How Kazhakstan got its name.

There are at least 4 theories floating around to explain how Kazhakstan got its name:

a) It comes from the Turkish verb qaz (to wander), because the Kazakhs were wandering steppemen
b) It derives from the Mongol word khasaq (a wheeled cart used by the Kazakhs to transport their yurts and belongings).
c) The name came from the popular Kazakh legend of the white goose (qaz means "goose", aq means "white").[18][19] In this creation myth, a white steppe goose turned into a princess, who in turn gave birth to the first Kazakh.
d) Another theory on the origin of the word Kazakh (originally Qazaq) is that it comes from the ancient Turkic word qazğaq, first mentioned on the 8th century Turkic monument of Uyuk-Turan. According to the notable Turkic linguist Vasily Radlov and the orientalist Veniamin Yudin, the noun qazğaq derives from the same root as the verb qazğan ("to obtain", "to gain"). Therefore, qazğaq defines a type of person who seeks profit and gain.

I have a new theory. My view is, Kazhakstan has a Sanskrit root. Derived from Kashak-stan. Kashak is the sanskrit word for grass. The grassy terrain of the great Kazhak steppe might have been the trigger for Indic nomads to give this name. I shall present more evidence in the coming days.

How Brazil got its name.

Most of the theories on Brazil's etymology are fairly muddled. Wikipedia says, "Traditionally, the word "Brazil" comes from brazilwood, a timber tree that many sailors traded from Brazilian regions to Europe in the 16th century.[18] In Portuguese brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).This theory is taught as official in schools of Brazil and Portugal." Somehow it's deeply unsatisfying. I am of the view that the tree is not distinctive enough to justify naming an entire region after it. Clearly, there's a need for an alternate theory. This is where Sanskrit can help. Bri/Bru, as we now know, means hill. And Shil or Shila means rock. What would you call a place where the terrain is predominantly rocky? Brushil, right? And that's how Brazil was born.

How Brian got his name.

Brian is of Celtic origin. Behindthename suggests that it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning hill. Now the Celts have an ancient Indian connect. Many of their words and customs are Proto-Indo-European in nature. Just like Bre in Celtic, the Bri in Sanskrit also means hill. So it is highly possible that Brian was derived from the Sanskrit Brihan which means 'hill-like' or 'as big as a hill' or by extension 'great'. This aspect of Brihan is what, we in India, are aware of, today. Brihan Mumbai for example, means Greater Mumbai. If Brihan Mumbai were a Celtic town, it would have been Brian Mumbai!

How Reykjavik got its name.

Wikipedia has offered a rather contrived origin for Reykjavik. It goes like this: "The first permanent settlement in Iceland by Norsemen is believed to have been established in Reykjavík by Ingólfur Arnarson around AD 870; this is described in Landnámabók, or the Book of Settlement. Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have decided the location of his settlement using a traditional Viking method; by casting his high seat pillars (Öndvegissúlur) into the ocean when he saw the coastline, then settled where the pillars came to shore. Steam from hot springs in the region is said to have inspired Reykjavík's name, which loosely translates to Smoke Cove (the city is often referred to as the Bay of Smokes or Bay of Smoke)." There's no mention of the language in which smoke cove is reykjavik. Since the mind tends to associate hot springs with the place, somehow the explanation seems credible. But is it?
One look at the google map of iceland is enough to convince any Indian with a passing knowledge of Sanskrit, that most names seem to be of an indic origin. So why shouldn't Reykjavik have a Sanskrit root? Why can't it be derived from Rig Gyaanik (one who knows the rig veda) or Rig Avik (the fort of Rig Veda)? This seems highly possible as the icelandic edda is supposed to be the equivalent of the veda. Seeing this entire episode in the context of Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Arctic origin of the Vedas, I am almost tempted to ask myself: Was Reykyavik the home of the Vedas?

How Eindhoven, Antwerp & Rotterdam got their names.

Wikipedia says: "The name Eindhoven derives from the contraction of the regional words eind (meaning last or end) and hove (or hoeve; a section of some 14 hectares of land)." I think the name may have a vedic connect. The sixth descendant of Puru was Raudrasva. He had ten sons. Vaneyu was the last. Vaneyu (one from the forest) sounds suspiciously close to slavic deity vanja/vanya. Considering that the proto-indo-european language is said to have emerged from the Nordic regions, it is highly possible that Eindhoven is a nod to the last son of Raudra named Vanya. Incidentally, Vanya's elder brother is Varpeyu. The 'werp' in Antwerp may have something to do with Varpeyu. If so, then Ant must be a legacy of the Sanskrit Anth (meaning final, last or end)? But then, this poses a complication. If Antwerp = Anth Varpa = Land of the last son Varpeyu. And if Eindhoven = Antho Vanya = Land of the last son Vanya. Then clearly there must have been a confusion as to who was the last son. Now for all of this to have been true, Raudra must have been a great figure in Netherlands. We have evidence for this. Rotterdam is but Raudra-Dham!

How Tanganyika got its name.

Conventional wisdom says Tanganyika is derived from Swahili for 'sail'. I have another theory. Tanganyika has a very Tamil sound. And it feels like it must have been formed from 'Thanga Neekka' or 'Where gold is removed'. It's highly possible that Tamil explorers discovered gold deposits near the lake and concentrated their energies on neekifying thangam or mining out gold. So the waterway to the gold deposits became Thanga-neeka and over a period of time it morphed into the Swahili Tanganyika.

And why do I feel this is credible? Ancient Tamils did a lot of trading with East Africa. And evidence is fast emerging that much of South India's gold came from Africa. Also, Tanzania is the third big gold producer of Africa.

How Aswan got its name.

Egypt's third largest city is said to be have been derived from the Egyptian word 'Swen' which means 'the market'. Somehow this doesn't strike a chord with me. Ashwa is the Sanskrit word for Horse. Considering, Egyptian horses are legendary, could Aswan have been the ancient breeding ground for the famed Arabian horses?

How Jerusalem got its name.

It is a recorded fact that Tamils and the ancient Hebrew people were in touch for trade. So it's highly possible for Tamil words to have seeped into the Judaic world. Wikipedia says that Jerusalem was derived from Yerushalyim.

The explanation put out doesn't have a ring of certainty. Given the unsure nature of the etymology, it might help to view it from a Tamil prism. Yeru is a Tamil word meaning to climb and Shailam means hill. So why shouldn't Jerusalem mean 'Climb the hill'? Two evidences can be adduced in support of this theory:

1. Jerusalem sits on seven hills.
2. Salem (a city in Tamil Nadu) got its name because its surrounded by hills.

Doesn't that make you go hmmmmmmmm?

UPDATE: Samanth Subramaniam has come up with an even better suggestion. Yezhu Shailam means Seven Hills. Yezhu could have been corrupted to Yeru Shailam, right?

How Iran got its name.

Iran is often cited to be a derivation of Aryan (noble one or the first one) which happens to be a sanskrit word. The 'cradle of the civilization' theory lends credence to this belief. I have an alternate view. It goes like this...

The ancients have always held that in the beginning there was a massive island named Jambudweepa. It's sub divided into 9 zones. Bharatavarshey is the Indian area. There was also one zone named Hiran Maya where the palm tree was the key source of subsistence. The people there were golden complexioned (Hiran means golden). So basically Iranians are Hiranyans.

How Harappa got its name.

Harappa is located near the Ravi river. Since it was a river-civilization, it's highly possible that the place was designated so by the Indus people.

Now, the Indus script has been widely speculated to be of Dravidian origin. So may be it might help to see Harappa from a Dravidian prism. Which brings us to Tamil - the oldest living Dravidian language. Tamil might shed more light on how 'Harappa' the name was picked.

The thing to note is ancient Tamil didn't have the 'ha' sound. The practise was to substitute 'ha' with 'aa'. Given this background, may be HARAPPA was AARAPPA.

AARAPPA offers exciting possibilities. Because AARU in Tamil means 'River'. And AARAPPAN means 'one who lives near a river'.

May be people of the Harappan civilzation were referred to as 'AARAPANS' and over a period of the Northies started calling it HARAPPA. Sounds plausible?

NOTE: By the same logic, the Ravi river may also owe its origins to Tamil. You just have to look at the word ARUVI. It means river in Tamil and when uttered many times, it reads as RUVI or RAVI!!

How Dennis got his name.

The name Dennis is a derivative of Dionysus which in turn may be a derivative of Daya-nisi (sanskrit/tamil for day & night or compassionate & dark). If that sounds difficult to believe, Dionysus the greek god was said to have been born in an Indian hill named Nysa!