Was India Named Bharat in Ancient Times?

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction 2. Was India named Bharat? 3. More names of India 4. Bhararvarsha 5. Jaina concept : the name of India 6. The most prominent name 7. Indus to Hindus 8. Conclusion

Introduction: Was India named Bharat in Ancient times?

Once my students asked me, “Sir, Was India name Bharat in ancient times?” I replied to them, ” Yes, my sons. But I think that is it true what I have said to them? Next few days I had to study sitting at the desk of my college library. After a long search, I assumed what I have said to them, is not entirely true. It’s partially true. So I will try here to elaborate that, was India named Bharat or not?

WAS INDIA NAMED BHARAT OR BHARATVARSHA :

It’s known to all that India or Bharat is the oldest country in the world. It’s also the oldest civilization of the subcontinent dating returned to c.2600 to 1900 BCE at the banks of the river Indus. We do now no longer have any recorded files regarding the call of the land of that point because the script stays undeciphered. But alternate networks with Mesopotamian civilization (a present-day civilization of that point) mention that this land changed into acknowledged extensively as Meluha.

MORE NAMES OF INDIA

Later on, there emerged smaller states referred to as janapadas at the banks of the river Ganga. These states have been named after extraordinary effective tribes. Among them, Magadha, Kuru, Kashi, and Koshala have been famous. But their reputation remained confined and so those names did now no longer go away an effect.

With the approaching of the Aryans, the united states of America got here to be referred to as Aryavarta. They have been a dominant cultural network that controlled to have a long-lasting effect on the records of India.

The boundary of Aryavarta comprised gifts from Northern and Central India and was prolonged from the jap to the western sea coasts. India is formally cited as ‘Bharat’, ‘Bharata’ or ‘Bharatvarsha’.

BHARATVARSHA: WAS INDIA NAMED BHARAT?

Bharatvarsha, in literal terms, approach the land of the Bharatas. The period ‘Bharata’ has its roots withinside the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, citing it to be a tribe or family. But again, the period ‘Bharatvarsha’ seems first withinside the Mahabharata and withinside the post-Gupta Sanskritic texts, attributed to be written around six hundred AD.

It’s saying that it changed into used to explain one of the 9 divisions of the earth. But withinside the post-Gupta period, this period denoted the land- of India. Several Vedic texts additionally allude to the call Jambudvipa or ‘the land of the Jamun trees’.

JAINA CONCEPT: NAME OF INDIA

Jaina portions of literature point out that this land changed into referred to as Nabhivarsha. They make this connection to King Nabhi who changed into the daddy of the primary Jaina Tirthankara Rishabhanatha and additionally the grandfather of Bharata who’s taken into consideration to be the primary king of the land.

The map of Jambudvipa. Source: Pinterest

THE MOST PROMINENT NAME: SINDHU CONVERT HINDU TO HINDUSTHAN

Lastly, comes the maximum famous phrase that is used to consult India unofficially, i.e. Hindustan. The period ‘Hindu’ has its beginning in Iranian inscriptions. The river Sindhu (additionally referred to as Indus) flows west from the Himalayas and it currently lies in Pakistan.

In the Iranian language “s” becomes “h”, so they referred to in one of the inscriptions, dated to approximately 5-sixth century that Hindu changed into a district of the Indus. This suggests that the period “Hindu” to begin with intended a territorial unit and neither a faith nor a network.

When the Iranians in a while conquered the region Sindh (or their language “Hind”), this region have become Hindustan. So finally, how did we grow to be with the phrase ‘India’?

HINDUS TO INDUS :

Just like the Iranians grew to become Sindhu into Hindu, the Greeks later modified Hindu into Indus. This passed off whilst Alexander invaded the subcontinent and for this reason, ‘India’ signifies ‘the land past the river Indus’.

The European explorers took hobby in our united states of America after studying Greek literature and for this reason after the 18th century, whilst the Britishers started mapping our land, they dropped down the famous phrase Hindustan and used India instead because it changed into smooth for them to pronounce. They made the period famous.

Later on, whilst the Constitution of India changed created, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru got here ahead to apply the famous phrase ‘India’ and add the phrase ‘Bharat’ for our united states of America.

CONCLUSION:

Our first Prime Minister believed that this phrase fine desirable the multiculturalism that our united states of America hold without hurting the feelings of the varied population. It is, however, sure that the Britishers did now no longer call our united states of America INDIA. Read also:Is India Already A Hindu Rashtra?2.The Banned Books In India 3. Why Indians are the Most Depressed?