Kerala becomes Keralam, Gurgaon to Gurugram, Rajpath to Kartavya Path: A look at major place name changes under PM Modi's govt
From Gurgaon to Gurugram and Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, here's a list of name changes that have taken place since 2014
- Feb 25, 2026,
- Updated Feb 25, 2026 11:18 AM IST
On Tuesday, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to change the name of Kerala to Keralam. The Cabinet decision came almost two years after the Kerala Legislative Assembly called for the name change to reflect the state's historical, linguistic, and cultural identity in June 2024.
According to the resolution, "The name of our State is 'Keralam' in the Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of the National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking the Malayalam language."
This, however, is not the only time that the Modi government has changed the names of places and states ever since it took office for the first time in 2014. From Gurgaon to Gurugram and Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, here's a list of name changes that have taken place since 2014
List of name changes since 2014
- In 2016, Gurgaon was renamed to Gurugram in a bid to restore the city's mythological identity. Gurugram was a reference to Guru Dronacharya from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
- In June 2018, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of Mughalsarai Junction to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction to honour national icons.
- Months later, Allahabad was renamed to Prayagraj in October in order to restore the city's pre-Mughal identity. Prayagraj is the ancient Hindu pilgrimage site at the Triveni Sangam.
- In November of the same year, Faizabad was renamed to Ayodhya as the city is associated with Lord Rama and the move aligned with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
- In February 2021, the Madhya Pradesh government changed the name of Hoshangabad to Narmadapuram after the Narmada River. This was seen as removing a Mughal-era reference to Hoshang Shah, the former Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate.
- In November 2021, the state government renamed the Habibganj Railway Station to Rani Kamlapati Railway Station.
- In September 2022, the Central government renamed the Rajpath to Kartavya Path in a shift from colonialism to the government's duty towards citizens (kartavya).
- In January 2023, the government renamed Mughal Gardens to Amrit Udyan as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
- In 2023, the Maharashtra government changed the name of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, ahead of the assembly polls. The renaming had long been a demand of the Shiv Sena and the BJP to do away with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reference.
- In the same year, the Fadnavis government also changed the name of Osmanabad to Dharashiv to refer to ancient caves in the region.
On Tuesday, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to change the name of Kerala to Keralam. The Cabinet decision came almost two years after the Kerala Legislative Assembly called for the name change to reflect the state's historical, linguistic, and cultural identity in June 2024.
According to the resolution, "The name of our State is 'Keralam' in the Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of the National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking the Malayalam language."
This, however, is not the only time that the Modi government has changed the names of places and states ever since it took office for the first time in 2014. From Gurgaon to Gurugram and Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, here's a list of name changes that have taken place since 2014
List of name changes since 2014
- In 2016, Gurgaon was renamed to Gurugram in a bid to restore the city's mythological identity. Gurugram was a reference to Guru Dronacharya from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
- In June 2018, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of Mughalsarai Junction to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction to honour national icons.
- Months later, Allahabad was renamed to Prayagraj in October in order to restore the city's pre-Mughal identity. Prayagraj is the ancient Hindu pilgrimage site at the Triveni Sangam.
- In November of the same year, Faizabad was renamed to Ayodhya as the city is associated with Lord Rama and the move aligned with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
- In February 2021, the Madhya Pradesh government changed the name of Hoshangabad to Narmadapuram after the Narmada River. This was seen as removing a Mughal-era reference to Hoshang Shah, the former Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate.
- In November 2021, the state government renamed the Habibganj Railway Station to Rani Kamlapati Railway Station.
- In September 2022, the Central government renamed the Rajpath to Kartavya Path in a shift from colonialism to the government's duty towards citizens (kartavya).
- In January 2023, the government renamed Mughal Gardens to Amrit Udyan as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
- In 2023, the Maharashtra government changed the name of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, ahead of the assembly polls. The renaming had long been a demand of the Shiv Sena and the BJP to do away with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reference.
- In the same year, the Fadnavis government also changed the name of Osmanabad to Dharashiv to refer to ancient caves in the region.