Wednesday, September 16, 2009

British origins of Indian Place-names

As a matter of curiosity, I have compiled the following list of names of cities and towns in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that are named after British colonials. I do not think that the list is complete and I am certain that a few more can be added. I have also attempted to find some information about them. I hope some lister will find his/her ancestor thus remembered.

Only names of places have been included. Names of islands, bays, mountain peaks and similar geographical features are not included, of which there are several. (Examples Duke’s Nose near Khandala, Mount Harriet in the Andamans.) Several cities have parts of them named after a British person, such as Georgetown in Allahabad. These have not been included.

The arrangement is as follows. The names are grouped according to the current states in the Indian Republic. The name of each place is followed by i) E. Longitude and N. Latitude, ii) Indian Postal Index Number or PIN, a six-digit number, iii) name of Tauka/Tehsil/District, iv) remarks about the origin of the name and v) any other information. Each name may not have all five of these. I have presented in each case whatever I have been able to glean from the Internet.

ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Aberdeenbazaar; 92.73, 11.66; 744 104. Appears to be named after Aberdeen
Austinabad; 92.75,11.63
Beadonabad; 92, 11; named after Henry Cecil Beadon, Chief Commissioner, 1920-23
Bird Line; According to the website http://www.pratt-johnson.com/Bird.htm a small village called Bird Line has come up on the outskirts of Port Blair on land once owned by Maj. A. G. Bird, Assistant to the Chief Commissioner Col. C.F. Waterfall, when the Japanese occupied the Islands during WWII. Both were taken prisoners and Maj. Bird later executed on trumped up charges. I have not been able to confirm the existence of this village through the internet.
Brooksabad; 92.75, 11.62
Cadellgunj; named after Thomas Cadell (1835 - 1919), Chief Commissioner 1878 - 92. He had received the Victoria Cross in the Siege of Delhi in the Mutiny.
Campbell Bay is a settled place, PIN 744 302. No other info.
Craikabad; named after Sir Henry Craik, a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council as Home Secretary in the late 1930s and early 1940s. ( I have found references to him in 1936, 1941 and 1943.)
Ferrargunj; named after Michael Lloyd Ferrar, Chief Commissioner, 1923 -31.
Havelock 744 211
Herbertabad; 92.62, 11.63. I could not find the source of this name. If I were to make a wild guess, I would think that this is taken from Herbert Arrot Browning, Chief Commissioner 1906-13. His last name could not be used as there already was a Browning Club in Port Blair, probably named after him.
Hobdaypur; 92.65, 11.65. The islands were completely surveyed topographically by the Indian Survey Department under Colonel Hobday in 1883-1886
Port Blair; 744 101. The principle city in the Islands. Named after Capt. Archibald Blair (? - 1815), an officer in Bombay Marines. He conducted a survey of the Islands and found a natural harbour which he named after Commodore William Cornwallis, Commander-in-Chief of the then British Indian Navy. The harbour was subsequently renamed after Capt Blair.
Wimberlygunj; 744 201. Organized form of Policing in Andaman and Nicobar Islands was established in August, 1875 with the extension of Indian Police Act of 1861 to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Capt. Wimberly was appointed as the first District Superintendent of Police.

ANDHRA PRADESH
Horsley Hills; 78.88, 17.90; 517 329. A small hill station in The Chittoor District. W.D. Horsley, Collector of the Cuddapa District in the 1860s thought of this place as a summer retreat and built a bungalow there.

ASSAM
Margherita; 95.68, 27.28; 786 181. Construction of the Railway Line passing through this town was supervised by Italian engineers in the 1880s. They named this place after the Queen Margherita of Italy, Consort of King Umbarto I.

BIHAR
Forbesganj; 87.25, 26.30; 854 318; District. Araria. No other information available.

HARYANA

Ellenabad; 74.54 29.26; 125 102; Located in District Sirsa. No other information available.

HIMCHAL PRADESH
Dalhousie; 75.98, 32.53; 176 304; District Chamba. A hill station named after Lord Dalhousie (G.G. 1848 –1856) in 1854.
 
JHARKHAND
Daltonganj; 84.06, 24.03; 822 101. HQ of District Palamau. Named after Col. Edward Tuite Dalton (1815 – 1880), Anthropologist and Commissioner of Chhota Nagpur in 1861. He wrote ‘Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal’.
Lesliegan; 84.22, 24.05; 822 118; District Palamau. No other information available.

KARNATAKA
Closepet (now known as Ramanagaram) 77.12, 12.40; 571 511. 30 miles southwest of Bangalore. Founded 1800 by Dewan Puraiya of Mysore and named after Sir Barry Close, British Resident at the Peshwa Court, Poona and later at Mysore.
Dobbspet (or Dobespet according to the website of Indiapost); 77.24, 13.23; 562 111. On the Bangalore Tumkur Road. No other information available.
Riponpet (or Ripponpete according to the website of Indiapost); 75.26, 13.98; 577 426; Hosanagar Taluk, Dist Shimoga. Perhaps named after Lord Ripon. No other information available.
Robertsonpet; 78.28, 12.97; 563 122; District Kolar, in the Kolar Gold Field. Founded August 15, 1903 and named after Sir Donald Robertson, late Resident at Mysore.

MADHYA PRADESH
Sleemanabad; 483 440; Tehsil Siroha, Dist. Raipur. 50 miles north of Jabalpur on the rail line towards Howrah. Named after ‘Thugee’ Sleeman. The following stories, picked from a website are interesting. (I do not know how apocryphal or true they are.)  It is also said that Col. Sleeman installed a bell in the temple and desired that expenses for keeping a lamp burning in the temple continuously should be borne by his descendents. The practice is continuing till this day and every ten years one of his descendents makes a visit to the temple to ensure that Sleeman’s wishes are honored.
 
MAHARASHTRA
Malcolmpet: Named after Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay, 1827-30.  He established a sanatorium there in 1828 because he found its weather very salubrious.  Now a street in the hill-station of Mahabaleshwar.

TAMIL NADU
Campbellabad; 628 614. No other information available.
Wellington; 643 231. A well-known place in the Nilgiris, named after the Duke. The Regimental Center of the Madras Regiment and the Defence Sevices Staff College are located here.

UTTAR PRADESH
Brigdemanganj; 83.22, 27.20; 273 157. Named after J.H.Bridgeman who received a forest grant here in 1833.
Campierganj; 83.28, 27.03; Tehsil Pharenda, District Gorakhpur. No other information available.

Captainganj; 82.58, 26.75; 274 301; District Padrauna. No other information available.
Captainganj; 83.71, 26.92; 272 131; District Basti. No other information available.
Colonelganj; 81.70, 27.13; 271 308; District Gonda. A halt on the Lucknow-Gonda Railway line. No other information available.
Drummondsganj; 84,22; No other information available.
Robertsganj; 83.06, 24.70; 231 216; District Sonbhadra. Location of Jivan-Jyoti Christian Hospital. No other information available.

UTTARANCHAL PRADESH

Lansdowne; 78.68, 29.83; 274 502; Named after Lord Lansdowne, Viceroy 1888-95; Regimental Center of the Garhwal Rifles.
Herbertpur; 77.73, 30.45; 248 142; District Dehra Dun; well known for a hospital run by Missionaries.

WEST BENGAL

Burnpur; 80,23; 713 325, Location of the Indian Iron and Steel Company.
Canning Town; 88.67, 22.32; 743 329; District 24 Parganas (South); HQ of the Sundarbans Tiger Project. Apparently named after ‘Clemency’ Canning, GG.
Doyet Bazar; 741 164; No other information available.

PAKISTAN

Abbottabad; HQ of the Hazara District; Named after Maj. John Abbott, its first Deputy Commissioner, 1849-53.
Campbellpur; renamed Attock City; No other information available.
Fort Sandemann; renamed Zhob; Location of the Pakistan Military Academy.
Jacobabad; Founded by Gen. John Jacob, Commander of the Sind Horse in 1847, he was also its first Deputy Commissioner. He died here 1858. Had the reputation of being the hottest place in undivided India.
Lyallpur; 104,29; renamed Faisalabad, originally named after Sir James Lyall, a Lt Governor of NWFP.
Montgomery; No other information available.

BANGLADESH
Cox’s Bazar; The town is named after Lieutenant Cox, who died here in 1798 after he had established a colony of the Mogh, who sought shelter in the British territory after the conquest of Arakan by the Burmese. Two thirds of the population of the town are descendants of these refugees.
Charfasson; Bhola District; ‘Char’ is an accumulation of silt in the delta, which creates new land. This char was named after J.H.Fashion, District Magistrate of Bakerganj (Bakarganj?) 1885-87.




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