The South Indian state of Kerala has officially been renamed ‘Keralam’ after Federal Government approved the state’s long-pending proposal to change its name with effect from August 25 after the Union Home Ministry notified the new name of the southern state and brought the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Act, 2026 into force.
The notification comes just ahead of Onam, which is the traditional harvest festival of Kerala and one of the state’s most widely celebrated festivals.
The move restores the state’s traditional Malayalam name, ‘Keralam’, which has deep historical and cultural roots..
The notification follows the passage of the Kerala Alteration of Name Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 11 and the Rajya Sabha on August 12.
President Droupadi Murmu earlier gave assent to the Bill, turning it into law. The gazette notification was issued on Tuesday on August 25, one day before Onam.
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