How Foreigners Named India
Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 5.2
Learn
Long ago, travellers and traders from other lands came to the subcontinent. They often named the land after the great river they first met in the north-west: the Sindhu (Indus).
In the old Persian language, the "s" sound often became "h". So Sindhu became Hindu, the name Persians used for the land and people beyond the river. Later this gave the names Hind and Hindustan.
The ancient Greeks heard the name from the Persians and dropped the "h": they called the river Indos and the land Indoi or Indike. From Greek it passed into Latin as India, and later into English.
Chinese travellers also wrote about the land. The famous monk Xuanzang, who came to study Buddhism in the 7th century CE, called it Yindu; another Chinese name was Tianzhu. Each name tells us how others saw our land, while the people here knew it as Bharat.
Explore: follow the name's journey.
- Put the names in the order they appeared.
Remember
- Persians turned Sindhu into Hindu, giving Hind and Hindustan.
- Greeks said Indoi or Indike, which became India; Chinese travellers like Xuanzang said Yindu or Tianzhu.
Quick check
The name "India" comes from the name of which river?
- Sindhu (Indus)
- Ganga
- Godavari
- Kaveri
Answer
Sindhu (Indus). Sindhu → Hindu → Indos → India.
Think about it
Why do you think so many outside names for India came from a river?
One answer
For travellers from the north-west, the mighty Sindhu was the first great landmark and a natural border. People often name a land after its most famous feature.
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.