From Kerala to Keralam officially
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Thiruvananthapuram, August 26 : Keralam has officially been renamed Keralam, with the Union government bringing the Keralam (Alteration of Name) Act, 2026 into force from August 25. The Union Home Ministry issued a Gazette notification appointing August 25 as the date from which the provisions of the Act would take effect.
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Image source : keralatourism
The change comes shortly before Onam, Keralam’s major traditional festival, and marks the completion of a legislative process that began with a resolution passed by theKeralamLegislative Assembly in 2024.
Parliament clears name-change bill
The Keralam Assembly had passed a resolution in June 2024 requesting that the state’s official name be changed fromKeralam to Keralam, reflecting the name used in Malayalam. The state government subsequently forwarded the resolution to the Centre.
The Keralam (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 10. The Lok Sabha passed it on August 11, followed by the Rajya Sabha on August 12.
President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the legislation on August 14, turning it into the Keralam (Alteration of Name) Act, 2026. The Act provides for consequential amendments to the Constitution to replace references to Keralam with Keralam.
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A name rooted in malayalam
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the proposal was based on the fact that the state is known as Keralam in Malayalam, while the Constitution had continued to record its name as Keralam. The change therefore brings the official constitutional name in line with the name used in the state’s principal language.
The name Keralam has deep historical and linguistic associations. One explanation connects the word with coconut palms and the land, while another links it to the ancient Chera region. Historical references to the region also include the term Keralamputra in the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka.
A constitutional process
The renaming was carried out through the constitutional procedure for altering the name of a state. The legislation changes references to the state in relevant provisions and schedules of the Constitution and provides for necessary consequential amendments.
The Union Cabinet had approved the proposal in February 2026, following theKeralam Assembly’s resolution. The process subsequently moved through Parliament before receiving presidential assent.