Names of India in Different Indian Languages

India, a country rich in cultural and linguistic diversity, is known by different names in various languages spoken across the nation. This article explores the names of India in its major languages, reflecting the linguistic and cultural richness of the region.

Names of India in Major Indian Languages

The names of India vary in different languages, but Bharat or Hindustan is the most common name used across most of the languages spoken in India:

Hindi: Bhārat Bengali: Bhārata or Bhārat Tamil: Indya or Itiyā Telugu: Bhāra?adēa Marathi: Bhārata Gujarati: Bhārata Malayalam: India Kannada: Bhārata Punjabi: Bhārata Odia: Bhārata Assamese: Bhārata Urdu: Bhārata

These names reflect the linguistic diversity of India, where each language has its own script and pronunciation. The names in Sanskrit have a rich history and significance, while others are more modern adaptations of the English name “India” which was derived from the Greek and Arabic names for the region.

Historical Names and Etymology

Most South Asian languages use a variant of the Sanskrit name of India:

Sanskrit: Bharatam, Bharatvarsha Aryavarta: The Land of the Aryans

The names in various Indian languages are:

Assamese: Bhārot Bengali: Bhārot Dogri: Bharat Gujarati: Bharat Hindi: Bharat, Bharatvarsha Kannada: Bharata Kashmiri: / Barat Malayalam: Bharatam Marathi: Bharat Nepali: Bharat Oriya: Bharoto Punjabi: / Bharat Sindhi: / Bharatu Sinhalese: Bharat Tamil: Bharat, Bharat desham Urdu: Bharat (although many prefer the English term “India” in Pakistan)

Many of these languages have synonyms or modified forms of the English name “India,” which was itself borrowed from the Greek or Arabic names for the region. The term “Hindu” has a complex etymology, with one variant being Hindustan, meaning “Land of the Hindus.”

Official Usage

The two names that dominate official usage are derived from “Bharat” and “India” because these are the two official names of the country recognized by the Constitution. The Constitution does not use a single official language, and India's rich linguistic heritage is reflected in the naming of the country.

Understanding the names and etymology of India in different languages can provide a deeper appreciation of the country's cultural and historical landscape. Exploring these names highlights the interconnected history and linguistic diversity of the region.