Mangaluru to Bengaluru ¦Names of 12 Karnataka cities changed

Bangalore, Oct 17: The Centre approved the Karnataka government's proposal to rename Belgaum as Belagavi on Friday.

Along with it, eleven other cities have also undergone a name change.

Bangalore Bengaluru, Mangalore -Mangaluru, Bellary-Ballary, Bijapur-Vijaypura/Vijapura, Chikamagalur-Chikkamagaluru, Gulbarga-Kalaburagi, Mysore-Mysuru, Hospet-Hosapete, Shimoga - Shivamogga, Hubli-Hubballi and Tumkur-Tumakuru.

The change of names is in consonance with their pronunciation in Kannada.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced recently that the names of key cities would be changed to reflect their native cultural flavour.

The renaming of Belgaum to Belagavi to assert its Kannada roots was seen as a controversial given the border dispute with Maharashtra.

The proposal to change Belgaum's name had been pending since October 27, 2006.