Bhubaneswar: In a significant move aimed at preserving linguistic identity and ensuring phonetic accuracy, the Odisha government on Monday issued a notification through the Revenue & Disaster Management Department to standardise the English spellings of administrative place names across the state in alignment with Odia pronunciation.
The revised spellings will apply to districts, sub-divisions, tahasils, blocks, municipalities, NACs, and other urban local bodies. The initiative seeks to ensure that English transliterations of place names more accurately reflect their pronunciation in Odia, while also maintaining cultural and linguistic consistency.
Clarifying the scope of the decision, the government stated that the changes are strictly orthographic in nature and do not alter the actual names or identities of any administrative units. The notification emphasised that the revised spellings only replace existing English versions and should not be interpreted as renaming of places.
As part of the exercise, several place names have been standardised. For instance, “Cuttack” has been revised as “Kataka,” “Balasore” as “Baleshwar,” and “Bolangir” as “Balangir.” Similarly, Angul will be spelled as “Anugola,” Bargarh as “Baragada,” and Sundargarh as “Sundaragada.”
Angul District
Angul → Anugola
Pallahara → Palalahada
Talcher → Talacher
Balangir District
Bolangir → Balangir
Bangamunda → Bangomunda
Baleshwar (Balasore) District
Balasore → Baleshwar
Nilgiri → Nilagiri
Soro → Sora
Bargarh District
Bargarh → Baragada
Rajborasambar → Rajbodasambar
Bhadrak District
Bonth → Banta
Boudh District
Boudhgarh → Boudhagada
Cuttack District
Cuttack → Kataka
Salipur → Salepur
Baramba → Badamba
Athagarh → Athagada
Deogarh District
Deogarh → Debagada
Reamal → Riamal
Ganjam District
Berhampur → Brahmapur
Hinjilicut → Hinjilikatu
Aska → Asika
Surada → Sorada
Jajpur District
Dasarathpur → Dasharathpur
Dharmasala → Dharmashala
Jharsuguda District
Belpahar → Belpahad
Kalahandi District
Junagarh → Junagada
Dharamgarh → Dharmagada
Jaipatna → Jayapatana
Lanjigarh → Lanjigada
Bhawanipatna → Bhabanipatana
Kandhamal District
Kandhamal → Kandhamala
Kendrapara District
Kendrapara → Kendrapada
Aul → Aali
Mahakalapada → Mahakalapada
Keonjhar District
Keonjhar → Kendujhar
Barbil → Badabil
Keonjhargarh → Kendujhargada
Khordha District
Khurda → Khordha
Bolagarh → Bolagada
Banpur → Banapur
Jatni → Jatani
Koraput / Jeypore
Jeypore → Jayapur
Malkangiri District
Podia → Padia
Mayurbhanj District
Betanati → Betanati
Samakhunta → Shamakhunta
Moroda → Morada
Rasgovindpur → Rasagobindapur
Panchpir → Panchapidha
Nabarangpur District
Umerkote → Umarkot
Nayagarh District
Nayagarh → Nayagada
Daspalla → Dashapalla
Nuapada District
Khariar → Khadial
Nimapara → Nimapada
Sambalpur Region
Rairakhol → Redhakhol
Subarnapur District
Sonepur → Sonpur
Binka → Binika
Sundargarh District
Sundargarh → Sundaragada
Bonaigarh → Banaigada
Koira → Koida
Lephripara → Lephripada
Subdega → Sabdega
Bargaon → Badagan
Lahunipara → Lahunipada
Rourkela → Raurkela
The exercise covers a wide range of administrative units, including tahasils, blocks, municipalities, and NACs, and will come into effect uniformly once it is published in the Odisha Gazette.
The government further clarified that the notification does not impact jurisdictional boundaries, governance structures, or administrative functioning. It is intended solely to ensure consistency in official documentation and standardisation of English transliterations.
“The corrections effected herein relate solely to the English spellings of the concerned administrative units and shall not be construed as effecting any change in their names,” the notification stated.
The move is aimed at reinforcing Odisha’s linguistic heritage and reducing inconsistencies introduced during historical transliterations. The notification will come into force from the date of its publication in the Odisha Gazette.
