‘the hill of many wonders,’ is one of the most sacred sites in...
Hin: देवरिया devariyā ‘Abode of the Gods’ [Devpuri, Deoria] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Skt: deva, ‘god’ ; and pur(i)/pura→(a)ura/uri, ‘fort’, ‘settlement’; or gṛha, ‘dwelling’, ‘abode’ Deoria derives its name from Devpuri, meaning ‘city of...
Hin: इटावा itāwā ‘Brick Settlement’ –[Ishtikapuri] City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Possibly from Skt/Pkt/Hin: iṣṭakā/iṭṭa/iṭa, ‘brick’; and Skt: pur(i)/pura→wa(r)/(w)ar, ‘fort’, ‘settlement’, ‘town’. Etawah is an ancient settlement, historically significant...
Hin: फ़ैज़ाबाद faizābād ‘The Abode of Bounty’ [Awadh, Fyzabad] – City, Uttar Pradesh. Per: faiz, ‘bounty, grace’; ābād, ‘settlement’, ‘inhabited place’ Faizabad was founded in the 18th century by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, the first Nawab of Awadh (Oudh), and...
Hin: फ़तेहपुर सीकरी fatehpur sīkrī ‘The City of Victory’ [Sikri] – Town, Uttar Pradesh. Per: fateh, ‘victory’; Skt: pur, ‘city’; Sikri – possibly from Skt: śikharī, ‘summit, peak’ or an older local name. Fatehpur Sikri was established in 1571 by Emperor Akbar as the...
Hin: फिरोज़ाबाद firozābād ‘The City of Firoz’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From (Sultan) Firoz and Per: ābād, ‘settlement’, ‘inhabited place’ Firozabad is traditionally believed to have been named after Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (r. 1351–1388), who...
Hin: ग़ाज़ियाबाद ghāziābād ‘Ghaziuddin’s City’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Ghaziuddin [Per: ghāzī, ‘warrior, conqueror’]; and Skt: nagar, ‘city’ or Per: ābād, ‘city’, ‘settlement’ Ghaziabad was founded in 1740 by Ghazi-ud-Din, a...
Hin: गोरखपुर gorakhpur ‘City of Gorakhnath’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Goraknath and Skt: pura, ‘city’, ‘settlement’ Gorakhpur is named after the 9th-century Hindu saint Gorakhnath, a prominent figure in the Nath yogic tradition. His followers,...
Hin: हरदोई hardoī ‘Turmeric Site’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Hin: haridrā/harada, ‘turmeric’ and Skt: vāṭī →oi, ‘site’, ‘enclosure’, ‘village’. This derivation follows Harda (MP). It could also follow Haridwar (Utt) and refer to Skt/Hin: ‘Vishnu’,...
Hin: हस्तिनापुर hastināpur ‘Elephant City’ – Town, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh. From Skt: hastin, elephant’; and pura, ‘city’, ‘settlement’ Hastinapur is one of the most legendary cities in Indian history and mythology. According to the Mahābhārata, it...
Hin: जौनपुर jaunpur ‘The City of Jauna Khan’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Jauna Khan and Per/Skt: pur, ‘city’, ‘settlement’ Jaunpur was founded in 1359 CE by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who named it after his predecessor and adoptive father, Jauna Khan...
Hin: झाँसी jhānsī ‘Thicket’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Possibly from Hin: jhāṛī, ‘bush’, ‘thicket’ [cf. Jharkhand,Jharsuguda (Odi), Jhargram (WB)] Jhansi emerged as a significant fortified settlement in the 17th century, when Raja Bir...
Hin: कानपुर kānpur ‘Kanha’s Town’ [Cawnpore] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Kanha/Krishna and Skt: pur , ‘city’, ‘settlement’. Raja Kanha-deo of the Kanhpuriya clan of Rajputs established the city of Kanhpur in 1207 and made it his capital, which...
Hin: कुशीनगर kushīnagar ‘The City of Kusha Grass’ [Kusinara, Kasia] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Skt: kusha, ‘sacred grass used in rituals’ [cf. Kuchchaveli (SL)]; and nagara, ‘city’. The name reflects the city’s ancient Buddhist heritage, possibly referring...
Hin: लखनऊ lakhnaū ‘Lakshmana’s City’ [Lakhanavati, Lakshmanpur] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, and Skt: pur, ‘city’, ‘settlement’. Tradition holds that Lucknow was originally called Lakshmanpur, founded by Lakshmana of...
Hin: मथुरा mathurā ‘City of the Mathuras’ [Prayag, Allahabad] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Mathura (tribe) or Skt: madhu, ‘honey’; and (p)ura, ‘city’. The name is traditionally linked to the Mathura clan, an ancient tribe mentioned in early sources, though...
Hin: मेरठ meraṭha ‘Settlement of Māyara’ [Mairashtra] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: Māyasura and Skt: rāṣṭra, ‘realm’, ‘region’. Meerut has ancient roots, with archaeological evidence suggesting continuous habitation since the Harappan...
Hin: मिर्ज़ापुर mirzāpur ‘City of the Mirza’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: mirza, title of nobility; Skt: pur, ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Mirzapur, situated on the banks of the Ganges, has a relatively recent historical origin compared to many other cities in...
Hin: मुरादाबाद murādābād ‘City of Murad’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Murad and Per: ābād, meaning ‘settlement’, ‘city’. Moradabad was founded in 1625 by Rustam Khan, a Mughal governor under Emperor Shah Jahan. He named it after Prince Murad Bakhsh, Shah...
Hin: मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर muz̄affarnagar ‘City of Muzaffar’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Per: Muzaffar and Skt: nagar, ‘city’, ‘town’. Muzaffarnagar was founded in the late 17th century by Munawar Lashkar Khan, a Mughal noble under Emperor Aurangzeb. He named it after his...
Hin: नोएडा noeḍā ‘New Okhla Industrial Development Area’ – City, Uttar Pradesh. From New Okhla Industrial Development Authority. Noida was established on April 17, 1976, as part of an urbanization and industrialization initiative by the Uttar Pradesh government. It...
Hin: प्रयागराज prayāgrāj / इलाहाबाद ilāhābād ‘King of Confluences’ [Prayag, Allahabad] – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Skt: prayāga, ‘confluence’, ‘place of sacrifice’; and rāja, ‘king’.From Per: ilāh, ‘god’; and ābād (آباد), ‘settlement’,...
Hin: रामपुर rāmpur ‘City of Ram’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Rāma and Skt: pur , ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Rampur was established in 1774 by Nawab Faizullah Khan, the first ruler of the princely state of Rampur, following the decline of the Rohilla Afghan...
Hin: सहारनपुर sahāranapura ‘City of Saharan’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Saharan and Skt: pura, ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Saharanpur is believed to have been named after Sufi saint Shah Harun Chishti, whose shrine is located in the city: Muhammad Tughlag...
Hin: सम्भल sambhala ‘Sambal Tree’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Sambal or Semal tree [Bombax ceiba] The Semal or Sambal tree is commonly known as cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton or red cotton tree. Its fibres are usd like textiles in...
Hin: सारनाथ sārnātha ‘Lord of the Deer’ – Town, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: saranganātha (सारङ्गनाथ), ‘Lord of the Deer’ [sāranga, ‘deer’; and nātha, ‘lord’). Sarnath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in the world. It was here that Gautama Buddha delivered his first...
Hin: शाहजहाँपुर shāhjahānpura ‘City of Shah Jahan’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. From Per: Shāh Jahān, ‘King of the World’; Skt: pura, ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Shahjahanpur was founded in the 17th century during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r....
Hin: सीतापुर sītāpura ‘City of Sita’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: Sītā (सीता), the name of the goddess and wife of Lord Rama; pura (पुर), ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Sitapur is traditionally believed to be named after Sita, the wife of Lord Rama in the Ramayana....
Hin: उन्नाव unnāva ‘City of Unwant’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh. Skt: Unna (उन्न), meaning ‘raised’, ‘elevated’, or ‘prosperous’; pura→wa(r), ‘city’ or ‘settlement’. Godo Singh, a 12th century Chauhan Rajput, cleared the forests here and founded a town which he...
Hin: वाराणसी vāraṇasī ‘City of the Two Rivers’ / ‘City of Light’ – City, Uttar Pradesh. From the Varuna and Asi, two tributaries forming the city’s northen and southern borders. The Varuna, still flows in northern Varanasi, but the Assi is today a small stream...
Here is the etymology and history of the 84 ghats along the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi: from Assi to Adi Keshava. . . 1. Assi Ghat (अस्सी घाट) From the Assi (अस्सी), the small river that meets the Ganga here. Purāṇic tradition explains the river’s origin...
(Hin/Skt): विन्ध्याचल vindhyāchala ‘Abode of the Vindhyas’ – Town/Pilgrimage site, Uttar Pradesh. From Skt: Vindhya, the mountain range; and achala, ‘immovable, mountain, peak’. Vindhyachal, on the southern bank of the Ganga near Mirzapur, takes its name from the...
