The name "Kolkatā" (and the anglicised name "Calcutta") has its roots in
Kalikatā, one of the three villages (
Kalikatā,
Sutanuti,
Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British.
[9] "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of
Kalikshetra (
Bengali:
কালীক্ষেত্র,
Kalikkhetro) literally meaning "Land of [the goddess]
Kāli". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term
kilkilā ("flat area").
[10] The name may have its origin in
khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by
katta (which may mean dug).
[11] There is another theory that the place used to specialise in
quicklime (
kali chun) and coir rope (
kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
[12]
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local
language, the anglicised version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation.
[13] This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC
[14] and The New York Times
[15] use Kolkata.
