CHAPTER 5
India, That Is Bharat
Social Science | Class 6 | Exploring Society: India and Beyond
“In India at a very early time the spiritual and cultural unity was made complete and became the very stuff of the life of all this great surge of humanity between the Himalayas and the two seas.” — Sri Aurobindo |
🔍 THE BIG QUESTIONS 1. How do we define India? 2. What were the ancient names for India? |
📚 CHAPTER NOTES
- Introduction
India today is a modern nation with fixed borders, but it looked very different 500, 2,000, or even 5,000 years ago. The region we call the ‘Indian Subcontinent’ has had many names and shifting boundaries throughout history.
Sources that tell us about India’s past:
- Ancient texts (Rig Veda, Mahabharata, etc.)
- Accounts of travellers and pilgrims
- Stone inscriptions
⭐ THINK ABOUT IT: Natural Boundaries of the Indian Subcontinent: • North: Himalayas (snowy mountains) • South: Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea + Bay of Bengal) • Northwest: Hindu Kush mountains |
- How Indians Named India
- Sapta Sindhava — The Rig Veda
- ‘Sapta Sindhava‘ = ‘land of the seven rivers’
- ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’ = the Indus River
- This name referred to the northwest region only
- Rig Veda is India’s oldest text — several thousand years old
- Bharatavarsha & Jambudvipa — The Mahabharata
- The Mahabharata lists many regions: Kashmir, Kurukshetra, Bengal, Assam, Kutch, Kerala, etc.
- ‘Bharatavarsha’ = ‘the country of the Bharatas’ → referred to the whole Subcontinent
- ‘Bharata’ first appears in the Rig Veda as a Vedic group of people; later, kings named Bharata are mentioned
- ‘Jambudvipa’ = ‘island of the fruit of the jamun tree’ → also meant the Indian Subcontinent
- Written from a few centuries BCE onward
- Ashoka’s Use of Jambudvipa (~250 BCE)
- Emperor Ashoka used ‘Jambudvipa’ in his inscriptions
- At that time, Jambudvipa included today’s India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan
- Bhārata — Vishnu Purana
“The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata.”
- Snowy mountains = Himalayas; Ocean = Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea + Bay of Bengal)
- ‘Bhārata’ became the most widely used name for India in Indian languages
- North India: written as ‘Bharat’; South India: written as ‘Bharatam’
- Ancient Tamil Literature (2,000 years ago)
- Praises a king known ‘from Cape Kumari in south to the great mountain in the north, from oceans on east and west’
- Cape Kumari = Kanyakumari (southernmost tip); Great mountain = Himalayas
- Shows ancient Indians knew their geography well!
⭐ KEY FACT: Indian Constitution begins: ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States’ Hindi version: ‘Bhārat arthāth India’ |
- How Foreigners Named India
- Persians (6th century BCE)
- First foreigners to mention India
- Controlled the Indus (Sindhu) River region
- Called India: Hind / Hidu / Hindu (adapted from ‘Sindhu’)
- Note: In ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ is a geographic term, NOT a religious term
- Greeks
- Based their name on Persian sources
- Called India: ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’
- Dropped the ‘h’ (letter didn’t exist in Greek): Hindu → Indoi
- Chinese
- Called India: ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’ (also from Sindhu): Sindhu → Hindu → Indu → Yindu
- ‘Tianzhu’ = also from Sindhu; means ‘heavenly master’ → showed respect for India as land of Buddha
- Xuanzang (7th century CE) — famous Chinese scholar/pilgrim who visited India for 17 years
- He collected Buddhist texts and translated them from Sanskrit to Chinese
- Hindustan
- First used in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago
- Became the name used by most invaders of India for the Subcontinent
- Quick Reference: Names of India at a Glance
Language/People | Name for India | Origin |
Indians (Rig Veda) | Sapta Sindhava | Land of seven rivers (Sindhu = Indus) |
Indians (Mahabharata) | Bharatavarsha / Jambudvipa | Country of the Bharatas / Island of the Jamun tree |
Indians (Vishnu Purana) | Bhārata | North of ocean, south of Himalayas |
Persians | Hind / Hindu / Hidu | Adapted from Sindhu |
Greeks | Indoi / Indike | From Persian Hindu (dropped ‘h’) |
Chinese | Yintu / Yindu / Tianzhu | From Sindhu; Tianzhu = ‘heavenly master’ |
Arabic & Persian (later) | Hindustan | First used ~1,800 years ago in Persian inscription |
Latin / English | India | From Greek Indike |
French | Inde | From Latin India |
🔗 HOW ‘SINDHU’ BECAME ‘INDIA’ — WORD EVOLUTION |
Sindhu (Sanskrit) → Hindu/Hidu (Persian) → Indoi/Indike (Greek) → India (Latin/English) Sindhu → Hindu → Indu → Yindu/Yintu (Chinese) |
📌 BEFORE WE MOVE ON — SUMMARY |
3. India is an ancient land with many names throughout history. 4. Indian names include ‘Jambudvipa’ and ‘Bharata’. ‘Bharat’ is still used today. 5. Foreign names mostly came from the river Sindhu (Indus): Hindu → Indoi → India. |
WORKSHEET
Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat
Name: ____________________________ Class: _________ Date: ___________
SECTION A: IN-CHAPTER QUESTIONS
Think About It (Page 77)
Q1. Look at the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent. What are its natural boundaries?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
💡 Hint: Think about the Himalayas (north) and the oceans (south, east, west). |
Let’s Explore (Page 78)
Q2. From the Mahabharata map (Fig. 5.4), list any 5 regions you recognise and their modern names.
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Ancient Name (Mahabharata) | Modern Name / State |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. |
Think About It (Page 80)
Q3. What are the ‘snowy mountains’ mentioned in the Vishnu Purana’s description of Bhārata?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Q4. Is the Vishnu Purana’s description of Bhārata correct? Why?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Let’s Explore (Page 81 – Constitution)
Q5. In the Constitution of India, what phrase is used to describe our country at the very beginning?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Let’s Explore (Page 83 – Names Table)
Complete this table of names of India:
Language / People | Name for India (fill in) |
Persian | ________________________ |
Greek | ________________________ |
Latin | India (given) |
Chinese | ________________________ |
Arabic & Persian | ________________________ |
English | India (given) |
French | Inde (given) |
SECTION B: EXERCISE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q1. Discuss the meaning of the opening quotation by Sri Aurobindo.
✅ Answer: Sri Aurobindo means that India achieved spiritual and cultural unity very early in history. Even though India had many kingdoms, languages, and people, they all shared common values, traditions, and a sense of belonging to one land — from the Himalayas in the north to the two seas (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) in the south. This unity of spirit made India one civilization. |
Q2. True or False — with Corrections:
Statement | T / F | Correction (if False) |
The Rig Veda describes the entire geography of India. | FALSE | Rig Veda only names the northwest region as ‘Sapta Sindhava’. The entire geography is described later in Mahabharata etc. |
The Vishnu Purana describes the entire Subcontinent. | TRUE | It defines Bhārata as north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains (Himalayas). |
In Ashoka’s time, ‘Jambudvipa’ included today India, parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. | TRUE | — |
The Mahabharata lists many regions including Kashmir, Kutch, and Kerala. | TRUE | — |
The term ‘Hindustan’ first appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. | FALSE | ‘Hindustan’ first appeared in a Persian (not Greek) inscription about 1,800 years ago. |
In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu religion. | FALSE | In ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ is a geographical term referring to the region of the Indus River — not the Hindu religion. |
‘Bhārata’ is a name given to India by foreign travellers. | FALSE | ‘Bhārata’ is an Indian name, first found in the Rig Veda (for a Vedic group) and later used for the whole Subcontinent. |
Q3. If you were born 2,000 years ago, what name would you give India and why?
✅ Sample Answer (Use your imagination!): I would name India ‘Nadi-mata Bhoomi’ meaning ‘Land of Mother Rivers’ because rivers like the Ganga, Indus, Sarasvati, and Kaveri were the lifelines of ancient India. People lived along them, worshipped them, and built great civilizations on their banks. The rivers connected people from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, making India one great river-civilization. |
Q4. Why did people travel to India from various parts of the world in ancient times?
At least 5 motivations:
- Trade — India was famous for spices, cotton, gems, and other valuable goods
- Religion / Spirituality — India was the birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism; pilgrims came to visit sacred sites
- Learning / Education — India had great universities (e.g., Nalanda, Takshashila) that attracted scholars
- Exploration / Adventure — travellers and geographers were curious about this vast, rich land
- Military / Political — Persian and Greek rulers (e.g., Darius, Alexander) came to conquer the wealthy Indus region
- Diplomacy — kings and emperors exchanged ambassadors and built alliances with Indian kingdoms
SECTION C: EXTRA PRACTICE
Fill in the Blanks:
- The most ancient text of India is the _________________ .
- ‘Sapta Sindhava’ means ‘land of the _________________ rivers’.
- ‘Jambudvipa’ means ‘island of the fruit of the _________________ tree’.
- Emperor _________________ used the term ‘Jambudvipa’ in his inscriptions around 250 BCE.
- The Persians called India ‘Hind’ or ‘Hindu’, adapting it from the Sanskrit word ‘_________________’.
- The Greeks called India ‘_________________ ‘ or ‘Indike’.
- The Chinese scholar _________________ visited India in the 7th century CE for 17 years.
- The term ‘Hindustan’ first appeared in a _________________ inscription about 1,800 years ago.
- The Indian Constitution uses the phrase ‘_________________ , that is Bharat’.
- Cape Kumari mentioned in ancient Tamil literature is today called _________________ .
ANSWERS — Fill in the Blanks: 1. Rig Veda 2. Seven 3. Jamun 4. Ashoka 5. Sindhu 6. Indoi 7. Xuanzang 8. Persian 9. India 10. Kanyakumari |
Match the Following:
Column A | Column B |
1. Sapta Sindhava | a. Emperor who used ‘Jambudvipa’ in inscriptions |
2. Bharatavarsha | b. Chinese pilgrim who visited India |
3. Ashoka | c. ‘Land of the seven rivers’ (Rig Veda) |
4. Xuanzang | d. ‘Country of the Bharatas’ (Mahabharata) |
5. Tianzhu | e. Chinese name meaning ‘heavenly master’ |
ANSWERS — Match: 1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b, 5-e |
Short Answer Questions (2–3 lines each):
Q1. What does ‘Bharatavarsha’ mean and where does it come from?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Q2. Why did the Persians call India ‘Hindu’?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Q3. How did the word ‘Sindhu’ become ‘India’ in English?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Q4. What was Xuanzang’s contribution to India-China cultural relations?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Q5. How does the Constitution of India mention the name of our country?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
📝 ANSWER KEY — Short Questions |
1. ‘Bharatavarsha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’. ‘Bharata’ was a Vedic group first mentioned in the Rig Veda. Later, kings named Bharata are mentioned in literature. The Mahabharata used this name for the whole Subcontinent. 2. In the 6th century BCE, Persians controlled the Indus (Sindhu) River region. They adapted ‘Sindhu’ into their language as ‘Hindu/Hidu’, making it their word for India. 3. Sindhu (Sanskrit) → Hindu/Hidu (Persian) → Indoi/Indike (Greek, dropped ‘h’) → India (Latin/English). Each language adapted it slightly. 4. Xuanzang (7th century CE) visited India for 17 years, collected Buddhist texts and manuscripts, and translated them from Sanskrit to Chinese. This spread Indian knowledge in China. 5. The Constitution begins: ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.’ The Hindi version says: ‘Bhārat arthāth India’. Both names are officially recognized. |
— End of Notes & Worksheet: Chapter 5 —