The name "India" originates from the Indus River, which was called "Sindhu" in Sanskrit. The term "India" was derived from the Old Persian word "Hindu," which itself came from "Sindhu." When the Persians conquered the region around 516 BCE, they referred to the area as "Hinduš," and this name was passed on to the Greeks, who called the land "Indos" or "Indía," losing the initial "h" sound due to their dialect
. The Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BCE used the term "India" to describe the lands beyond the Indus River. Over time, the name came to refer to the entire region east of Persia, including the Indian subcontinent. The term was adopted into Latin and later Old English, and by the 17th century, "India" was firmly established in English usage
. The name "India" was not given by the British; it was already in use long before British colonial rule. The British did popularize the term during their rule from the 18th century onward, but it was not coined by them
. Alongside "India," the country is also officially known as "Bharat," a name derived from the ancient Vedic tribe called the Bharatas, mentioned in the Rigveda. "Bharat" was adopted as an official name for the Republic of India in 1949 during the drafting of the Indian Constitution
. In summary:
- The name "India" comes from the Indus River ("Sindhu" in Sanskrit).
- The Persians called the region "Hinduš," which the Greeks adapted to "Indos" or "India."
- The term has been in use since at least the 5th century BCE, long before British colonialism.
- "Bharat" is the indigenous name derived from the ancient Bharata tribe and is also an official name of the country
