Test: India, That Is Bharat - 2 - Class 6 MCQ

The term 'Bhāratavarṣha' is indeed mentioned in the Vishnu Purana to denote the Indian subcontinent. This term signifies the cultural and geographical expanse associated with the land of the Bharatas. While the Mahabharata does refer to the Bharatas, the specific use of 'Bhāratavarṣha' as a name for the subcontinent is explicitly cited in the Vishnu Purana.

The term 'Yindu' used by ancient Chinese scholars is derived from 'Sindhu', the ancient name for the Indus River. When the Chinese encountered India, they adapted the Sanskrit term 'Sindhu' into 'Yindu'. This reflects the historical interactions between India and China. The term 'Yindu' is one of the variations of 'Sindhu', which was used by several ancient civilizations to refer to the Indian Subcontinent, including the Persians, who adapted it as 'Hindu'.

The term 'Sapta Sindhava' is derived from the Rig Veda, one of the oldest texts in Indian literature. It means "the land of the seven rivers," referring to the region around the Indus River and its tributaries. 'Sindhu' (the Indus River) and its surrounding rivers were highly significant in ancient Indian geography. The term emphasizes the importance of the river system in shaping the early civilizations in the Indian subcontinent.

In the Mahābhārata, the region Prāgjyotiṣha corresponds to what is today known as Assam in northeastern India. The Mahābhārata lists various regions with their ancient names, and Prāgjyotiṣha is one such region that corresponds to modern Assam. This reflects the extensive geographical knowledge of the authors of the epic and their understanding of the Indian subcontinent.

In ancient Indian texts, the term 'Bhārata' refers to "the country of the Bharatas", a group of people mentioned in the Rig Veda. The Bharatas were one of the major tribes in ancient Vedic society, and the term 'Bhārata' eventually came to represent the entire Indian Subcontinent. The name 'Bhārata' symbolizes both the geographical and cultural unity of the region associated with these ancient peoples.

The term 'Hindustān' was first used by the Persians to describe the Indian Subcontinent. The term is derived from 'Hind', which itself came from 'Sindhu', the ancient name for the Indus River. The Persians adapted the word 'Sindhu' into 'Hind' during their interactions with the Indian subcontinent, and over time, this term evolved into 'Hindustān', which was later used by invaders and rulers to refer to the Indian region.

The name 'Sindhu', which refers to the Indus River, was adapted by the ancient Persians into 'Hindu'. The Persians, who had interactions with the Indian subcontinent, used the term 'Hindu' to refer to the people and regions beyond the Indus River. Over time, this term evolved and came to be associated with the Indian subcontinent and later the Hindu religion. The term 'Hindu' originally had a geographical meaning and was not linked to the religion in its earliest usage.

Emperor Ashoka, who ruled around 250 BCE, referred to the Indian Subcontinent as 'Jambudvīpa' in his inscriptions. The term 'Jambudvīpa' means "the island of the fruit of the jamun tree" and was used by Ashoka to describe the Indian subcontinent in his edicts. These inscriptions provide valuable insights into the administration, culture, and geography of ancient India.

The term 'Bhārata' is used in the Vishnu Purāṇa to describe the Indian Subcontinent. In this text, it refers to the region lying to the north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains, which corresponds to the geographical boundaries of the Indian subcontinent. The Vishnu Purāṇa is one of the ancient texts that provide detailed descriptions of India's geography and its people, where the term 'Bhārata' became synonymous with the Indian subcontinent.

• A (Rig Veda): The Rig Veda mentions 'Bharata', but it primarily refers to a group of people, not the entire subcontinent.
• C (Mahabharata): The Mahābhārata refers to the people of the Bharata dynasty, but 'Bhārata' as the name of the subcontinent is more prominent in the Vishnu Purāṇa.
• D (Tamil literature): While ancient Tamil literature is significant, it does not use 'Bhārata' to refer to the entire subcontinent in the same way.

Thus, the Vishnu Purāṇa is the correct text that uses 'Bhārata' for the Indian subcontinent.

The term 'Jambudvīpa' means "the island of the fruit of the jamun tree," with 'Jambu' referring to the jamun tree (also known as the Malabar plum tree) and 'dvīpa' meaning island or land. This term was used in ancient Indian texts, such as the Mahābhārata and by Emperor Ashoka in his inscriptions, to describe the Indian subcontinent. The jamun tree was native to India and held cultural significance, symbolizing the richness of the land.