50 Indian cities named after Devi or Goddess | IndiaTales

Indian Cities named after Devi is the result of a random quiz that was posted on IndiTales FB Page and Twitter Handle. When we posted the quiz, I could think of 5 cities that were named after Devi. I put the 3 most obvious ones and asked for more.

I had no idea that the response would take me to so many cities. Some were obvious, Like Ambala, but I never noticed the connection. Others like Meerjapur that we often confuse as Mirzapur, led to some questions with some delightful answers.

When I sat down to compile the list from Twitter and FB, it looked like the whole India had an imprint of Devi on it. She is present through her shrines. We, of course, know of her 51 Shaktipeethas that are present across the length and breadth of Indian sub-continent. However, none of these cities were named after those Shaktipeethas. So, if you add those 51 places and place them on the map of India, you would see how dominant the Shakti is.

A couple of cities came from outside the current political boundaries of India. Can you believe the capital of Bangladesh – Dhaka gets its names from a Goddess – Dakineshwari Devi.

Personally, it was a sheer revelation to know about all these Indian cities that get their name from the name of a Devi. Each city has the temple of the Devi they are named after. I wanted to have the pictures of all these temples, but that would take some time. So, sharing the list as it is.

You can help us build this post by sharing images of the temples mentioned here:

List of Indian Cities Named Devi

1. Mumbai (Maharashtra) – Mumba Devi or Maha-Amba Devi – the patron goddess of Koli community.

2. Chandigarh (Chandigarh)– Chandi Devi

3. Mangalore (Karnataka) – Mangla Devi

4. Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)– Shyamala Devi

5. Kolkata (West Bengal) – Kali Devi

6. Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) – Kanyakumari

7. Tuljapur (Maharashtra) – Tulja Bhawani

8. Tripura (Tripura) – Tripur Sundari

9. Hassan (Karnataka) – Hassanambe

10. Ambejogai (Maharashtra) – Amba Jogeshwari

11. Mysuru (Karnataka) – Mahishasurmardini

12. Ambala (Haryana) – Bhawani Amba Devi

13. Durgapur (West Bengal) – Durga

14. Nainital (Uttarakhand) – Naini Devi

15. Patna (Bihar) – Paatan Devi

16. Kiriteshwar (West Bengal) – Kiriteshwari Devi

17. Bhaucharji (Gujarat) – Bahuchar Mata

18. Sri Nagar (Jammu & Kashmir) – Sri Devi or Lakshmi Devi. It is also Sri Chakra manifesting itself at Sharika Devi Peeth on Hari Parvat.

19. Jind (Haryana) – Jayanti Devi – Jaintapuri – believed to be setup by Pandavas

20. Ambaji (Gujarat) – Amba Devi

21. Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh) – Vijay Durga or Kanak Durga

22. Sambalpur (Odisha) – Samalai Devi / Samleshwari

23. Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) – Danteshwari

24. Kalka (Haryana) – Kalika Devi

25. Solan (Himachal Pradesh) – Shoolini Devi

26. Ambikapur (Chhatissgarh) – Ambika Devi

27. Ara (Bihar) – Aranya Devi

28. Meerjapur (Uttar Pradesh) – Lakshmi Meerja means born from ocean, which is Laxmi.

29. Cuttak (Odisha) – Katak Chandi

30. Bhadrak (Odisha) – Bhandrakali

31. Sambhar (Rajasthan) – Shakambari Devi – You might remember Sambhar Salt Lake – it is the same town.

32. Tarapith (West Bengal) – Ma Tara

33. Kolar – Kolaramma Devi

34. Mt Abu – Arbuda Devi Temple, Arbudaranya

35. Chotila (Gujarat) – Chamunda Devi

36. Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) – Dewas comes from Devi Vaas after Devi, On Vaishini Hill there are three Devi Temples Tulja Bhawani, Chandika, Kalika

37. Chandipur (Odisha) – Bhudara Chandi Devi

38. Sitamarhi (Bihar) – Janki Devi – the birthplace of Sita

39. Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) – Vaishakha – this temple is now believed to be submerged in sea

40. Vallikavu (Kollam, Kerala) – Sri Valli Devi

41. Dhaka (Bangladesh) – Dakineshwari Devi or Dhakeshwari Devi – Internet tells me that this is the National Temple of Bangladesh.

42. Chittagong (Bangladesh) – Chhateshwari Devi. Chittagong was also known as Chhatagram

Names I do not have confirmation on:

1. Tarapur (?) – Should be named after Ma Tara, but I could not find the reference.
2. Amdavad (Gujarat) – Ahmedabad was once known as Ashaval, Karnavati, Rajnagar, and Srinagar or Shripur. Would the last name come from the association of Devi? Are there any temples dedicated to Sri or Laxmi?
3. Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) – Kangra Devi also known as Vrajeshwari Devi.
4. Colaba in Mumbai – Kalbadevi.
5. Sitabhengra (Chhattisgarh) – It is a cave, not sure if it is a city.
6. Delhi – Was once known as Yoginipura. There is one surviving Yogini temple – Yogmaya.
7. Kolhapur (Maharashtra) – Kollamma Devi.
8. Ambattur (Tamil Nadu) – Named after 51^st Shakti Peetha of Devi, Goddess worshipped here is Vaishnavi.

You may not recognize the names of some of the Devis mentioned in this list. Remember, these may be the Gram Devi’s or local deities.

Do you know of any other cities named after Devi or a Goddess? Please do let us know in the comments below and we will add it to the list.