Do you know the different names India has had since centuries?

India, not the India we know today but India as a part of Southern Asia has been mentioned even in the ancient Hebrew texts. India has been invaded by different nations and rulers since centuries and each new ruler and empire brought their own name to India. Today, India is the seventh largest country and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories.

However, once, the nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar too formed part of India. However, India a a whole was never under the rule of a single king or empire and the rulers of the Northern and Southern regions were mostly fragmented. This was largely owing to the difficult topography and varied terrains.

It was the British with their rule that began in the 18th century that brought India together and ruled all of India. However, despite the colonial rule, parts of India were still under the Portuguese and the Dutch or under Princely States. However, it was the British that brought about a unification (and later division) of India as we know today. And just like with different rulers different cultures emerged in the country, India was not always called India. India has had a host of names through the different eras. Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. Hodu

Hodu is the Biblical Hebrew name for India and is mentioned in the Old Testament.

2. Tianzhu

This is the Chinese and the Japanese name given to India by the Oriental scholars. During their travels, they came across a region bordered by the Sindhu river (now known as Indus. The Persian rule changed the name of Sindhu to Hindu and Tianzhu is literally a translation of Hindu.

3. Nabhivarsha

Olden texts refer to India a Nabhivarsha. There are 2 reasons for the name. Nabhi, was the son of the man who one ruled the entire Earth. As Nabhi ruled India, it came to be known as Nabhivarsha. Nabhi in sanskrit also means the Navel and is the center. If seen on the globe, India appears to be the navel or the center of the Earth. Hence, the name Nabhivarsha.