puram

Puram is a toponymic element and a common suffix in Tamil and other Indian languages, meaning city, town, or urban settlement. The word is derived from Sanskrit puri, meaning city, which entered Tamil through historical contact and is often rendered as puram in Tamil spelling and pronunciation. In classical Tamil literature and inscriptions, puram described large urban centers or administrative districts, and the term continues to appear in modern place names and neighborhood names.

In contemporary use, puram typically serves as a component of a locality name or as a stand-alone proper name in some places. It is especially common in Tamil Nadu, where many urban and suburban areas include puram in their names, such as Kotturpuram, a well-known neighborhood in Chennai. The element can function as an indicator of urban character in a toponym, sometimes delineating a ward or municipal division within a city.

Although prominent in Tamil, puram also appears in other South Asian toponymy with related forms in regional languages, reflecting a shared linguistic heritage derived from Sanskrit puri.