Independence Day 2024: As India gears up to celebrate its 78th Independence Day on August 15 (Thursday), we should know the fact behind the official name of the Indian subcontinent which has been a matter of discussion since the Constitution wasdrafted.
Jambudvipa, Nabhivarsa and Aryavarta are some of the names historically associated with India. Even India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru in his book, The Discovery of India, wrote, “Often, as I wandered from meeting to meeting, I spoke to my audiences of this India of ours, of Hindustan and of Bharata, the old Sanskrit name derived from the mythical founders of the race.”
But when the Constitution came into effect in 1951 its first read- “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of states”.
Stories, myths behind India's name
There are many stories and myths about how the name India and Bharat were coined. The origin scholars say the name India is derived from the river Indus or Sindhu River. It has been widely used in Greek since Herodotus and in English in the 17th century.
According to scriptures, India came to be known as 'Bharatvarsha' after the emperor Bharata Chakravarti, the son of King Dushyanta of Hastinapura and Queen Shakuntala. The land was named after him as he conquered the whole of the Indian empire.
In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna also mentioned Bharatvarsha.
Here are some interesting facts about India's name
- According to a report by the World History Encyclopedia, the name ‘India’, as we know it today, came into being after evolving over the years. It reflects the influence of several civilisations and languages.
- The country’s name emerged in ancient times and its roots can be traced back to the word 'Sindhu,' which originally referred to the Indus River, which was central to the Indian Valley civilisation. The term 'Sindhu' first appeared in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest extant Indo-European texts written between 1700 and 1100 BC, and composed in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.
- 'Sindhu' signifies the Indus River in the Rig Veda. The region came to be called ‘Hindu’ by the neighbouring Arabs and Iranians, who pronounced the 's' sound in ‘Sindhu’ as 'h'. The land beyond the Indus River was thus named ‘Hindu'. The Greeks, who came across the Indian subcontinent, began calling the 'Hindu' region as 'Indos' and pronounced it as 'Indus'.
- The Avestan or ancient Iranian term 'Hindu,' derived from 'Indos,' explicitly referred to the Sindh region. Reportedly, Persian ruler Darius I (550-486 BC) included it in the Persepolis terrace inscription as a conquered territory. Origins Of English Name ‘India’.
- The Byzantines began using the term 'India' to refer to the region located beyond the Indus River. This usage can be traced back to Herodotus' works, which refer to Indian land.
- The English name 'India' derives from Latin and its influence on the English language. The name appeared in King Alfred's translation of Orosius in Old English. However, due to the influence of the French language, 'India' was replaced with 'Ynde' or 'Inde.'
- The name 'India' did not reemerge until the late period of Early Modern English (the latter half of the 15th century to 1650 AD), when there was an influence of Latin, Spanish, or Portuguese, that led to the reintroduction of the name.
- Consequently, the word 'India' appeared in the first edition of the King James Bible, as well as in the works of the famous playwright William Shakespeare. Thus, the name India dates back to history and travelled a long way, evolving with time.
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