Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N) Andaman ‘Monkey God’ Niccolo de Conti sailed past the Andamans en route to Sumatra. He wrote that the name meant ‘island of gold’. Another suggestion is that it refers to Hanuman, the monkey god of the Ramayana epic,...
Andhra Pradesh (AP) ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ āndhra pradēsh ‘Land of the Andhras’ From Skt: āndhra, ‘Telugu people/language’; and Hin/Skt: pradēsh, ‘province’, ‘region’, ‘territory’. The Andhras were an ancient tribe with settlements in the Godavari and Krishna valleys (Vedic...
Arunachal Pradesh (ArP) ‘Land of the Dawn(-lit) Mountains’. From Skt: aruṇa , ‘redness’, ‘dawn’ [‘reddish glow in the morning sky’]; Skt: ac(h)ala, ‘mountain’; and Skt: pradēśḥ, ‘province’, ‘region’, ‘territory’. Surya is the Vedic sun god and Aruna is the name of...
Assam (Asm) Asm: অসম āsāma ‘Land of the Ahom’ From Asm: syam, ‘Ahom/Shan people’. The Ahom community (who are ethically Tai/Thai) has been known here by several different but closely related names: Ahom, Asam, Aham, Shan, Syam. Spread across Asia they are known as...
Bihar (Bih) Hin: बिहार bihār ‘Monastery’ From Skt/Pali: vihāra, ‘abode’, ‘(Buddhist) monastery’. Bihar has a rich Buddhist heritage. It boasts the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and has many other historic Buddist centres and vihāras dating back to...
Kan: ರಾಬರ್ಟಸನ್ಪೇಟ್ rābarṭasanpēṭ ‘Robertson Suburb’ Town, Karnataka From Robertson and Kan: pete, ‘town’, ‘suburb’, ‘market’ [Tam: pēṭṭai]. Robertsonpete was built and designed in 1902 to accommodate the population overspill from the Kolar Gold Fields....
