Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to preserve Odia linguistic heritage and cultural identity, the Odisha government on Monday officially modified the English spellings of several districts, sub-divisions, tehsils, blocks and urban local bodies across the state.
A notification issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department released the changes to the colonial-era distorted English spellings for 64 locations across 26 districts.
Notably, the state Cabinet had earlier this month approved these corrections as several places in the state continued to be officially recorded with anglicised or misspelt names that do not align with Odia pronunciation and etymology. Examples include “Aul” instead of the original “Aali” and “Balasore” for “Baleshwar”.
As per the official notification, the most notable changes include Cuttack being officially spelt as “Kataka” and Rourkela as “Raurkela”. Other district headquarters and major towns have also undergone spelling revisions based on Odia pronunciation.
The government stated that the decision seeks to preserve Odisha’s linguistic and cultural identity by aligning English spellings with Odia phonetics. The notification directs that existing English spellings listed in the official schedule will be corrected and substituted with new standardised versions, effective from the date of publication in the Odisha Gazette.
Officials clarified that the corrections apply only to English spellings and do not alter the actual names of administrative units. The move aims to ensure uniformity across official documents, maps, and communication channels while maintaining the phonetic integrity of Odia names.
Following are the changes in spellings of places:
Angul → Anugola
Pallahara → Palalahada
Talcher → Talacher
Bolangir → Balangir
Bangamunda → Bangomunda
Balasore → Baleshwar
Nilgiri → Nilagiri
Soro → Sora
Bargarh → Baragada
Rajborasambar → Rajbodasambar
Bonth → Banta
Boudhgarh → Boudhagada
Cuttack → Kataka
Salipur → Salepur
Baramba → Badamba
Athagarh → Athagada
Deogarh → Debagada
Reamal → Riamal
Berhampur → Brahmapur
Hinjilicut → Hinjilikatu
Aska → Asika
Surada → Sorada
Dasarathpur → Dasharathpur
Dharmasala → Dharmashala
Belpahar → Belpahad
Junagarh → Junagada
Dharamgarh → Dharmagada
Jaipatna → Jayapatana
Lanjigarh → Lanjigada
Bhawanipatna → Bhabanipatana
Kandhamal / Khondmal → Kandhamala
Kendrapara → Kendrapada
Aul → Aali
Mahakalapara → Mahakalapada
Keonjhar → Kendujhar
Barbil → Badabil
Keonjhargarh → Kendujhargada
Khurda → Khordha
Bolagarh → Bolagada
Banpur → Banapur
Jatni → Jatani
Jeypore → Jayapur
Podia → Padia
Betnoti → Betanati
Samakhunta → Shamakhunta
Moroda → Morada
Rasgovindpur → Rasagobindapur
Panchpir → Panchapidha
Umerkote → Umarkot
Nayagarh → Nayagada
Daspalla → Dashapalla
Khariar → Khadial
Nimapara → Nimapada
Rairakhol → Redhakhol
Sonepur → Sonpur
Binka → Binika
Sundargarh → Sundaragada
Bonaigarh → Banaigada
Koira → Koida
Lephripara → Lephripada
Subdega → Sabdega
Bargaon → Badagan
Lahunipara → Lahunipada
Rourkela → Raurkela
