Odisha’s move to preserve Odia language: 24 places may see name changes

The Odisha government has proposed changing the English spellings of 24 places , including several districts, to better reflect their pronunciation in the Odia language , according to a notification issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Department .

The department, in a notice issued on Wednesday, has invited objections and suggestions from the public regarding the proposed changes. "All stakeholders likely to be affected by the proposed changes are hereby invited to submit their objections or suggestions, if any, in writing, along with supporting documents, to the undersigned within 15 days from the date of publication of this Public Notice," the notification stated.

The notice clarified that late submissions will not be entertained . It further added that if no objections are received within the prescribed period, it will be presumed that the public has no objections, and the government may proceed with the changes as per law.

This initiative follows the earlier renaming of the state from " Orissa " to " Odisha " in 2011, along with the change in the state’s language spelling from " Oriya " to " Odia ," aligning official English spellings with the Odia script .

Among the proposed changes, Khurda district is suggested to be renamed as " Khoradha ." Other districts are also proposed to have their spellings revised, including Balasore to Baleshwar, Keonjhar to Kendujhar, Khondmal to Kandhamal, Deogarh to Debagarh, Angul to Anugol, Nayagarh to Nayagada, and Kendrapara to Kendrapada.

Changing English spellings to match local pronunciation is not uncommon in India . Several states have carried out similar initiatives in the past. Mumbai , formerly Bombay , was officially renamed in 1995; Chennai , previously Madras , was renamed in 1996; and Kolkata , earlier Calcutta , was updated in 2001. These changes were aimed at preserving local heritage and ensuring that official records reflect authentic regional pronunciations .

The R&DM department’s initiative is seen as part of a broader effort to standardize spellings, preserve linguistic identity , and ensure that administrative and official records accurately reflect the Odia language and culture . Once approved and published in the official gazette , the revised spellings will become final and legally binding , with all government records and documents updated accordingly.