Why Is West Bengal in the East and Punjab is the ‘Land of Five Rivers’: Fascinating stories behind Indian state names

India is a land rich in cultural heritage and history, and this is highlighted even through the names Indian states have been given. Each of these has some reference to ancient languages, geographical features, tribal or ethnic groups, and historical kingdoms. You’ll be surprised to know the background of each of these names. These names do not describe the physical land, terrain, or its people, but actually their history and cultural influences.


Let’s deep dive into how the names of each state came into being:

There are two theories related to the name Kerala. One theory suggests that the name is derived from Kera, meaning the coconut tree, and alam meaning land of coconuts, while the other theory is that it was given the name Cherna-alam. According to popular Hindu mythology, the place was created by sage Parasurama, a reincarnation of Vishnu, who threw his axe into the sea, causing the land to recede. The land created this way was called "Cherna-alam", meaning "added land", which later became Kerala.

So, ever wondered why Bengal, which is in the east, is called West Bengal? We are sure you’ve always wondered why a state that lies in the east has been given the name of the opposite direction. Well, during the partition of India, when East Bengal was separated from it, it had the majority Muslim population, while the remaining Bengal had a Hindu majority in the western portion. So this name was given to avoid any confusion with its eastern part of Bengal.

This name emerged during the Maratha rule in the late 18th century. Popularly, its name means 36 forts or chattis -garh. The meaning of this name is ‘land of thirty-six forts’ and the name evokes a warrior legacy.

This land has been derived from Sanskrit, in which Hima means snow and Achal means mountain, which means ‘snow mountain’, evoking the snow-clad Himalayas. This name was coined by Sanskrit scholar Diwakar Datt Sharma. The name literally means “in the lap of the Himalayas.”

This name is derived from Persian, in which panj means five and ab means water, which depicts the Indus tributaries that shape the fertile plains. This name greatly depicts the agricultural heartland. This name mainly means ‘land of five rivers’ such as Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.

Manipur has been derived from Sanskrit. Mani means ‘jewel’ and pur means ‘land’. According to some legends, Arjuna from Mahabharata married Princess Chitrangada from Manipur. This land has a deeper meaning as its name is ‘land of jewels’.

Jharkhand means land of forests, with Jhar being ‘forests’ and khand being ‘land’. This name describes the dense woodlands and tribal heartland. This name is a legacy to the ancient woodland communities and rich tribal heritage found here.

The name of this state is considered to mean ‘land of three lingas’. This name hints at the three important Shaivite shrines: Kaleshwaram, Srisailam, and Draksharama, located in the region. According to popular belief, Lord Shiva had descended at these places in his ‘lingam’ form, marking the boundaries of the land.

This land has two theories about the meaning of its name. One theory suggests that the word Assam is an Anglicized form of the word "Asom". The Sanskrit word asama means unequalled and depicts the power of the Ahom rulers, or it could also mean the uneven terrain of this valley.

The name ‘Rajasthan’ means ‘the land of kings’. This state has a rich history with royal heritage. From the 7th and 8th century, Rajput clans came into power here and controlled large parts of this region. After this, during the British Raj as well, this state was known as Rajputana, or the "Country of the Rajputs". The name greatly depicts the history of the land, the dominance of the Rajput kingdoms in the area.