A G20 dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu describing her as 'President of Bharat' created a buzz on social media on Tuesday with many debating if India's name should be changed to Bharat. The India-Bharat naming debate imaginably ignited a political slugfest with BJP and the Congress engaging in a fierce war of words. While the BJP accused the Congress of not knowing the Constitution, the grand old parties and its allies in the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A called it a 'diversion from main issues.' Although it has been clearly stated in our Constitution that 'India is Bharat', but the name 'India' is globally accepted and used.
However, this won't be the first time that India's name would be changed. From Aryavarta to Bharatvarsha-Bharatkhand, country's name has been addressed many times. Let us know when these names came into existence and what is the meaning behind these names.
Aryavarta
It is believed that Aryans had established our country. The word Arya means best and due to this land being used by the Aryans, was named Aryavarta. The boundaries of Aryavarta were from Kumbha River of Kabul to the Ganges River of India and from the valleys of Kashmir to the other side of Narmada. Even today there are differences of opinion among many historians regarding the original residence of the Aryans.
Jambudweep
Our country was also known as Jambudweep in early times. Many historians believe that it got this name due to the abundance of jamun trees in India. At the same time, there are many beliefs that the Jambu tree used to bear huge fruits like those of an elephant. When the fruits fell on the mountain, their juice created a river. The land situated on the banks of this river was called Jambudweep.
Bharatvarsha-Bharatkhand-India
The name of our land is India, the most popular name ever. A name backed by many tales. It is said that the country was named Bharat after the son of Maharaja Dushyant and Shakuntala. As per beliefs, when Guru Rishabhdev left for the forest, he handed over his kingdom to his son Bharat. After which country got its name Bharatvarsha. There is also a reference to Bharata, the son of Dasaratha and brother of Rama. At the same time, there is a mention of a Bharatamuni in Natyashastra as well. It is said that the country was named after him. Even in the Puranas, the boundaries of India from the north of the sea to the south of the Himalayas have been described.
India-Hindustan
In ancient times, the trade of India's Indus Valley Civilization was up to Iran-Egypt. In Irani, 'S' was addressed as 'H'. In such a situation, people started calling Sindhu a Hindu. Later on, this land became known as Hind, the place of Hindus-Hindustan.
India
It is said that the name of our country has been given by the British. When the British came to India, they started calling the Sindhu Ghati as Indus Valley. Along with this, they also started using the word India instead of Bharat or Hindustan which was quite easy to pronounce.
Interestingly, there have been multiple demands for name change as it is understood to be a symbol of the British era.
