The Union Cabinet has approved the Kerala government’s proposal to rename the state from Kerala to Keralam. The decision follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on June 24, 2024, after earlier technical objections were raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayanhad urged the Centre to amend the Constitution under Article 3 to reflect the name ‘Keralam’ — the state’s name in Malayalam — in the First Schedule and across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. The move comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The President will now refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala Legislative Assembly to express its views, under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India, a government statement said. Once these views are received, the Union government will take further action obtain the President’s recommendation to introduce the name change legislation in Parliament.
In 2023 and 2024 the Kerala Assembly had passed the resolution regarding it and urged the Union government to amend the Constitution and change the state’s name from Kerala to Keralam. Both resolutions were moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
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Origins of the name
There are multiple theories about the origin of the name “Kerala”. The earliest epigraphic reference is found in Rock Edict II of Ashoka, dated to 257 BCE, which mentions “Keralaputra” (Sanskrit for “son of Kerala”), also interpreted as a reference to the Chera dynasty.
Some scholars trace Keralam to Cheram. German scholar Herman Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary, noted that keram is the Kannada form of cheram and described Keralam as Cheram, the region between Gokarnam and Kanyakumari. The root “cher” is understood to mean “to join”, and appears in the compound “Cheralam”, with “alam” meaning land or region. (Credit: The Indian Express)
The demand for a unified Kerala
Malayalam-speaking regions were historically ruled by various kings and princely states. The Aikya (unified) Kerala movement gathered momentum in the 1920s, demanding a separate state for Malayalam-speaking people by integrating Malabar, Kochi and Travancore.
Inspired by the freedom movement, Malayalis — bound by a shared language, cultural traditions, and social customs — pressed for political unification.
Following Independence, the integration of princely states paved the way for statehood. On July 1, 1949, Travancore and Kochi merged to form the Travancore-Cochin state. When the Union government decided to reorganise states on linguistic lines, the State Reorganisation Commission, headed by Syed Fazl Ali, recommended the creation of Kerala by including the Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk, while excluding the southern taluks of Travancore that now form part of Tamil Nadu. (Credit: The Indian Express)
Process for renaming a state
Changing in the name of a state requires a Constitutional amendment. It requires a proposal from the state government. The request is examined by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). MHA seeks No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from different agencies such as the Ministry of Railways, the Intelligence Bureau, the Department of Posts, Survey of India, and the Registrar General of India. If cleared, the proposal is introduced in Parliament as a Bill. Once passed and notified, the new name comes into effect.
In 2018 proposal to rename West Bengal as Bangla was not cleared after the Ministry of External Affairs raised concerns about its similarity with Bangladesh. (Credit: The Indian Express)