Who Kept The Name India For India?
India’s name did not originate from a single person rather it developed over a long period. A number of people from diverse locations along with historical eras had played an imperative role in the entire process of calling the country by the name ‘India’. Let’s explore the exciting journey of how the name ‘India came into existence. Enjoy Reading!
- Ancient Roots: During ancient times, there existed a river known by the name of Indus in the region we presently call India. In the Sanskrit language, people use the name ‘Sindhu’ to describe this river.
- The Persians: People from Persia had connections with the region near the Indus River. They begin to use the word ‘Hindu’ in order to talk regarding the land situated on the other side of the Indus River. From here, the name India began to take shape.
- Historical Records: Numerous ancient historians from several areas of the world, documented information regarding the people as well as the places within the Indian subcontinent. In short, they used various name versions for ‘India’ or words similar to it to describe this particular area of the world.
- European Influence: When European nations especially the British visited this area of the world at the time of the colonial era, they also began to use the name India so as to refer to this area.
- Independence: After India gained independence in the year 1947 from British rule, the country officially embraced the name i.e., ‘Republic of India’. This way, Indian people on their own decided to retain the name India for their country.
Takeaway
The name ‘India’, no doubt, has a deep history that involves linguistic transformations, historical documentation, and cultural interactions. It developed slowly with time and, in turn, became the most preferred name for the country we know today.
