India, That Is Bharat

A. A physical map of the Indian Subcontinent, with some of its rivers.

D. However, it was very different 500 years ago, 2,000 years ago or even the ‘Indian Subcontinent’, has had many different names and shifting boundaries.

C. We can learn about India’s past and evolution from many different sources.

B. THINK ABOUT IT Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter.

A. In the course of history, India has been called by many names — both by its inhabitants and by visitors from outside.

D. These names come to us from ancient texts, accounts of travellers and pilgrims, and inscriptions.

C. Inhabitants: People who live in a particular place.

B. The northwest region of the Indian Subcontinent How Indians Named India The Ṛig Veda is India’s most ancient text; as we will see in Chapter 7, it is several thousand years old.

A. It gives the northwest region of the Subcontinent the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’, that is, the ‘land of the seven rivers’.

D. The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general.

C. Tapestry of the Past Moving on in time, we see names for other parts of India appear in the literature.

B. The Mahābhārata is one of India’s most famous texts (we read about it in the theme ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’).

A. Interestingly, it lists many regions, such as Kāshmīra (more or less today’s Kashmir), Kurukṣhetra (parts of Haryana today), Vanga (parts of Bengal), Prāgjyotiṣha (roughly today’s Assam), Kaccha (today’s Kutch), Kerala (more or less today’s Kerala), and so on.

D. List the ones that you have heard of.

C. Because ancient Indian texts are difficult to date, this is not an easy question to answer.

B. The Mahābhārata uses the terms ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ and ‘Jambudvīpa’, and scholars generally agree that this long poem was written from a few centuries BCE onward.

A. The first term, ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, clearly extends to the entire Subcontinent, and the text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the Ṛig Veda, where it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people.

D. In later literature, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned.

C. The second term, ‘Jambudvīpa’, means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’.

B. This is indeed a common tree native to India, also called ‘jambul tree’, ‘Malabar plum tree’, etc. ‘Jambudvīpa’ came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.

A. In fact, we get a good clue from an Indian emperor — his name is Aśhoka and we will meet him later; for now, we can take his date to be about 250 BCE.

D. As we will see, he left us many inscriptions.

C. In one of them, he used the same name ‘Jambudvīpa’ to describe the whole of India, which at the time included what is today Bangladesh, Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan.

B. Map of a few regions listed in the Mahābhārata. (Many of them are also mentioned in the text as kingdoms.) You do not need to remember those regions, but notice how they cover the entire geography of the Subcontinent.

A. For instance, in an ancient text called the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, we read: uttaram yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam varṣam tad bhāratam nāma...

D. “The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.” This name, ‘Bhārata’ remains in use even today.

C. In north India, it is generally written as ‘Bharat’, while in south India, it is often ‘Bharatam’.

B. It is interesting to note that different parts of the country adopted a similar definition for India.

A. For instance, a poem of ancient Tamil literature, from about 2,000 years ago, praises a king whose name is known “from [Cape] Kumari in the south, from the great mountain in the north, from the oceans on the east and on the west...” You can now recognise ‘the great mountain in the north’, and it should not be difficult to identify ‘Cape Kumari’.

D. It looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well!

C. Similarly, the Hindi version of the Constitution mentions the same as ‘Bhārat arthāth India’.

B. Constitution: A document that spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation.

A. The Indian Constitution, which will be studied in Grade force in 1950.

D. How Foreigners Named India The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians, the ancient inhabitants of Iran.

C. In the 6 th century BCE, a Persian emperor launched a military campaign and gained control of the region of the Indus River, which, as we saw, was earlier called ‘Sindhu’.

B. They dropped the initial letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language.

A. Sindhu Hindhu Indoi / Indike The ancient Chinese also interacted with India.

D. In several texts, they refer to India as ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’.

C. This reflects the respect the ancient Chinese had for India as the land of the Buddha.

B. You are probably quite familiar with a more recent term, ‘Hindustān’, but you may not know that it was first used in a Persian inscription some 1,800 years ago!

A. Later on, this became the term used by most invaders of India to describe the Indian Subcontinent.

D. He visited many parts of India, met scholars, collected Buddhist texts, and returned to China after 17 years.

C. There, he translated the manuscripts he took back with him from Sanskrit into Chinese.

B. Several other Chinese scholars visited India over the centuries.

A. Persian Greek Latin India Chinese Arabic & Persian English India French Inde Tapestry of the Past Before we move on... Æ India is an ancient land, which has had many names in the course of its history. Æ The names given by the ancient inhabitants of India include ‘Jambudvīpa’ and ‘Bhārata’.

D. The latter became widespread in time and is the name of India in most Indian languages. Æ Foreign visitors to, or invaders of, India mostly adopted names derived from the Sindhu or Indus River; this resulted in names like ‘Hindu’, ‘Indoi’, and eventually ‘India’.

C. India, That Is Bharat CHAPTER5 In India at a very early time the spiritual and cultural unity was made complete and became the very stuff of the life of all this great surge of humanity between the Himalayas and the two seas.

B. River River River River Brahmaputra Ganga Mahanadi River River Kaveri Godavari Krishna Tapti River Yamuna Beas JhelumChenab Today, the India we know is a modern nation, with defined borders, defined states and a known population.

A. borders, defined states and a known population. However, it was very different 500 years ago, 2,000 years ago or even the ‘Indian Subcontinent’, has had many different names and shifting boundaries.

D. and shifting boundaries. We can learn about India’s past and evolution from many different sources. Let us explore. THINK ABOUT IT Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter.

we will see in Chapter 7, it is several thousand years old. It gives the northwest region of the Subcontinent the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’, that is, the ‘land of the seven rivers’. of the seven rivers’. The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general.

of the seven rivers’. The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general. Moving on in time, we see names for other parts of India appear in the literature. The Mahābhārata is one of India’s most famous texts (we read about it in the theme ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’).

Moving on in time, we see names for other parts of India appear in the literature. The Mahābhārata is one of India’s most famous texts (we read about it in the theme ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’). and scholars generally agree that this long poem was written from a few centuries BCE onward. The first term, ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, clearly extends to the entire Subcontinent, and the text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples.

and scholars generally agree that this long poem was written from a few centuries BCE onward. The first term, ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, clearly extends to the entire Subcontinent, and the text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples. text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the Ṛig Veda, where it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people.

text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the Ṛig Veda, where it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people. it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people. In later literature, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned. The second term, ‘Jambudvīpa’, means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’.

it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people. In later literature, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned. The second term, ‘Jambudvīpa’, means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’. the fruit of the jamun tree’. This is indeed a common tree native to India, also called ‘jambul tree’, ‘Malabar plum tree’, etc. ‘Jambudvīpa’ came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.

the fruit of the jamun tree’. This is indeed a common tree native to India, also called ‘jambul tree’, ‘Malabar plum tree’, etc. ‘Jambudvīpa’ came to mean the Indian Subcontinent. Indian Subcontinent. In fact, we get a good clue from an Indian emperor — his name is Aśhoka and we will meet him later; for now, we can take his date to be about 250 BCE.

Indian Subcontinent. In fact, we get a good clue from an Indian emperor — his name is Aśhoka and we will meet him later; for now, we can take his date to be about 250 BCE. take his date to be about 250 BCE. As we will see, he left us many inscriptions.

take his date to be about 250 BCE. As we will see, he left us many inscriptions. listed in the Mahābhārata. (Many of them are also mentioned in the text as kingdoms.) You do not need to remember those regions, but notice how they cover the entire geography of the Subcontinent.

listed in the Mahābhārata. (Many of them are also mentioned in the text as kingdoms.) You do not need to remember those regions, but notice how they cover the entire geography of the Subcontinent. Janasthāna Puṇḍra Prāgjyotiṣha Videha Kosala Magadha Anga Suhma Vanga Kalinga Śhūrasena Pañchāla Ambaṣṭha D r a v iḍ a Surāṣhṭra Tapestry of the Past A few centuries later, ‘Bhārata’ became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent.

Janasthāna Puṇḍra Prāgjyotiṣha Videha Kosala Magadha Anga Suhma Vanga Kalinga Śhūrasena Pañchāla Ambaṣṭha D r a v iḍ a Surāṣhṭra Tapestry of the Past A few centuries later, ‘Bhārata’ became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent. ‘Bhārata’ became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent. For instance, in an ancient text called the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, we read: uttaram yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam varṣam tad bhāratam nāma...

‘Bhārata’ became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent. For instance, in an ancient text called the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, we read: uttaram yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam varṣam tad bhāratam nāma... tad bhāratam nāma... “The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.” This name, ‘Bhārata’ remains in use even today.

tad bhāratam nāma... “The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.” This name, ‘Bhārata’ remains in use even today. the north, from the oceans on the east and on the west...” You can now recognise ‘the great mountain in the north’, and it should not be difficult to identify ‘Cape Kumari’. It looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well!

the north, from the oceans on the east and on the west...” You can now recognise ‘the great mountain in the north’, and it should not be difficult to identify ‘Cape Kumari’. It looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well! spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation. The Indian Constitution, which will be studied in Grade force in 1950. How Foreigners Named India The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians, the ancient inhabitants of Iran.

spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation. The Indian Constitution, which will be studied in Grade force in 1950. How Foreigners Named India The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians, the ancient inhabitants of Iran. of the region of the Indus River, which, as we saw, was earlier called ‘Sindhu’.

of the region of the Indus River, which, as we saw, was earlier called ‘Sindhu’. the Persians referred to India as ‘Hind’, ‘Hidu’ or ‘Hindu’, which are adaptations in their language of ‘Sindhu’. term; it does not refer here to the Hindu religion.) Based on these Persian sources, the ancient Greeks named the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’. They dropped the initial letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language.

term; it does not refer here to the Hindu religion.) Based on these Persian sources, the ancient Greeks named the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’. They dropped the initial letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language. letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language. Sindhu Hindhu Indoi / Indike The ancient Chinese also interacted with India. In several texts, they refer to India as ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’. derived from ‘Sindhu’, was ‘Tianzhu’; but this word could also be understood as ‘heavenly master’. This reflects the respect the ancient Chinese had for India as the land of the Buddha.

derived from ‘Sindhu’, was ‘Tianzhu’; but this word could also be understood as ‘heavenly master’. This reflects the respect the ancient Chinese had for India as the land of the Buddha. of the Buddha. You are probably quite familiar with a more recent term, ‘Hindustān’, but you may not know that it was first used in a Persian inscription some 1,800 years ago! Tsang, Hsuan Tsang, etc.) travelled from China to India in the th century CE. He visited many parts of India, met scholars, collected Buddhist texts, and returned to China after 17 years.

Tsang, Hsuan Tsang, etc.) travelled from China to India in the th century CE. He visited many parts of India, met scholars, collected Buddhist texts, and returned to China after 17 years. Before we move on... Æ India is an ancient land, which has had many names in the course of its history. Æ The names given by the ancient inhabitants of India include ‘Jambudvīpa’ and ‘Bhārata’. inhabitants of India include ‘Jambudvīpa’ and ‘Bhārata’. The latter became widespread in time and is the name of India in most Indian languages.

inhabitants of India include ‘Jambudvīpa’ and ‘Bhārata’. The latter became widespread in time and is the name of India in most Indian languages. ‘Jambudvīpa’ included what is today India, parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Æ The Mahābhārata lists many regions, including Kashmir, Kutch, and Kerala. Æ The term ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. Æ In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu religion. Æ ‘Bhārata’ is a name given to India by foreign travellers.

appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. Æ In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu religion. Æ ‘Bhārata’ is a name given to India by foreign travellers. A physical map of the Indian Subcontinent, with some of its rivers. However, it was very different 500 years ago, 2,000 years ago or even the ‘Indian Subcontinent’, has had many different names and shifting boundaries.

However, it was very different 500 years ago, 2,000 years ago or even the ‘Indian Subcontinent’, has had many different names and shifting boundaries. We can learn about India’s past and evolution from many different sources. THINK ABOUT IT Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter.

THINK ABOUT IT Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter. In the course of history, India has been called by many names — both by its inhabitants and by visitors from outside. These names come to us from ancient texts, accounts of travellers and pilgrims, and inscriptions.

These names come to us from ancient texts, accounts of travellers and pilgrims, and inscriptions. Inhabitants: People who live in a particular place. The northwest region of the Indian Subcontinent How Indians Named India The Ṛig Veda is India’s most ancient text; as we will see in Chapter 7, it is several thousand years old.

The northwest region of the Indian Subcontinent How Indians Named India The Ṛig Veda is India’s most ancient text; as we will see in Chapter 7, it is several thousand years old. It gives the northwest region of the Subcontinent the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’, that is, the ‘land of the seven rivers’. The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general.

The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general. Tapestry of the Past Moving on in time, we see names for other parts of India appear in the literature. The Mahābhārata is one of India’s most famous texts (we read about it in the theme ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’). Interestingly, it lists many regions, such as Kāshmīra (more or less today’s Kashmir), Kurukṣhetra (parts of Haryana today), Vanga (parts of Bengal), Prāgjyotiṣha (roughly today’s Assam), Kaccha (today’s Kutch), Kerala (more or less today’s Kerala), and so on. List the ones that you have heard of.

List the ones that you have heard of. Because ancient Indian texts are difficult to date, this is not an easy question to answer. The Mahābhārata uses the terms ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ and ‘Jambudvīpa’, and scholars generally agree that this long poem was written from a few centuries BCE onward. The first term, ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, clearly extends to the entire Subcontinent, and the text includes the names of numerous rivers and peoples. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the Ṛig Veda, where it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people. In later literature, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned.

In later literature, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned. The second term, ‘Jambudvīpa’, means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’. This is indeed a common tree native to India, also called ‘jambul tree’, ‘Malabar plum tree’, etc. ‘Jambudvīpa’ came to mean the Indian Subcontinent. In fact, we get a good clue from an Indian emperor — his name is Aśhoka and we will meet him later; for now, we can take his date to be about 250 BCE. As we will see, he left us many inscriptions.

As we will see, he left us many inscriptions. In one of them, he used the same name ‘Jambudvīpa’ to describe the whole of India, which at the time included what is today Bangladesh, Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan. Map of a few regions listed in the Mahābhārata. (Many of them are also mentioned in the text as kingdoms.) You do not need to remember those regions, but notice how they cover the entire geography of the Subcontinent. For instance, in an ancient text called the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, we read: uttaram yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam varṣam tad bhāratam nāma... “The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.” This name, ‘Bhārata’ remains in use even today.

“The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.” This name, ‘Bhārata’ remains in use even today. In north India, it is generally written as ‘Bharat’, while in south India, it is often ‘Bharatam’. It is interesting to note that different parts of the country adopted a similar definition for India. For instance, a poem of ancient Tamil literature, from about 2,000 years ago, praises a king whose name is known “from [Cape] Kumari in the south, from the great mountain in the north, from the oceans on the east and on the west...” You can now recognise ‘the great mountain in the north’, and it should not be difficult to identify ‘Cape Kumari’. It looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well!

It looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well! Similarly, the Hindi version of the Constitution mentions the same as ‘Bhārat arthāth India’. Constitution: A document that spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation. The Indian Constitution, which will be studied in Grade force in 1950. How Foreigners Named India The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians, the ancient inhabitants of Iran.

How Foreigners Named India The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians, the ancient inhabitants of Iran. In the 6 th century BCE, a Persian emperor launched a military campaign and gained control of the region of the Indus River, which, as we saw, was earlier called ‘Sindhu’. They dropped the initial letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language. Sindhu Hindhu Indoi / Indike The ancient Chinese also interacted with India. In several texts, they refer to India as ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’.