The name India may refer to either the region of Greater India (the Indian subcontinent), or to the contemporary Republic of India contained therein. The term is derived from the name of the Sindhu (Indus River) and has been in use in Greece since the 1st century. The term appears in Old English in the 9th century, and again in Modern English since the 17th century. The Republic of India has three principal short names, in both official and popular English usage, each of which is historically significant. All three originally designated a single entity comprising all the modern nations of the Indian subcontinent. These names are India, Bharat (named after King Bharata) and Hindustan (The Land of Hindus). The first Article of the Constitution of India states that “India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.” Thus, India and Bharat are equally official short names for the Republic of India, while Hindustan is used by Muslim nationals and is mostly used in historical contexts (especially British India). Indians commonly refer to their country as Bharat, Hindustan or India depending on the context and language of conversation. In a few Hindu texts such as the Manu Smriti and a few early Buddhist texts, India is known as Aryadesh. It is mentioned as Aryaavarta in the Manu Smriti. So Arya is used for members of the Arya Dharma (now called Hindu Dharma) and Aryaa is a designation for the Aryan tribe.
Explorations Speaker series
Join Kate Ross as she presents The Indian Ocean Trade Network. Centuries before Columbus, enormous trading occurred among civilizations along the Indian Ocean. The network spanned from the powerful city-states along Africa’s Swahili coast through the Middle East to India eastward to island and mainland kingdoms of Southeast Asia and then finally to Ming China. This was a vast commercial system that witnessed thriving trade and cultural diffusion since ancient times. Based on the latest historical research, this is a rarely told story of the formation of the Indian Ocean trading network itself, and the roles played by the varied regions adjacent to the Indian Ocean in creating the first truly global trading network.
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posted by Hills @ 11:15 PM
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