When we think of the names of our beloved Indian cities, they seem so quintessentially desi. Can you imagine if there was a Chennai in Africa? Or a Bengaluru in the United Kingdom? Hey, its totally possible. You might be surprised to know that there are a lot of cities around the world that share names with familiar Indian cities. Coincidence or inspiration? A little bit of both as it turns out! Heres a list of cities abroad that (inadvertently) pay homage to India:
1. Delhi, India / Delhi, United States / Delhi, Canada
Image Source: Larry Johnson/flickr.com
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Delhi, apart from being the capital territory of India, is also a town in Louisiana in the United States which was originally known as Deerfield. Dont you think the new names better? We sure do! Speaking of Delhis in other countries, theres also a Delhi in Ontario, Canada. Its pronounced Del-high though. No matter the pronunciation, we still count it as a tribute to saddi dilli.
2. Kochi, Kerala / Kochi, Japan
Image Source: Pixabay.com
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The port city of Kochi or Cochin in Kerala has a Japanese counterpart. Who would have thought! Kochi, Japan, is a popular tourist destination. One thing both these cities have in common is the importance given to seafood in their cuisines. Bon apptit!
3. Patna, Bihar / Patna, East Ayrshire, Scotland
Image Source: Wikipedia.org
Image Source: Pexels.com
Now the name of Patna thats located in East Ayrshire, Scotland has actually been inspired from the Patna city of Bihar. The village in Scotland was established in 1802 by a guy called William Fullarton whose father was an employee of the East India Company. He must have really been fond of our city here because imitation is flattery after all!
4. Calcutta, West Bengal / Calcutta, Indiana, United States of America
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Calcutta, Indiana, was established in 1870 as a coal town and remains an unincorporated community till this day. Calcutta, India, needs no introduction. I guess they decided to change Calcuttas name to Kolkata so that there wouldnt be any confusion. With its unique cultural and literary traditions, Kolkata deserves a singular identity anyway!
5. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh/Lucknow, Pennsylvania, United States
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Flickr.com
With three entries already on this list, we have started to feel that the people who named cities and towns in the United States suffer from a serious lack of creativity! The unincorporated communitys name in Daughin County in Pennsylvania was also inspired from Indias Lucknow, maybe because it translates so perfectly into English or maybe they thought that asking for luck outright would actually bring them good fortune!
6. Hyderabad, Telangana/ Hyderabad, Sindh province, Pakistan
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Both these cities, be it the one in India, or the one in Pakistan have a history of empires, prosperity, wars and much more. The Indian city of Hyderabad was named in the honour of a nautch Hyder Mahal who was a favourite of the city’s founder Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. The city in Pakistan whereas, was named after prophet Mohammed’s S.I.L. Haidar Ali. What’s common between both? A royal past and a splendid fort!
7. Salem, TN/ Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Salem in India is much much much older than the Salem in USA and both of have an ancient origin. The Indian city of Salem is mentioned in the inscriptions of 1St and 2nd Century CE as Saliam whereas the US city Salem is named after the Hebrew word meaning peace. The word is also used to refer to the holy city of Jerusalem in the Bible.
8. Baroda, Gujarat/ Baroda, Michigan, USA
Image Source: Emmanuel DYAN/flickr.com
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
People of USA, please be original! This small village in Michigan was established by Michael Houser and he named this village inspired by the Indian city of Baroda. Why? May be, he really liked the Navratri celebrations, the Namkeens and the Khaman. Don’t know, just guessing!
9. Thane, MH/ Thane, Queensland, Australia
Image Source: Wikipedia.org
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Just a drive away from major cities of Australia like Gold Coast and Brisbane, Thane is a place in the state of Queensland. Located on the National Route 42, why and after whom this place was named is unknown! The most striking resemblance between both these places- they have a creek!
10. Indore, MP/ Indore, West Virginia, USA
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Looks like the cities in USA are inspired by either the names of other cities in the world or some word in Hebrew. This community in Clay County is named after a Hebrew word Endor which means spring and/or settlement. I am wondering if yummy Poha Jalebi is available in this Indore!
I think you will get suprised after reading this article. So start planning a amazing trip to these cities with same name with our smart itinerary maker.
