Social Science Notes Class 6 English Medium 2026-27

Social Science Chapter 5. India, That Is Bharat

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Chapter 5. India, That Is Bharat

Meaning and Idea of the Indian Subcontinent

The region that we commonly call the Indian Subcontinent has a very long history. Its names, boundaries and political divisions have changed considerably over thousands of years.

• India is a modern nation with defined borders, states and a known population.
• The India of today was very different 500, 2,000 or 5,000 years ago.
• The geographical region is often called the Indian Subcontinent.
• The boundaries of the Indian Subcontinent have changed at different points of history.
• The region has been known by many different names.
• Some names were given by the inhabitants of the region.
• Other names were used by visitors and people from outside.
• Historical names help us understand how people viewed and described this region.

Sources for the Names of India

We learn about the different names of India from several historical sources.

• Ancient Indian texts provide information about the names of the region.
• Accounts written by travellers and pilgrims are another source.
• Inscriptions provide important historical evidence.
• Different sources may describe different parts of the Indian Subcontinent.
• By studying these sources, historians understand how the names of India developed over time.

Important Term – Inhabitants

Inhabitants: People who live in a particular place.

How Indians Named India

Ancient Indian texts contain some of the earliest names associated with the Indian Subcontinent.

• The Ṛig Veda is one of India's most ancient texts.
• It is several thousand years old.
• The Ṛig Veda gives the northwestern region of the Subcontinent the name Sapta Sindhava.
• Sapta Sindhava means the ‘land of the seven rivers’.
• The word Sindhava comes from Sindhu.
• Sindhu refers to the Indus River.
• In some contexts, Sindhu can also refer to a river in general.

Sapta Sindhava

Sapta Sindhava is an ancient name mentioned in the Ṛig Veda for the northwestern region of the Indian Subcontinent.

• Sapta means seven.
• Sindhava is connected with Sindhu.
• Sapta Sindhava means the land of the seven rivers.
• The term is associated with the northwestern region of the Subcontinent.
• The name shows the importance of rivers in the geography of the region.

Sindhu and the Indus River

The word Sindhu has an important place in the history of the names of India.

• Sindhu refers to the Indus River.
• At times, the word Sindhu could also mean a river in general.
• The word Sindhava is derived from Sindhu.
• Later foreign names for India were also connected with the word Sindhu.
• The historical development of the names Hind, Indoi and India can ultimately be traced back to Sindhu.

The Mahābhārata and the Regions of India

The Mahābhārata is one of India's most famous ancient texts. It mentions many regions of the Indian Subcontinent.

• The Mahābhārata contains references to numerous geographical regions.
• These regions cover different parts of the Indian Subcontinent.
• Examples include Kāshmīra, Kurukṣhetra, Vanga, Prāgjyotiṣha, Kaccha and Kerala.
• Kāshmīra corresponds roughly to today's Kashmir.
• Kurukṣhetra refers to parts of present-day Haryana.
• Vanga refers to parts of Bengal.
• Prāgjyotiṣha refers roughly to today's Assam.
• Kaccha refers to today's Kutch.
• Kerala is also mentioned as a region.
• The large number of regions mentioned shows knowledge of the geography of the Subcontinent.

Important: The individual regions shown in the chapter's map do not need to be memorised; the important point is that they cover the geography of the Indian Subcontinent.

Names for the Entire Indian Subcontinent

Ancient Indian texts use names that refer to the Indian Subcontinent as a whole. Two important names mentioned in the Mahābhārata are Bhāratavarṣha and Jambudvīpa.

• The exact dates of many ancient Indian texts are difficult to determine.
• Scholars generally agree that the Mahābhārata was composed from a few centuries BCE onward.
• The Mahābhārata uses the terms Bhāratavarṣha and Jambudvīpa.
• Bhāratavarṣha extends to the entire Indian Subcontinent.
• The text also includes the names of many rivers and peoples.
• Jambudvīpa also came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.

Bhāratavarṣha

Bhāratavarṣha is an ancient name for the Indian Subcontinent found in the Mahābhārata.

• Bhāratavarṣha refers to the entire Indian Subcontinent.
• The term means ‘the country of the Bharatas’.
• The name Bharata appears earlier in the Ṛig Veda.
• In the Ṛig Veda, Bharata refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people.
• Later Indian literature mentions several kings named Bharata.
• The name Bhārata later became widely used for the Indian Subcontinent.

Bharata in the Ṛig Veda

• The name Bharata first appears in the Ṛig Veda.
• It refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people.
• Later literature mentions several kings named Bharata.
• The term Bhāratavarṣha is connected with the Bharatas.
• The name Bhārata eventually became a widely used name for the Indian Subcontinent.

Jambudvīpa

Jambudvīpa is another ancient name used for the Indian Subcontinent.

• The term Jambudvīpa means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’.
• The jamun tree is native to India.
• The jamun tree is also known as the jambul tree or Malabar plum tree.
• Jambudvīpa later came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.
• The term is used in the Mahābhārata.

Jambudvīpa in the Time of Aśhoka

An inscription of the Indian emperor Aśhoka provides an important clue about the historical use of the term Jambudvīpa.

• Aśhoka ruled around 250 BCE.
• Aśhoka left many inscriptions.
• In one of his inscriptions, he used the name Jambudvīpa.
• In this inscription, Jambudvīpa described the whole of India of that time.
• The region included areas that are today Bangladesh and Pakistan.
• It also included parts of present-day Afghanistan.
• This shows that Jambudvīpa was used for a very large geographical region.

Important Terms – Part 1

Important Differences

Important Source–Name Connections

Quick Revision

• ✔ India has had many names throughout history.
• ✔ The Indian Subcontinent has had changing boundaries.
• ✔ Ancient texts, travellers' accounts and inscriptions provide information about India's historical names.
• ✔ The Ṛig Veda is one of India's most ancient texts.
• ✔ Sapta Sindhava means the ‘land of the seven rivers’.
• ✔ Sapta Sindhava refers to the northwestern region of the Subcontinent.
• ✔ Sindhava comes from Sindhu.
• ✔ Sindhu refers to the Indus River or, at times, a river in general.
• ✔ The Mahābhārata mentions many regions of the Indian Subcontinent.
• ✔ Bhāratavarṣha means ‘the country of the Bharatas’.
• ✔ Bharata is a name found in the Ṛig Veda.
• ✔ Jambudvīpa means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’.
• ✔ Jambudvīpa later came to mean the Indian Subcontinent.
• ✔ Aśhoka used the name Jambudvīpa for the whole of India of his time.