Since the first cities and nation states began to emerge, their names have undergone drastic changes due to many, political and socio-economic reasons. This article will give the modern day names of ancient cities and towns of India, as well as that of certain countries.
This will help candidates when they write the GS segment of the UPSC Exams
New names of Modern and Ancient Cities of India
New names of modern and ancient cities of India is given in the following table
Ancient/Old Name
Modern Name
| Purushapura | Peshawar |
| Pataliputra | Patna |
| Bhagyanagar | Hyderabad |
| Pragjyotishpura | Guwahati |
| Muhammadabad | Bidar |
| Ahsanabad | Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) |
| Orugallu | Warangal |
| Prayag | Allahabad |
| Patliputra | Patna |
| Bhagyanagar | Hyderabad |
| Calcutta | Kolkata |
| Calicut | Kozhikode |
| Madras | Chennai |
| Bombay | Mumbai |
| Baroda | Vadodara |
| Cochin | Kochi |
| Benares | Varanasi |
| Tuticorin | Thoothukudi |
| Cape Comorin | Kanya Kumari |
| Gulbarga | Kalaburagi |
| Belgaum | Belagavi |
| Bangalore | Bengaluru |
| Mysore | Mysuru |
| Tumkur | Tumakuru |
Below modern day names of certain cities as well as that of countries are given in the table below:
Ancient/Old Name
Modern Name
| Abyssinia | Ethiopia (East Africa) |
| Angora | Ankara (Turkey) |
| Basutoland | Lesotho (South Africa) |
| Batavia | Jakarta (Indonesia) |
| Burma | Myanmar (Asia) |
| Ceylon | Sri Lanka (South Asia) |
| Christina | Oslo (Norway) |
| Congo | Zaire (Central Africa) |
| Constantinople | Istanbul (Turkey) |
| Dacca | Dhaka (Bangladesh) |
| Dutch East Indies | Indonesia (South-East Asia) |
| Dutch Guyana | Surinam (South America) |
| Edo | Tokyo |
| Ellice Islands | Tuvalu (South Pacific Ocean) |
| Formosa | Taiwan (East Asia) |
| Gold Coast | Ghana (West Africa) |
| Greenland | Kalaallit Nunaat |
| Holland | The Netherlands (West Europe) |
| Kampuchea | Cambodia (Asia) |
| Leopoldville | Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
| Mesopotamia | Iraq (South-West Asia) |
| Mahmoodpur | Lahore (Pakistan) |
| New Hebrides | Vanuatu (South Pacific Ocean) |
| Nippon | Japan (East Asia) |
| Northern Rhodesia | Zambia (South-Central Africa) |
| Nyasaland | Malawi (South-Central Africa) |
| Oea | Tripoli (North Africa) |
| Peking | Beijing (China) |
| Persia | Iran (South-West Asia) |
| Rangoon | Yangon (Myanmar) |
| Raj Shahi | Islamabad (Pakistan) |
| Rhodesia | Zimbabwe (South-Central Africa) |
| Saigon | Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) |
| Salisbury | Harare (Zimbabwe) |
| Sandwich Wands | Hawaiian Islands (The United States) |
| Siam | Thailand (Asia) |
| South West Africa | Namibia (South-West) |
| Spanish Guinea | Equatorial Guinea (West Africa) |
| Stalingrad | Volgograd (Russia) |
| Tanganyika & Zanzibar | Tanzania (South-East Africa) |
| Turicum | Zürich (Switzerland) |
What are the reasons for the name change of country/city?
There are many reasons to undertake renaming, with political motivation being the primary cause; for example many places in the former Soviet Union and its satellites were renamed to honour Stalin. Sometimes a place reverts to its former name.
One of the most common reasons for a country changing its name is newly acquired independence. When borders are changed, sometimes due to a country splitting or two countries joining, the names of the relevant areas can change. This, however, is more the creation of a different entity than an act of geographical renaming.
Other more unusual reasons for renaming have included getting rid of an inappropriate or embarrassing name and as part of a sponsorship deal or publicity stunt
A change might see a completely different name being adopted, or may only be a slight change in spelling.
Frequently Asked Question about Modern day names of ancient nations, cities and towns
What is the oldest city in the world that still exists?
Which is the oldest civilization?
To know more about other Government Exams, visit the linked article. For more preparation materials, they can refer to the links given in the table below:
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