INTRODUCTION
This page lists 50 of the most common place-name elements found in India and Sri Lanka.
Most South Asian place names, like English ones, are made up of two elements. To make this easier to grasp, we can illustrate the structure using familiar English examples.
◾ The first is a modifying or specific element, which uniquely identifies a particular place by reference to a person, object or description: George, king, new, high, black, elm, or wood.
◾ The second is a base or generic element, which occurs in many place names and identifies the defining feature or location: town, hill, port, castle, pool, lake, or bridge.
When these are combined, place names such as Georgetown, Kingshill, Newport, Highcastle, Blackpool, Elmlake and Woodbridge emerge. These have a structure closely comparable to South Asian place names such as Pudu-kottai, Juna-gadh, Kar-ur, Una-Watuna and Naba-dwip — literally ‘New Fort’, ‘Old Fort’, ‘Black Town’, ‘Bamboo Port’ and ‘New Island’.
The place-name elements listed below are generic elements. -pur, -garh and -bandar, for example, correspond closely to English elements such as ‘town’, ‘castle’ and ‘port’. Armed with these 50 core elements, deciphering South Asian place names becomes markedly easier.
ABBREVIATIONS
States
Andhra Pradesh (AP); Arunachal Pradesh (ArP); Assam (Asm); Bihar (Bih); Gujarat (Guj); Haryana (Har); Himachal Pradesh (Him); Jammu & Kashmir (J&K); Jharkhand (Jha); Karnataka (Kar); Kerala (Ker); Madhya Pradesh (MP); Maharashtra (Mah); Meghalaya (Meg); Odisha (Odi); Punjab (Pun); Rajasthan (Raj); Tamil Nadu (TN); Telangana (Tel); Uttar Pradesh (UP); Uttarakhand (Utt); West Bengal (WB); Sri Lanka (SL).
Languages
Assamese (Asm); Bengali (Ben); (Proto-)Dravidian (Dra); Gujarati (Guj); Hindi (Hin); Kannada (Kan); Malayalam (Mal); Marathi (Mar); Persian (Per); Sanskrit (Skt); Sinhala (Sin); Tamil (Tam); Telugu (Tel); Urdu (Urd).
-abad
From Per: آباد ābād, ‘populated’ or ‘cultivated’ settlement, village, city or region.
◾ -abad under the Mughuls (or similar Muslim administrations) indicated a populated and tax-paying settlement. It was often prefixed with the name of the founder or patron: Ahmed Khan, Aurangzeb, Osman Ali Khan.
e.g. Ahmedabad (Gujarat); Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh); Aurangabad (Maharashtra); Hyderabad (Telangana); Daulatabad (Maharashtra); Osmanabad (Maharashtra)
-adri
From Skt: अद्रि adri, ‘rock’, ‘hill’, ‘mountain-range’.
◾ -adri is sometimes changed to -ar or -or [Gopadri → Gwalior; Charanadri → Chunar].
e.g. Adri (Gujarat); Gwalior/Gopadri (Madhya Pradesh); Kodachadri (Karnataka); Seshadri (Andhra Pradesh)
-bagh
From Per/Urd: باغ bāg, ‘garden’.
◾ (1) -bagh can also mean ‘orchard’, ‘grove’, ‘cluster of trees’, ‘plantation’. (2) Some names derive from Hin: बाघ bāgh, ‘tiger’ [Skt: व्याघ्र vyāghra].
e.g. (1) Bagaha (Bihar); Hazaribagh (Jharkhabd); Jallianwala Bagh (Punjab); Karol Bagh (Delhi). (2) Bagh Caves (Madhya Pradesh); Baghmara (Meghalaya)
-bakkam
From Tam: பக்கம் pakkam, ‘side’, ‘vicinity’, ‘neighbourhood’, ‘district’.
◾ The element often denotes a settlement adjoining or forming part of a larger village or town. In some contexts, particularly in coastal Tamil Nadu, it may also refer to a maritime settlement or place close to the shore.
e.g. Kodambakkam (Tamil Nadu); Nungambakkam (Tamil Nadu); Perumbakkam (Tamil Nadu); Sembakkam (Tamil Nadu)
-bandar / -bunder
From Per: بندر bandar, ‘port’, ‘harbour’, ‘trading town’.
◾ Found along the western coast, especially in Gujarat and Mumbai [Guj: બંદર bandar(a); Mar: बंदर bandara]. The Persian suggests an ‘enclosed’ or ‘protected’ harbour [Per: بند band + در dar, ‘gate’].
e.g. Apollo Bunder (Mumbai); Bandar (Maharashtra); Bandra (Mumbai); Mayabunder (Andaman & Niconar Islands); Porbandar (Gujarat)
-bari
From Ben: বাড়ি bāṛi, ‘house’, ‘building’, ‘dwelling’, ‘abode’.
◾ Common in West Bengal; in Assamese it also means ‘garden’, ‘compound’, ‘orchard’.
e.g. Arabari (West Bengal); Bagbari (West Bengal); Lusibari (West Bengal); Nalbari (Assam); Phulbari (West Bengal)
-basti
From Hin:: बस्ती bastī, ‘settlement’, ‘satellite town’, ‘colony’ [Skt: वसति vasatí].
◾ Hobson-Jobson lists bustee as the Anglo-Indian equivalent, often implying a poor or overcrowded neighbourhood.
e.g. Basti (Uttar Pradesh); Dayabasti (Delhi); Dharavi Basti (Mumbai); Kumaharan Basti (Gurgaon); Nai Basti (Uttar Pradesh)
-baza(a)r
From Per: بازار bāzār, ‘permanent market’, ‘street of shops’, ‘marketplace’.
◾ Now fully naturalised in English usage.
e.g. Barabazar (West Bengal); Betul-Bazaar (Madhya Pradesh); Chawri Bazaar (Delhi); Chor Bazar (Mumbai); English Bazar / Malda (West Bengal)
-durg(a)
From Skt / Mar / Hin: दुर्ग durg(a), ‘fortress’, ‘citadel’, ‘castle’.
◾ The Sanskrit root suggests something difficult to access or defendable by terrain.
e.g. Durg (Chhattisgarh), Durgapur (West Bengal), Chitradurga (Karnataka), Sindhudurg (Maharashtra).
-dwar
From Skt/Hin: द्वार dvara, ‘door’, ‘gate’, ‘gateway’.
◾ Especially common in pilgrimage ‘gateway’ towns and tīrtha landscapes.
e.g. Dwarka (Guj); Dwaraka Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh); Haridwar / Hardwar (Uttarakhand); Nathdwara (Rajasthan)
-dweep
From Skt: द्वीप dvīp(a), ‘island’, ‘peninsula’, ‘sandbank’.
◾ Appears as diu/dia, BEN dweep, TAM divu/tivu. Jambudvīpa is the mythic central continent of Hindu cosmology.
e.g. Diu; Jawahar Dweep (Mumbai); Kakdwip (West Bengal); Lakshadweep Islands; Swaraj Dweep (Andaman + Nicobar Islands); Mullaitivu (Sri Lanka)
-eshwar(am)
From Skt: ईश्वर īśvara, ‘lord’, ‘supreme god’.
◾ Strongly associated with Shiva (Maheśvara), but also used for Vishnu.
e.g. Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Mahabaleswar (Maharashtra), Manjeshwar (Keralam), Nileshwaram (Keralam), Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)
-gal(le) / -gala / -kal / -kallu / -gallu
From Dra: kal, ‘stone’, ‘rock’ [Sin: ගල් gal; Tam: கல் kal; Kan: ಕಲ್ಲು kallu; Tel: కల్లు kallu; Mal: കല്ലു kallu].
◾ Very common in Sri Lanka; notably not the root of the name Galle.
e.g. Kalpetta (Kerala); Kalkudah (Sri Lanka); Kegalle (Sri Lanka); Koggala (Sri Lanka); Kitulgala (Sri Lanka); Monaragala (Sri Lanka); Pattadakal (Karnataka);Varkala (Keralam)
-ganj
From Hin/Per: गंज ganj, ‘market’, ‘storehouse’, ‘treasury’.
◾ Listed in Hobson-Jobson as gunge in Anglo-Indian usage.
e.g. Daryaganj (Delhi); Forbesganj (Bihar); Fraserganj (West Bengal); Kishanganj (Bihar); McLeodganj (Himachal Pradesh); Raiganj (West Bengal)
-garh
From Hin: गढ़ gaṛh, ‘fort’.
◾ Appears as Guj: gaḍh, Mar: gaḍ, Ben: goṛ.
e.g. Chhattisgarh; Chittorgarh (Rajasthan); Chandigarh; Junagadh (Gujarat); Raigad (Maharashtra)
-ghat
From Hin: घाट ghāṭ, ‘steps’, ‘quay’, ‘mountain pass’ [Skt: ghaṭṭa].
◾ Possibly influenced by Dravidian roots meaning ‘slope’ or ‘embankment’.
e.g. Assi Ghat (Varanasi); Balaghat (MP); Balurghat (West Bengal); Pasighat (ArP); Ranaghat (West Bengal)
-giri
From Skt/Hin: गिरि giri, ‘mountain’, ‘hill’.
e.g. Giridih (Jharkhand); Khandagiri/Udayagiri Caves (Odisha), Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu); Mahendragiri (Odisha); Nilgiri Hills (Tamil Nadu); Ratnagiri (Maharashtra); Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
-goda
From Sin: ගොඩ goḍa, ‘village’, ‘hill’.
◾ Meanings range from ‘hillock’ to ‘bank land’ or ‘settlement’; likely Dravidian in origin.
e.g. Ambalangoda (Sri Lanka); Balangoda (Sri Lanka); Kiribathgoda (Sri Lanka); Nugegoda (Sri Lanka)
-gram(a) / -gama / -gaon
From Skt: ग्राम grāma, ‘village’, ‘settlement’.
◾ Appears as -gaon, -gama, -gramam, and gão in Goa.
e.g. Gurugram/Gurgaon (Harayana); Maharagama (Sri Lanka); Margao/Madgaon (Goa); Nagaon (Assam); Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) Sevagram (Maharashtra)
-guri
From Ben: গুড়ি guṛi, ‘place’.
◾ Common in northern West Bengal; possibly of tribal origin.
e.g. Jalpaiguri; Mallaguri; Maynaguri; Siliguri (West Bengal)
-hat(t)a / -hati
From Skt: हट्ट haṭṭa, ‘market’, ‘fair’.
◾ Appears as Ben/Asm: hāṭ.
e.g. Barhat (Assam); Balihat (Assam); Dainhat (West Bengal); Guwahati (Assam); Jorhat (Assam)
-kere
From Kan: ಕೆರೆ keṟe, ‘tank’, ‘lake’.
◾ Indicates settlement near an artificial or dammed water source.
e.g. Arsikere; Challakere; Davanagere; Gadag-Betageri; Hallikere (Karnataka)
-koṭa / -kotta
From Skt: कोट koṭa, ‘fortress’, ‘stronghold’.
◾ Appears in many inherited and borrowed forms across India and Sri Lanka [Tam: kōṭṭai; Mal: kōṭṭa; Sin: kōṭṭē; Kan: kōṭe].
e.g. Kota (Rajasthan); Pathankot (Punjab); Rajkot (Gujarat); Pudukottai (Tamil Nadu); Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte (Sri Lanka)
-ko(v)il
From Tam: கோவில் kōvil / kō(y)il, ‘temple’, ‘shrine’, ‘palace’.
◾ The meaning ‘temple’ derives from ‘palace’ or ‘king’s residence’ [Tam/Mal: kō, ‘king’; il, ‘house’].
e.g. Kollam – Quilon (Keralam); Kozhikode/Calicut (Keralam); Koyilandy (Keralam); Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu); Thirukkovil (Sri Lanka)
-konda
From Tel: కొండ koṇḍa, ‘hill’, ‘mountain’.
◾ Cognate with Tam: kuṉ(d)ṟam, Kan: koṇḍa, Mal: kunnu.
e.g. Adoni (Andhra Pradesh); Coonoor (Tamil Nadu); Golconda (Telangana); Kunnamkulam (Keralam); Nalgonda (Telangana); Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh)
-kunda
From Skt/Hin: कुण्ड kuṇḍa, ‘pool’, ‘reservoir’, ‘tank’.
◾ Derived from Dra: *kuṇṭam, ‘pit’, ‘cavity’, via Sanskrit.
e.g. Brahmakund (Uttarakhand); Guntur (Andhra Pradesh); Lolarkkund (Uttar Pradesh); Narcondum Island (Andaman & Nicobar Islands); Ramkund (Maharashtra); Radhakund (Uttar Pradesh); Sitakund (Bihar)
-kuti / -kudi / -gudi
From Tam/Mal: குடி / കുടി kuṭi, ‘house’, ‘settlement’ [Tel/Kan: గుడి / ಗುಡಿ guḍi].
◾ Usually denotes a ‘colony’ or settlement of a particular community, caste or group.
e.g. Basavanagudi (Bengaluru); Calangute (Goa); Chalakudy (Keralam); Gudiyattam (Tamil Nadu); Karaikudi (Tamil Nadu); Thoothukkudi (TN)
-malai / -mala
From Tam: மலை malai, ‘hill’, ‘mountain’ [Mal: mala; Tel: mala; Kan: male / malai].
e.g. Malappuram (Keralam); Tantirimale (Sri Lanka); Tirumala Hills (Andhra Pradesh); Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu); Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)
-mer(u)
From Skt/Hin: मेरु mēru, ‘mountain’, ‘ridge’.
◾ Closely associated with Mt Meru, the mythic golden mountain at the centre of the world.
e.g. Ajmer; Barmer; Jaisalmer; Parmer (Rajasthan)
-nagar
From Skt: नगरम् nagaram, ‘town’, ‘city’.
◾ -nagara sometimes contracts to -nar or -ner [Girinagar → Girnar].
e.g. Ahmednagar (Maharashra); Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh); Jamnagar (Gujarat; Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir); Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra); Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu); Williamnagar (Meghalaya)
-nath
From Skt: नाथ nātha, ‘lord’, ‘master’, ‘protector’.
◾ A common epithet of Shiva in place names.
e.g. Ambarnath (Mumbai); Badrinath (Uttarakhand); Ramnathapuram (Tamil Nadu); Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh); Somnath (Gujarat)
-oya
From Sin: ඔය oya, ‘river’, ‘stream’.
◾ Although theoretically smaller than a ganga, many major Sri Lankan rivers are named -oya.
e.g. Gal Oya (Sri Lanka); Dikoya (Sri Lanka); Maduru Oya (Sri Lanka)
-palli / -halli
From Dra: paḷḷi, ‘village’, ‘hut’, ‘settlement’ [Tel: palli; Kan: haḷḷi].
◾ Related to Mar: -vali / -vli and Goan: -olim / -auli.
e.g. Aihole (Karnataka); Benaulim (Goa); Borivali (Mumbai); Cuncolim (Goa); Karunagappalli (Keralam); Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu)
-palayam / -palya / -palem
From Tam: pāḷaiyam, ‘army camp’, ‘village surrounded by hills’.
◾ Usually indicates the camp or headquarters of a local chieftain.
e.g. Andipalya (Karnataka); Gobichettipalayam (Tamil Nadu); Mettupalayam (Tamil Nadu); Palayam (Keralam); Rajapalayam (Tamil Nadu)
-pattanam / -pattinam / -patnam
From Tam: paṭṭiṉam / paṭṭaṇam, ‘(coastal) city’, ‘shore town’.
◾ Possibly from Dra: paṭṭi, ‘hamlet’, though reinforced by Skt: pattana, ‘town’.
e.g. Jaffna (Sri Lanka); Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh); Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu); Patan (Gujarat); Puhar/Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu)
-pettai / -pettah
From Tam: பேட்டை pēṭṭai, ‘suburb (of a fort)’, ‘marketplace’.
e.g. Hospet (Karnataka); Meerpet (Hyderabad); Pettah (Colombo); Pettah (Thiruvananthapuram); Ranipet (Tamil Nadu); Robertsonpete (Karnataka)
-pitiya
From Sin: පිටිය pitiya, ‘plain’, ‘field’, ‘tract of land’.
◾ Common in Sri Lankan district and regional names.
e.g. Bambalapitiya (Sri Lanka); Elpitiya (Sri Lanka); Embilipitiya (Sri Lanka); Kuliyapitiya (Sri Lanka); Nawalapitiya (Sri Lanka)
pradesh
From Skt/Hin: प्रदेश pradeśa, ‘province’, ‘region’, ‘territory’.
e.g. Andhra Pradesh; Arunachal Pradesh; Himachal Pradesh; Madhya Pradesh; Uttar Pradesh
-prastha
From Skt: प्रस्थ prastha, ‘plateau’, ‘level expanse’.
◾ Regularly contracts to -pat or -patta [Indraprastha → Indrapat].
e.g. Panipat (Harayana); Sonipat (Harayana); Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh)
-prolu / -volu / -olu
From Tel: ప్రోలు prōlu, ‘(tax) district’, ‘town’.
◾ Has undergone multiple phonetic shifts; related to Tam: poḻil, ‘park’, ‘forest’.
e.g. Chebrolu (Andhra Pradesh); Gollaprolu (Andhra Pradesh); Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh); Ongole (Andhra Pradesh); Pollachi (Tamil Nadu)
-pur / -pura / -puram
From Skt: पुर pur(a), ‘fort’, ‘city’, ‘town’.
◾ Extremely widespread; related to Greek polis. British usage standardised -pore.
e.g. Alwar (Rajasthan); Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh); Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka); Jodhpur (Rajasthan); Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh); Nagpur (Maharashtra); Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu)
-rashtra
From Skt: राष्ट्रम् rāṣṭra, ‘kingdom’, ‘territory’, ‘region’.
◾ Often simplified to -ratha or -rat.
e.g. Gujarat; Maharashtra; Marathwada (Maharashtra); Meerut (Uttar Pradesh); Saurashtra (Gujarat)
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-sagar(a) / -samudra / -saras / -sarovar
From Skt: सागरः sāgara, समुद्र samudra, सरस् saras, ‘sea’, ‘lake’, ‘confluence’.
◾ Often reduced to -sar or -samand in modern forms.
e.g. Amritsar (Punjab); Nalsarovar (Gujarat); Rajsamand (Rajasthan); Sagar (Madhya Pradesh); Sardar Sarovar (Gujarat)
-sarai / -serai
From Per: سراى sarāy, ‘inn’, ‘hostelry’.
◾ Roadside resting places for traders, pilgrims and officials.
e.g. Begusarai (Bihar); Mughalsarai (Uttar Pradesh); Sarai Rohilla (Delhi); Sarai Kale Khan (Delhi)
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-shahar / -shahr
From Hin/Ben: शहर śahar, ‘town’, ‘city’, ‘(urban) settlement’ [Per: شَهر šahr]
■ this Persian element is much rarer than the word as used in Hin, Ben and other North Indian languages.
e.g. Anupshahr (Uttar Pradesh), Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), Halishahar (West Bengal), Machhlishahr (Uttar Pradesh), Nawanshahr (Punjab).
-sri / -tiru / -thiru
From Skt: श्री śrī, ‘auspicious’, ‘sacred’; Tam/Mal: திரு / തിരു tiru, ‘holy’, ‘eminent’.
◾ Both relate to prosperity, fortune and the goddess Lakshmi.
e.g. Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan); Sri Lanka; Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir); Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh); Srirangapatnam/Srirangapatna (Karnataka); Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam);Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh);Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu); Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu)
-sthana / -stan / -than / -tan
From Skt: स्थानम् sthānam, ‘place’, ‘site’, ‘abode’.
◾ Has undergone major phonetic reduction [Pratiṣṭhāna → Paithan].
e.g. Paithan (Maharashtra); Rajasthan; Thane (Maharashtra); Thanesar (Harayana)
-ur / -oor / -uru / -ore
From Dra: ūr(u), ‘village’, ‘town’, ‘city’.
◾ One of the most productive Dravidian place-name elements.
e.g. Adoor (Keralam); Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka); Chittoor (Karnataka); Gudalur (Tamil Nadu); Karur (Tamil Nadu); Mysuru (Karnataka); Nellore (Karnataka)
-veli
From Tam: வேலி vēli, ‘field’, ‘enclosure’, ‘land’.
◾ Indicates agricultural land or enclosed holdings; in Sri Lanka meanings partly overlap.
e.g. Neyveli (Tamil Nadu); Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu); Kathiraveli (Sri Lanka); Nilaveli (Sri Lanka); Uppuveli (Sri Lanka)
-wara / -wada
From Skt: vāṭa, ‘enclosure’, ‘district’, with mixed Indo-European and Dravidian influences.
◾ Suggests ‘place belonging to’, ‘colony’, ‘district’.
e.g. Bhilwara (Rajasthan); Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh); Kathiawar (Gujarat); Marathwada (Maharashtra); Mewar (Rajasthan); Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)
-weli / -wella
From Sin: වැලි væli, ‘sand’; වැල්ල vælla, ‘sandbank’, ‘shore’.
e.g. Avissawella (Sri Lanka); Dikwella (Sri Lanka); Weligama (Sri Lanka); Wellawatte (Colombo)
