Calcutta vs. Kolkata: Same City, Two Names

Yes, Calcutta and Kolkata are the same city—the capital of West Bengal, India. The difference is purely orthographic and political.

Name Change

• Calcutta: Anglicized spelling used during British rule (1690–1947) and continued post-independence.
• Kolkata: Bengali pronunciation (Kôlkata), officially adopted January 1, 2001 by the West Bengal government to reflect the native name and shed colonial spelling.

Etymology

Derived from Kalikata — possibly from:

• Kali-kṣetra ("Ground of Kali" — goddess)
• Khal-kata ("dug canal")
• Kil-kata ("quick market")
• Or the village names Kalikata, Gobindapur, Sutanuti that merged.

Usage Today

• Official (India): Kolkata — government, maps, signage, Indian media.
• International English: Calcutta still widely used (BBC, NYT, airlines, many Indians abroad).
• Institutions: Many retain "Calcutta" — University of Calcutta, Calcutta High Court, Calcutta Stock Exchange, Calcutta Port Trust — due to history/brand.

Other Indian Renamings

Part of a wave: Bombay → Mumbai (1995), Madras → Chennai (1996), Bangalore → Bengaluru (2014), etc. Kolkata's change was later and less universally adopted globally.

Whether you call it Calcutta or Kolkata, it's the same vibrant, chaotic, intellectual, cultural megacity on the Hooghly.