The word Hindu originated, not as the name of a religion, but as a geographical marker. It is derived from the name of River Indus (known as Sindhu), which flows through northern India. In ancient times the river was called the ‘Sindhu', but the Persians who migrated to India called the river ‘Hindu', the land ‘Hindustan' and its inhabitants ‘Hindus'. Thus the religion followed by the Hindus came to be known as ‘Hinduism'.
