Pur (placename element)

Pur is a placename element found in the names of cities in the Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Bangladesh and the eastern regions of Pakistan. Examples include the cities of Jaipur and Nagpur.

With the Indianization of Southeast Asia and the spread of Hinduism there, specially in the Indosphere, the term pura also means temple (abode of god), e.g. Balinese pura. Other English place name variations include the suffixes -pore e.g. Singapore, -puri e.g. Jagannathpuri and -puram e.g. Kanchipuram.

Pur and pura

Pur and pura are suffixes meaning "city" or "settlement", used in several place names across the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan and Iran. The word pura is the oldest Sanskrit language word for "city", finds frequent mention in the Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism. However, in later Vedic literature it also means "fortress" or "rampart". These days pura is often used for a mohalla (neighbourhood).[1] In Balinese Hinduism, the temple for worship is known as a pura.

Pur

Bangladesh

Sylhet Division

India

Pakistan

Nepal

Other

Pura
See also: Pura (Balinese temple)

Puram

As Malayalam is rich with words brought from Sanskrit, many place names in the Malayalam-speaking state of India, Kerala, end with -puram. Below in Palakkad District are some of the most prominent.

Puri

Pore

See also

References
  1. Tej Ram Sharma (1978). Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions. Concept Publishing Co., Delhi. pp. 224–225.
  • Rau Wilhelm 1976 The Meaning of pur in Vedic Literature; Mϋnchen, W Finck.
  • Vedic Index (1912), 2 vols 1995 edition, by A. A. Macdonell and A. B. Keith: M Banarsidass, Delhi.
  • Kazanas, Nicholas: Rig Vedic Pur, 2004
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.