The Republic of India has two principal official short names, each of which is historically significant, India and Bharat. A third name, Hindustan, is also used commonly when Indians speak among themselves. The usage of "Bhārat", "Hindustān", or "India" depends on the context and language of conversation.
The name "India" is originally derived from the name of the river Sindhu (Indus River) and has been in use in Greek since Herodotus (5th century BCE). The term appeared in Old English by the 9th century and reemerged in Modern English in the 17th century.
"Bhārat" gained popularity in India during the nineteenth century. It is the shortened form of the term "Bhāratavar" which was first used in the first century AD in the Purans. "Bhāratavarṣ" is derived from the name of the Vedic community of Bharats who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the principal kingdoms of the Aryavart. It is also variously said to be derived from the name of either Dushyanta's son Bharat or Mahabharat.[1] At first the name Bhāratavarṣ referred only to the western part of the Gangetic Valley,[2][3] but was later more broadly applied to the Indian subcontinent and the region of Greater India. In 1949, it was adopted as an official name for the Republic of India by the Constituent Assembly along with "India".
"Hindustān" is another common name for the Republic of India and is also derived from the name of the river Sindhu. It gained popularity in India in the 11th century and became the common name for the northern Indian subcontinent in Indian languages, though it has been in Persian usage since at least the 3rd century CE while its earlier form "Hindush" was used as early as 6th century BCE. The term 'Hindu' was the Old Persian adaption of "Sindhu" (Indus River). "Hindustan" is still commonly used in the subcontinent to refer to the modern day Republic of India by Hindustani speakers.
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