Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the English spellings of names of several districts, district headquarters, sub-divisions, tehsils and blocks, aiming to align them more closely with their original Odia pronunciation and linguistic roots.
The Revenue and Disaster Management Department issued a notification on Wednesday outlining the proposed changes, which cover 58 places across 23 districts. Of these, 13 pertain to districts or district headquarters towns.
The move is part of a broader effort to restore the phonetic integrity of Odia place names that were anglicised over time. Officials said the revised spellings are intended to reflect more accurate transliteration from Odia to English.
The proposals were finalised following a review by a committee headed by noted litterateur Pratibha Ray, which examined suggestions received from the public, people’s representatives and various organisations. The state government had earlier invited inputs from stakeholders before initiating the exercise.
The government has now sought objections and suggestions from the public within 30 days of the notification. Feedback can be submitted via post or email to the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
Among the key proposed changes are: Angul to Anugola, Balasore to Baleshwar, Bargarh to Baragada, Cuttack to Kataka, Deogarh to Debagada, Berhampur to Brahmapur, Khurda to Khordha, Keonjhar to Kendujhar, Bhawanipatna to Bhabanipatana, Jeypore to Jayapur, Sundargarh to Sundaragada and Nayagarh to Nayagad, among others.
Other revisions include changes to sub-divisions and blocks such as Athagarh to Athagada, Salipur to Salepur, Dasarathpur to Dasharathpur, Dharamgarh to Dharmagada, Jaipatna to Jayapatana, Lanjigarh to Lanjigada, Aul to Aali, Mahakalapara to Mahakalapada, Jatni to Jatani, Betnoti to Betanati, Rasgovindpur to Rasagobindapur, Daspalla to Dashapalla, and Bonaigarh to Bonaigada.
Officials said the initiative reflects a cultural and linguistic assertion, ensuring that official records and communication better represent Odisha’s heritage.
