Meerut, often written Merath or Mirath, derives from several sources. The Jats, on the other hand, claim that Meerut was established by a colony of their cast from the Maharastra Gotra. Others claim that Meerut was named after Mahipal, King of Dehli. However, the most popular story goes that the city was named after Meera, a princess of the Raja of Kaushambi who was married to King Jayavarman II of Cambodia. There are several theories about the origin of the name Meerut. Some say it is derived from "Mihir", a name used by the ancient Indians for the sun. Another theory says that it comes from "Mirath" which means bright in Sanskrit. Yet another theory claims that Meerut was so called because its founders were from Meru, a region in central India. The last theory is supported by some Hindi words such as "Meer" which means sea and "Gurjari" which means sailor. After independence, when India began using English instead of Sanskrit in official documents, they adopted the spelling Meerut instead of Merath or Mirath. Today, Meerut is a major industrial center and the fourth largest city in Uttar Pradesh. It has extensive rail and road connections with all parts of India and is close to the border with Pakistan.