Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat
Our country has many names: India, Bharat, Hindustan and more. In this chapter we find out how Indians named their land, Bharatavarsha and Jambudvipa, and follow the names that travellers from other lands gave it.
In this chapter you will
- describe where India lies and its natural borders
- explain the ancient names Bharatavarsha and Jambudvipa
- trace how the names Hindu, Indoi and India came from Sindhu
Topics
- How Indians Named India NCERT 5.1
The Constitution says: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
- How Foreigners Named India NCERT 5.2
Persians turned Sindhu into Hindu, giving Hind and Hindustan.
Key words
- Subcontinent
- a large, distinct part of a continent
- Bharatavarsha
- the land of the Bharatas, an ancient name of India
- Jambudvipa
- "the island of the jamun tree", an ancient name
- Constitution
- the basic law that sets out how a country is governed
- Inscription
- writing carved on stone or metal
Summary
- India has natural borders of mountains and seas and forms the Indian Subcontinent.
- Bharatavarsha and Jambudvipa are ancient Indian names of the land.
- Outsiders named it after the Sindhu: Hindu (Persian), Indoi (Greek), Yindu (Chinese), India (Latin).
- The Constitution says: "India, that is Bharat".