Our Cities which had different names in the past

India was ruled by many Kings and later by the British. Some places were renamed at various times in the history (Mauryan, Ikshvaku, Kakateeya etc). Former names of few places of AP & Telangana are mentioned below, let’s see how many of them you already know!

Bezawada 

There is an interesting story behind the name ‘Bezawada’. Goddess Krishnaveni (River Krishna) requested Arjuna to make a passage for her to merge into the Bay of Bengal. Hence, Arjuna made a bejjam (hole) through the mountains and the place came to be known as ‘Bejjamwada’ which later changed to Bezawada.

BhavapuriThis place is known for Bhavanarayanaswami Temple so hence the name.

Waltair Many might have guessed this. For those who don’t know, here is an easy clue! Araku hill station is in this district.

Gadapa This also has an interesting story for acquiring the name ‘Gadapa’. In Telugu, gadapa is an entry point for a house. In olden days one has to pass through this region to reach Tirumala. So it was named Gadapa which eventually evolved to Kadapa

Garthapuri Okay, this one is little tough! Here is the hint, this place is famous for spicy hot chilies.

Cocanada A Dutch settlement near this place used export coconuts from here. Hence the name cocanada.

Kandenavolu Kandena means grease. During the days when Bullock Cart is a form of transport, bullock cart riders used to stop on the banks of Tungabhadra River to apply grease to the bullock cart wheels before crossing the river. Hence the name ‘Kandanavolu’.

Vikrama Simhapuri Doesn’t ring any bells? Hint: It is situated on the banks of Penna river.

Rajahmundry This doesn’t need any clue and is recently renamed in 2015.
Named after one of the kings that ruled that place.

Chicacole or Sikkolu The accent of this place is very famous and is used in many movies.

Bhagyanagaram There are few theories behind this name. One popular theory suggests that the founder of the city, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah named it ‘Bhagyanagar’ or ‘Bhagnagar’ after Bhagmati, a local dancing girl with whom he fell in love. She converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal. The city was renamed Hyderabad in her honour.

Palamoor During the Nizam era, the people of this area used to sell milk, so it was named as Palamoor. The name was changed to Mahbubnagar in honour of Mir Mahbub Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI, the Nizam of Hyderabad.

OrugalluWarangal was referred with various names like Orugallu, Ekasila Nagaram, or Omatikonda all these means a ‘single stone’ referring to a huge granite boulder present in the Warangal fort.

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