We all know Madras became Chennai and Bombay is now Mumbai... How many of us know the ancient names of many a place? What was Delhi called long ago? What was the original name of Vadnagar, the ancient town that also happens to be PM Modi’s birthplace?
Originally known as Bhagyanagar, the Telangana capital was once named after Bhagamati, the beloved of Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah.
The largest city in Assam was known as Pragjyotishpura in ancient times.
This town was originally a village called Sakchi. In 1919, it was renamed after its founder, Jamsetji Tata, who established the Tata Steel plant there.
Originally India's capital city was known as Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata.
Historically known as Calicut, the Kerala city on the Malabar coast was a major trading port and where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed in 1498.
Originally known as Karnavati, the city was ruled by the Solanki dynasty.
Presently Vadnagar is known by various names over the years -- Vridhanagar, Anandapur, Anantapur, Nagar. In the future it might be named for PM N Modi. He was born here.
Earlier known as Gulbarga, the now Karnataka town was an important city during the Bahmani Sultanate. The name Kalaburagi means ‘stone land’ in Kannada.