This article will tell you about the history behind the name ‘Bharat’
On the lines of ‘one country, one election’, ‘one country, one ration card’ and ‘one country, one law’, should the name also be the same – INDIA or Bharat?
Not only this, it is also being said in the report that instead of ‘President of India’, ‘President of India’ has been written on the invitation card of G20.
According to media reports, the Narendra Modi-led government may bring a proposal to change the name of India to Bharat in the special session of Parliament to be held from September 18-22.
Although this is not a new thing, many countries have changed their names. But amid this discussion, the curiosity to know when and how the country got its name India has increased among the people.
Let us know when and why the country was named ‘Bharat’ and what is the history behind it.
Bharat Bhoomi is known by many names, but ‘Bharat’ is the most popular
Bharat Bhoomi has been known by many different names since ancient times, such as Jambudweep, Bharatkhand, Himvarsha, Ajnabhavarsha, Bharatvarsha, Aryavarta, Hind, Hindustan and India.
But among these, the name ‘Bharat’ has been the most popular. For this reason, there are maximum assumptions and differences regarding when, why, and how the name Bharat was coined. The more diverse the culture of India is, the more it has been given different names in different periods.
‘Bharat’ mythological story behind the name India
There have been many people named Bharat in the mythological era. At different times, claims have been made to name India after these great persons.
According to the most popular mythological story, the name Bharatvarsha is named after Bharat, son of Rishabhdev. According to many Puranas, this country is named ‘Bharatvarsha’ after Bharat Chakravarthy, son of Lord Rishabhdev, son of Nabhiraj.
According to the Hindu scripture, Skanda Purana (Chapter 37), Nabhiraj had a son, Rishabhdev. Rishabh’s son was Bharat and after his name, this country is named “Bharatvarsha”.
What is the meaning of the word Bharat?
Some historians believe that behind the name Bharat is the identity of the Agnihotra culture that flourished in the Saptasandhav region. Bharat/Bharatha in Vedic means Lokpal or protector of the world, generally referred to as ruler or king.
The country was also known by these names:
- India
- Hindustan
- India
- Aryavarta
The story of Bharat, son of Dushyant-Shakuntala is also popular
Most people believe that the reason behind the name Bharat (pronounced as Bhaarat) is Bharat, the son of Shakuntala and Puruvanshi king Dushyant.
This is mentioned in the Adiparva of Mahabharata. Gandharva marriage took place between Shakuntala, daughter of Maharishi Vishwamitra and Apsara Menaka, and King Dushyant.
The name of their son was Bharat. It is said that after the birth of Bharat, sage Kanva had blessed that Bharat would later become the Chakravarti Emperor and this land in India would be famous after his name.
How did the country get its name INDIA?
The country was named India after Hindustan. The reason for this was that when the British came to India, they first formed the East India Company.
The East India Company was established over 400 years ago in 1600. After this, when the British gradually started ruling, they had difficulty in speaking ‘Hindustan’, so they came up with another name from the Indus Valley itself.
Sindhu Ghati is also called Indus Valley and Indus is called India in Latin. From here India got its name ‘India’ and this name got a lot of fame in the world.
The oldest name was Aryavarta
The oldest name of the country was Aryavarta. Historians believe that before the Aryans, humans did not live here and it was the Aryans who settled them, after which it was named Aryavarta.
