How was Lahore named?

Question

How was Lahore named?

Answer 1

Various interpretations about the origins of Lahore are present. The most interesting is that it derives from the word loh-awar, which means a fort as strong as iron and which also refers to the fort built to protect the city.

Another version says it was founded about 4,000 years ago by Loh, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic “Ramayana”. This refers to a subterranean temple attributed to Rama, still present in the Royal Fort.

In the middle of the 200A.D., Claudius Ptolemeus an astronomer and geographer had mentioned about a city called “Labokla”. Labokla was situated on the route between the Indus and Pataliputra (Patna), in a country called Kasperia (Kashmir). Kasperia was extended along the rivers Bidastes (Jhelum), Chandra Bhaga (Chenab) and Adris (Ravi). Hence Labokla is identified as Lahore.

Answer 2

A legend, based on Hindu oral traditions, states that Lahore was named after Lava, son of the Hindu god Rama, who supposedly founded the city. To this day, the Lahore Fort has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava (also pronounced Loh, hence "Loh-awar" or The Fort of Loh.