Origin of Name
(English : Bhatkal) (Kannada: ಭಟ್ಕಳ) (Urdu : بهٹکل ) –
The name of the town is believe to be derived from two Words bhat-kala, Bhat (Urdu: بھٹ) which is a shortened rendition of Bhatta (Urdu: بھٹا) which originates from Sanskrit (भटट), meaning “scholar”.
(In the olden days, the kings used to have the presence of scholar for various purposes. People who belonged to the class of scholar mainly gave highly influential judgements on the right and wrong decisions in the court, later came to be known as ‘Bhat’.)
The Word – kal (Urdu: کل) which is a shortened rendition of Kallu or Kale (Urdu: کلو) which originates from Sanskrit and Kannada (ಕಲ), meaning “stone” and In other view the Word Kala meaning “lake or valley”.
The name ‘bhatkal’ is possibly an adaptation of the Arabic word betkul – bayt kal.. البيت Bayt means House or Guest House .
Nawayath Muslims and Konkani’s pronounce it [BHAAT-KAL] , and Others pronounce it [BHAT KAL] – [BHAT KALA or BHATKALU].
Other Names
Bhatkal (Kannada: ಭಟ್ಕಳ), also known as Batecala in some Portuguese historical texts.
Bhatkal (Kannada: ಭಟ್ಕಳ) in History Maps
ASIA, 1630
SOUTH INDIA, 1679
SOUTH INDIA, 1682
A larger scan of this 1683 map
AKBAR’S INDIA (1815)
NORTH INDIA, 1692
The Indus coast a miniature map by Petrus Bertius, 1600
ATLAS MAPS, c.1595 on
From a full-sized map of Asia by Ortelius, 1595
ASIA in the form of Pegasus, c.1590
MUGHAL EMPIRE
The Mughal Empire, an overview (2007)
Last Updated on November 23, 2013 at 2:56 pm.