Cochinchina
For a few centuries before independence, a part of southern Vietnam was called Cochinchina. It was so named by 16th century Portuguese traders to distinguish its Malay name, Kuchi, from their Indian base in Cochin/Kochi in Kerala.
name
Did you know?
Shah Rukh
Timur / Tamerlane / Timur the Lame, founder of the Timurid dynasty and decimator of 5% of the world's population had a son named Shah Rukh.
Rabindranath Thakur Banerjee
Rabindranath Tagore's family name was actually Banerjee. Being Brahmins, the Tagore family's ancestors were referred to as 'Thakurmashai' or 'Holy Sir'. During the British rule, this name stuck and they began to be recognised as Thakur and eventually the family name got anglicised to Tagore.
Uranus
Some Indian languages have chosen to name the planet Uranus, Prajapati, after the Hindu/Vedic Creator persona. Some prefer the term Harshal, an Indianisation of Herschel. Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781 and named after the Greek god of the sky, father of the Titans, and grandfather of the Greek pantheon.
Neptune
Some Indian languages have chosen to name the planet Neptune, Varun, after the Hindu/Vedic god of water/rain/ocean. Neptune was discovered in 1846 and named after the Roman god of the sea.
Pluto
Many Indian languages have chosen to name the "planet" Pluto, Yama, after the Hindu god of death. Pluto was discovered in 1930 and named after the Greek god of the underworld/afterlife.
Poona Badminton
Badminton has its beginnings in 18th century India. The game was initially known as Poona as it was particularly popular in that British garrison town.
Spelling of Hiuen Tsang
While most Indian school history books spell the 7th-century Chinese traveller's name as Hiuen Tsang, the more commonly used romanisations around the world are Xuanzang or Hsüan-tsang.
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 5
- next ›