Names for India

The Republic of India has two principal official short names, each of which is historically significant, India and Bhārat. A third name, Hindūstān, is also used commonly when Indians speak among themselves. The usage of "Bhārat", "Hindūstān", 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 as early as the 9th century and reemerged in Modern English in the 17th century.

"Bhārat" is the shortened form of the term "Bhāratavarsha" which was first used in the first century AD in the Puranas. "Bhāratavarsha" is derived from the name of the Vedic community of Bharatas who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the principal kingdoms of the Aryavarta. It is also variously said to be derived from the name of either Dushyanta's son Bharata or Mahabharata.^[1] At first the name Bhāratavarsha 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".

"Hindūstān" is another common name for the Republic of India and is also derived from the name of the river Sindhu. It had been in Persian usage since at least the 3rd century AD, while it's earlier form "Hindush" was used as early as 6th century BC. The term Hindustan was introduced within India in the 11th century and became the common name for the northern Indian subcontinent in Indian languages. 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.