Significance of the name India, Bharat & Hindustan
Do you know the significance & the origins of the word Bharat, India & Hindustan? Watch the video to know all about it!
As Indians, we are very proud of our country and its rich culture. We always say India is the best, our food, our traditions, etc are all the best in the world. Our country is known by many names. India, Bharata & Hindustan. But have you ever wondered, what is the meaning of the word ‘India’? Where did the name come from? Who decided to name our country India? I am sure you are all excited to know the answers now. Then keep on watching the video. Now let me tell you how the name ‘India’ came about. Hundreds of thousands of years back, India comprised places such as Tibet, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the current Indian region. The Indus River was very famous and many rich cities lived near the river.
This is why at that time India was known as ‘Sindh’ which is the Sanskrit name of Indus. By the time the Persians conquered both, the then Indian subcontinent and Greece in the 5th century BCE, 'Sindhu' became 'Hindus' to mark the land of Hindus'. Then after some time the name then changed to ‘Indos’ which is a Greek word and also the name of the Indus River. Finally, in the 17th century as 'Indos' made way to Modern English the name 'India' came into existence. Although the name was inspired by the Indus, the river now runs mostly through Pakistan, Jammu & Kashmir in India and western Tibet. When the first Constitution of India came into existence on 26th January 1950 Bharat was thought to be the other official name of the Republic of India. Derived from the Sanskrit term, 'Bharata' that means 'the cherished', this name dates back to the ancient 'Hindu Puranas' that tells the story of the legendary Emperor Bharata, the first conqueror of India. The other popular name of India is Hindustan. This is yet another name that has historical significance.
'Hind' is the Persian name for 'Sindh' and ‘Stan’ means ‘land’ or ‘country’ in Persian. That is how the name Hindustan was kept. Today, Hindustan is no longer the official name of India, but it is a popularly used term for India. Isn’t that cool! I am sure you must be feeling very proud to learn about our country’s rich history.
