"Test: India - Class 6 MCQ

The Ṛig Veda is India's most ancient text and refers to the northwest region of the Subcontinent as 'Sapta Sindhava,' meaning 'land of the seven rivers'. An interesting fact is that the word 'Sindhava' comes from 'Sindhu', which refers to the Indus River.

'Bhāratavarṣha' is a term used to refer to the entire Indian Subcontinent and is derived from the name 'Bharata' mentioned in the Ṛig Veda. The other names, Hind, Yindu, and Indoi, are derived from the word 'Sindhu,' which refers to the Indus River. An interesting fact is that ancient Persians and Greeks adapted 'Sindhu' to 'Hind' and 'Indoi' respectively.

The ancient Tamil literature praises a king whose name is not specified in the given context but is known "from [Cape] Kumari in the south, from the great mountain in the north, from the oceans on the east and on the west." This indicates the extent of the king's renown across the Indian Subcontinent. An interesting fact is that Cape Kumari refers to the southernmost point of India, also known as Kanyakumari.

Emperor Aśhoka, around 250 BCE, referred to the Indian Subcontinent as 'Jambudvīpa' in his inscriptions. This name means 'the island of the fruit of the jamun tree' and reflects the common tree native to India. An interesting fact is that Aśhoka's inscriptions have been crucial in understanding ancient Indian history and geography.

The Mahābhārata, one of India's most famous texts, lists many regions such as Kāshmīra, Kurukṣhetra, and Vanga. These names correspond to modern-day regions in India, like Kashmir, Haryana, and Bengal. An interesting fact is that the Mahābhārata is a vast epic, considered one of the longest literary works in the world.

The ancient Greeks used the name 'Indoi' or 'Indike' for the region of India, derived from the Persian term 'Hindu'. An interesting fact is that the Greeks dropped the initial 'h' because it did not exist in their language, resulting in 'Indoi'.