Jab history meets geography

As a kid I was always obsessed with stories about Indian mythology. Nobody can dispute the fact that India has a very rich and diverse ancient history which is evident in its vast repertoire of temples and archaeological sites and items. That kind of set me off on a search for various ancient cities that flourished in medieval period of Indian history. These cities have successfully progressed into important cities of modern India. I bet one of these is surely going to surprise you. 

Ancient Cities Part 1

Patna - The original name of Patna was Pataliputra or Patalipattan and its history makes a start from the century 600 B.C. The name Patna has undergone many changes at its earliest stages like Pataligram, Kusumpur, Patliputra, Azimabad etc., ultimately terminating to the present one. Ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadh Empire through Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta and Pala dynasties.

Delhi -The history of the city is as old as the epic Mahabharata. The town was known as Indraprastha, where Pandavas ruled Bharata.

Gwalior - According to some historians Gopalkaksh is Gopadri or Gopagiri, the old name of Gwalior. In the late period of 2nd century this city came under the influence of the Nagvans Clan.

Indore - This city was named Indrapur after Lord Indreshwar, and eventually came to be known as Indore. 

Kannauj - It is one among the most ancient place of India having rich archeological and cultural heritage, The ancient name of this place is Kanyakubja or Mahodya (as per Balmiki Ramayana, Mahabharat and Puran) later name kanyakubja was changed as Kannauj the present name of the District.

Varanasi -  Situated on the west bank of the Ganges, Varanasi (Benares) is an important holy city for both Hindus and Buddhists. According to legend, it was founded by the Hindu deity Lord Shiva 5,000 years ago, though modern scholars believe it to be around 3,000 years old. The original name of Varanasi was 'Kashi,' derived from the word kasha meaning brightness.

Ujjain - In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini. As per epic Mahabharata Ujjayani was the capital of Avanti Kingdom.

Bharuch- It is the oldest city of Gujarat. It is also the second-oldest city of India having continuous habitation, first being Kashi (Varanasi). Bharuch has a known history for about 8000 years. Bharuch derives its name from the great sage Bhrigu. The original name of Bharuch is 'Bhrigukachchha'. 

Ayodhya-  The older name in English was "Oudh" or "Oude", and the princely state it was the capital of until 1856. Ayodhya was stated to be the capital of the ancient Kosala kingdom in the Ramayana. Hence it was also referred to as "Kosala". Ayodhya, also known as Saket, is an ancient city of India, is the birthplace of Bhagwan Shri Ram. Also known as Awadh.

Kishkinda-kshetra - Hampi customarily known as Kishkinda-kshetra, Pampa-kshetra or Bhaskara-kshetra is obtained from Pampa, an old name of the River Tungabhadra. Possibly linked to Legendary city of Kishikindha, city of Hanuman. 

Bhubaneswar - Historically Bhubaneswar has been known by different names such as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Nagar Kalinga, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Kshetra and Mandira Malini Nagari (City of Temples) otherwise known as the Temple City of India. 

Agra - The earliest reference for Agra comes from the epical age, when Mahabharata refer Agra as Agravana. In the sources prior to this, Agra has been referred as Arya Griha or the abode of the Aryans. The first person who referred Agra by its modern name was Ptolemy.

Ajmer - It was originally known as Ajayameru. The city was founded by an 11th-century Chahamana king Ajaydeva.

Merut  - The ancient name of Meerut was Hastinapur. After the archaeological excavations at Vidura-ka-tila, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura, in 1950–52, a site 37 km (23 miles) north-east of Meerut, it was concluded to be remains of the legendary ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata, which was washed away by Ganges.

Amritsar - Colloquially known as Ambarsar and historically known as Ramdaspur is located in the Punjab state of India. It derives its name from Amrit Sarovar which was built by Guru Ram Das in the village of Tung.

Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh - According to legend, Sultanpur from Pakistan was originally called Kusapura or Kusabhawanpur after its founder Kusa, the son of Rama. This was identified with the Kusapura mentioned by Xuanzang, who said that Gautama Buddha taught here for six months and that it had a stupa built at the time of Ashoka which was then in disrepair.

Mulasthana - According to Hindu tradition the ancient name of Multan, Pakistan was Mulasthana and the town was built by the Aryan king Kashyap. After Hiranyakashipu, his son Prahalad succeeded the throne and the town was then named after him as Prahaladpuri.

Guwahati- In ancient texts, Guwahati is referred to as the city of Pragyjyotishpura. The name Guwahati is derived from the word ‘Guwa’ which means ‘areca nut’ and ‘haat’ (market). The city changed it anglicised name to Guwahati in 1983.

Quetta, also spelled Kwatah, city, district, and division of Balochistan province, Pakistan. The name is a variation of kwatkot, a Pashto word meaning “fort,” and the city is still locally known by its ancient name of Shāl or Shālkot.

Mysore is derived from the word ‘mahishuru’. The term means ‘Buffalo’ in Sanskrit and ‘Mahishasur’ (demon) in Kannada, who could shape-shift into a buffalo as well as human. The place is well known for the sweet dish Mysore Pak and silk sarees. According to Hindu mythology, the area was ruled by Mahishasur until Goddess Chamundeshwari killed him. 

Thrissur was also known as "Vrishabhadripuram" (Kailasam of the South) in ancient days.

Daulatabad - Devagiri or Daulatabad Fort. Built in the 12th century by the Yadava Dynasty, this fort city resides on the Hill of Gods or Devagiri in Marathi, hence the original name of Devagiri Fort.

Gorakhpur - The name "Gorakhpur" comes from the Sanskrit Gorakshapuram, which means abode of Gorakhnath, a renowned ascetic who was a prominent saint of the Nath Sampradaya.

Peshawar - Once the capital of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara, the city was known variously as Parasawara and Purusapura (town, or abode, of Purusa); it was also called Begram. The present name, Peshawar (pesh awar, “frontier town”), is ascribed to Akbar, the Mughal emperor of India (1556–1605).

Zaheerabad - It is also called as Dakshina Kasi. Due to historical and religious importance, the people from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (Telangana areas) visit the temple and pay homage to Lord, and perform Gunda Pooja. It is also said that Brahma after creating the world came to the spot for meditation.

Humnabad in Karnataka was previously called Jayasingapura. The fort was built by Chalukya (of Kalyana) king Jayasimha.

Ahmedabad- The area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval. At that time, Karna, the Chaulukya (Solanki) ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval, and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati.

The list is endless. It is said that whole of southeast Asia was covered under many  Hindu empires once. So even many cities in Southeast Asia have Hindu heritage. I'll try to cover as many as possible in my next piece. 

Source - Wikipedia & Google