Class 6 Social Science Chapter 5 Notes India, That is Bharat
→ India is a modern nation with defined borders, states, and a known population.
→ The Indian Subcontinent has had many different names and shifting boundaries over the centuries.
→ Information about India’s past and evolution comes from various sources, including ancient texts and accounts of travelers.
→ The Rig Veda is India’s most ancient text.
→ The Rig Veda mentions the northwest region of the Subcontinent as ‘Sapta Sindhava,’ meaning ‘land of the seven rivers.’
→ ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu,’ which refers to the Indus River or rivers in general.
→ The Mahabharata lists many regions, such as KashmTra, Kurukshetra, Vanga, Pragjyotisha, Kaccha, and Kerala.
→ The Mahabharata uses the terms ‘Bharatavarsha’ and ‘JambudvTpa’ to refer to the entire Indian Subcontinent, a ‘Bharatavarsha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas.’
→ ‘Bharata’ refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people mentioned in the Rig Veda.
→ Several kings named ‘Bharata’ are mentioned in later literature.
→ ‘Jambudvipa’ means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree.’
→ The jamun tree is native to India and is also called the ‘jambul tree’ or ‘Malabar plum tree.’
→ Indian emperor Asoka, around 250 BCE, used the term ‘JambudvTpa’ to describe the whole of India.
→ Asoka’s India included what is today Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan.
→ The term ‘Bharata’ became generally used for the Indian Subcontinent a few centuries after Asoka.
→ The Vishnu Purana refers to Bharata as the country lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains.
→ The name ‘Bharata’ is still in use today, written as ‘Bharat’ in north India and ‘Bharatam’ in south India.
→ The Indian Constitution mentions ‘India, that is Bharat.’
→ The Hindi version of the Constitution mentions ‘Bharat arthath India.’
→ The Persians were the first foreigners to mention India.
→ In the 6th century BCE, a Persian emperor gained control of the Indus River region.
→ The Persians referred to India as ‘Hind,’ ‘Hidu,’ or ‘Hindu,’ derived from ‘Sindhu.’
→ In ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ was a purely geographical term.
→ Based on Persian sources, the ancient Greeks named the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike.’
→ The Greeks dropped the initial ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because their language did not have this letter.
→ The ancient Chinese also interacted with India and referred to it as ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu.’
→ The Chinese terms ‘Yintu’ and ‘Yindu’ are derived from ‘Sindhu.’
→ Xuanzang, a Chinese traveler, visited India in the 7th century CE and translated Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese.
→ Several other Chinese scholars visited India over the centuries.
→ Another Chinese term for India was ‘Tianzhu,’ which could also mean ‘heavenly master.’
→ ‘Tianzhu’ reflects the respect ancient Chinese had for India as the land of the Buddha.
→ ‘Hindustan’ was first used in a Persian inscription around 1,800 years ago.
→ ‘Hindustan’ became a common term used by invaders to describe the Indian Subcontinent.
→ India has had many names throughout its history.
→ Ancient inhabitants of India called it ‘Jambudvipa’ and ‘Bharata.’
→ ‘Bharata’ became widespread over time and is the name of India in most Indian languages.
→ Foreign visitors and invaders mostly adopted names derived from the Sindhu or Indus River.
→ Names like ‘Hindu,’ ‘Indoi,’ and ‘India’ resulted from these foreign adaptations.
→ The evolution of India’s names reflects its rich and varied history, influenced by both internal developments and external interactions.
→ Modern Nation : A country with defined borders, states, and a known population.
→ Indian Subcontinent : The region of South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan.
→ Ancient texts : Historical documents written in ancient times.
→ Travellers and piligrims : People who traveled or journeyed for religious reasons in ancient times.
→ Inscriptions : Writings engraved on surfaces such as stone or metal.
→ Rig veda : India’s most ancient text, several thousand years old.
→ Sapta Sindhava : ‘Land of the seven rivers’ as mentioned in the Rig Veda.
→ Sindhava : Derived from ‘Sindhu,’ referring to the Indus River.
→ Sindhu : The ancient name for the Indus River.
→ Mahabharata : One of India’s most famous ancient texts.
→ Kashmira : The region corresponding to today’s Kashmir.
→ Kurukshetra : Region corresponding to parts of today’s Haryana.
→ Vanga : Ancient region corresponding to parts of Bengal.
→ Pragjyotisha : Ancient region corresponding to today’s Assam.
→ Kaccha : Ancient region corresponding to today’s Kutch.
→ Kerala : Ancient region more or less corresponding to today’s Kerala.
→ Bharatavarsha : Term used in the Mahabharata to refer to the entire Indian Subcontinent.
→ Jambudvipa : Term meaning ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree,’ referring to the Indian Subcontinent. A main Vedic group of people mentioned in the Rig Veda.
→ Bharatas : A common tree native to India, also called ‘jambul tree’ or ‘Malabar plum tree.’
→ Vishnu Purana : An ancient text that refers to the Indian Subcontinent as Bharata.
→ Bharata : Name for the Indian Subcontinent that remains in use today.
→ Bharat : The north Indian term for India.
→ Bharatam : The south Indian term for India.
→ Indian Constitution : The fundamental legal document of India, mentioning ‘India, that is Bharat.’
→ Bharat arthath India : The Hindi phrase in the Indian Constitution for ‘India, that is Bharat.’
→ Persians : The ancient inhabitants of Iran who first mentioned India.
→ 6th Century BCE : The time period when a Persian emperor gained control of the Indus River region.
→ Hind : Persian term for India.
→ Hidu : Persian term for India.
→ Hindu : Persian term derived from ‘Sindhu’ to refer to India.
→ Indol : The ancient Greek name for the region based on Persian sources.
→ Indike : Another ancient Greek name for the region
→ Xuanzang : A Chinese traveller who visited India in the 7th century CE.
→ Yintu : Ancient Chinese term for India derived from ‘Sindhu.’
→ Tianzhu : Another ancient Chinese term for India, reflecting respect for India as the land of the Buddha.
Physical Map of Indian Subcontinent