India, That Is Bharat-Geographical Understanding of Ancient India Social Science Class 6 In English-CBSE Notes

Chapter 2. India, That Is Bharat

Bhārata – The Name of India

After some centuries, the name Bhārata became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent.

• Bhārata became a commonly used name for the Indian Subcontinent.
• The name Bhārata is found in ancient Indian literature.
• The name has continued to be used up to the present day.
• In North India, it is generally written as Bharat.
• In South India, it is often written as Bharatam.

Bhārata in the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa

The ancient text Viṣhṇu Purāṇa gives a geographical description of Bhārata.

Meaning: The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.

• The ocean forms the southern boundary described in the text.
• The snowy mountains refer to the Himalayas.
• The description gives a broad geographical idea of Bhārata.
• This shows that ancient Indian texts had a clear understanding of the geography of the region.

Bhārata in Ancient Tamil Literature

Ancient Tamil literature also contains a geographical description that covers a large part of the Indian Subcontinent.

• A poem from about 2,000 years ago praises a king.
• The poem describes his fame from Cape Kumari in the south.
• It extends the description to the great mountain in the north.
• It also refers to the oceans in the east and west.
• The great mountain in the north refers to the Himalayan region.
• Cape Kumari refers to the southern tip of the Indian Subcontinent.
• This description also shows knowledge of the broad geography of India.

Geographical Understanding of Ancient India

• Different parts of ancient India used similar geographical ideas to describe the region.
• The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa describes Bhārata between the ocean and the snowy mountains.
• Ancient Tamil literature describes the region from Cape Kumari in the south to the great mountain in the north.
• The eastern and western oceans are also included in the Tamil description.
• These descriptions indicate that ancient Indians had considerable knowledge of their geography.

How Foreigners Named India

India was also known by different names given by people from outside the Subcontinent.

• The earliest foreigners to mention India were the Persians.
• The Persians were the ancient inhabitants of Iran.
• In the 6th century BCE, a Persian emperor gained control of the region around the Indus River.
• The Indus River had earlier been called Sindhu.
• The Persians adapted the word Sindhu into their own language.
• They used the names Hind, Hidu and Hindu.

Persian Names – Hind, Hidu and Hindu

The Persian names for India were derived from the ancient word Sindhu.

• Sindhu → Hindhu / Hind
• Sindhu → Hidu
• Sindhu → Hindu
• These were adaptations of Sindhu in the Persian language.
• In ancient Persian, the word Hindu was purely a geographical term.
• In this historical context, Hindu did not refer to the Hindu religion.

Greek Names – Indoi and Indike

The ancient Greeks also developed names for India from the Persian form of Sindhu.

• The ancient Greeks called the region Indoi or Indike.
• These names were based on Persian sources.
• The Greeks dropped the initial ‘h’ from ‘Hindu’.
• The reason was that the Greek language did not have the ‘h’ sound.

Name Development

Sindhu → Hindu → Indoi / Indike

Chinese Names for India

The ancient Chinese also interacted with India and developed their own names for the region.

• Ancient Chinese texts refer to India as Yintu or Yindu.
• These names also ultimately originated from Sindhu.
• The word developed through different languages and pronunciations.

Name Development

Sindhu → Hindhu → Indu → Yindu

Tianzhu

Tianzhu was another Chinese name associated with India.

• The word Tianzhu was also derived from Sindhu.
• Tianzhu could also be understood as ‘heavenly master’.
• This reflects the respect that ancient Chinese had for India.
• India was respected as the land of the Buddha.

Important Foreign Names of India

Development of the Name India

The modern name India developed through a long process of linguistic transformation.

• The starting point was the ancient word Sindhu.
• Persian forms included Hind and Hindu.
• Greek forms included Indoi and Indike.
• The Latin form became India.
• The English name India is connected with this historical development.

Important Name Chain

Sindhu → Hindu / Hind → Indoi / Indike → India

Hindustān

Hindustān is a more recent historical name associated with India.

• The term Hindustān was first used in a Persian inscription.
• This inscription dates to about 1,800 years ago.
• Later, Hindustān became a term used by many invaders.
• They used it to describe the Indian Subcontinent.
• The term is connected with the earlier Persian word Hind.

Xuanzang – A Chinese Traveller to India

Xuanzang was a famous Chinese traveller who visited India in the 7th century CE.

• Xuanzang travelled from China to India.
• He visited many parts of India.
• He met Indian scholars.
• He collected Buddhist texts.
• He remained in India for about 17 years.
• He eventually returned to China.
• He took manuscripts back with him.
• He translated the manuscripts from Sanskrit into Chinese.
• Several other Chinese scholars also visited India over the centuries.

Importance of Xuanzang's Visit

• His journey provides evidence of historical interaction between China and India.
• He visited different parts of India.
• He interacted with Indian scholars.
• He collected Buddhist manuscripts.
• His translations helped transmit Indian Buddhist knowledge to China.

India and Bharat in the Constitution

The modern Constitution of India recognises the names India and Bharat.

• The Indian Constitution was originally written in English.
• At the very beginning, it uses the phrase “India, that is Bharat”.
• The Hindi version uses “Bhārat arthāth India”.
• The Constitution came into force in 1950.
• The use of Bharat in the Constitution connects the modern country with its ancient historical name.

Constitution – Important Definition

Constitution: A document that lays down the basic principles and laws of a nation.

India and Bharat – Present Usage

• India is the modern English name of the country.
• Bharat is an ancient name that continues to be used today.
• Both names are recognised in the Constitution.
• The constitutional phrase is “India, that is Bharat”.
• The continued use of Bharat shows the connection between India's ancient past and its modern identity.

Important Timeline

Important Differences

Quick Revision

• ✔ Bhārata became a generally used name for the Indian Subcontinent.
• ✔ Bhārata means the land associated with the Bharatas.
• ✔ The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa describes Bhārata as lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains.
• ✔ The snowy mountains refer to the Himalayas.
• ✔ Ancient Tamil literature gives a similar broad geographical description.
• ✔ Persians were among the earliest foreigners to mention India.
• ✔ Persians used Hind, Hidu and Hindu.
• ✔ These Persian names were adaptations of Sindhu.
• ✔ Ancient Persian ‘Hindu’ was a geographical term in this context.
• ✔ Greeks used Indoi and Indike.
• ✔ Greeks dropped the initial ‘h’ sound.
• ✔ Chinese sources used Yintu and Yindu.
• ✔ Tianzhu was another Chinese name associated with India.
• ✔ Hindustān was first used in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago.
• ✔ Xuanzang visited India in the 7th century CE.
• ✔ Xuanzang stayed in India for about 17 years.
• ✔ He collected Buddhist texts and translated manuscripts into Chinese.
• ✔ The Constitution uses the phrase “India, that is Bharat”.
• ✔ The Constitution came into force in 1950.

Key Terms to Remember

• Bhārata: Ancient and continuing name for India.
• Bhāratavarṣha: Country of the Bharatas.
• Jambudvīpa: Ancient name that later came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.
• Sindhu: Name associated with the Indus River.
• Hind: Persian name derived from Sindhu.
• Indoi: Ancient Greek name derived through the Persian form.
• Yindu: Ancient Chinese name ultimately derived from Sindhu.
• Hindustān: Historical Persian-derived name for the Indian Subcontinent.
• Xuanzang: Chinese traveller who visited India in the 7th century CE.
• Constitution: Document containing the basic principles and laws of a nation.

All Topics Chapter India, That Is Bharat

• 1. Chapter Review and Key Points
• 2. Meaning and Idea of the Indian Subcontinent
• 3. Geographical Understanding of Ancient India
• 4. Assignments - What Have You Learned?