7 Ancient Names Of India Before 1947: Unearthing The Subcontinent's Forgotten Identity

The question of what India was called before 1947 is far more complex than a simple historical footnote; it is a journey through millennia of shifting geography, spiritual beliefs, and political dominance. As of today, December 17, 2025, the debate over the country's official name—whether to emphasize 'India' or 'Bharat'—continues to highlight the deep cultural significance embedded in these ancient appellations, making the historical context of pre-independence names incredibly relevant and timely.

Before the establishment of the modern Republic of India in 1947, the subcontinent was a tapestry of kingdoms, empires, and colonial territories, each using different names to describe the landmass. These names—ranging from cosmological terms found in ancient Hindu texts to geographical labels assigned by foreign invaders—tell the story of a civilization that was constantly being defined and redefined by its own people and the world beyond.

A Chronological List of the Indian Subcontinent's Historical Names (Pre-1947)

The names for the land that is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan and Myanmar have evolved over thousands of years, reflecting different eras, religious texts, and foreign interactions. Understanding these names is key to grasping the subcontinent's deep and varied historical identity.

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1. Jambudvipa: The Cosmological Name

The name Jambudvipa represents the earliest and most expansive concept of the land, rooted firmly in ancient Indian cosmology, particularly in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain texts.

• Etymology and Meaning: The term literally means "the island of the Jambu trees" (Syzygium cumini, or the Indian blackberry).
• Geographical Scope: In Vedic cosmology, Jambudvipa was not just the subcontinent but one of the seven concentric island-continents (dvipas) that made up the Earth. It was a vast, almost mythological landmass, with the region known as Bharatavarsha being a specific, southern division within it.
• Historical Context: This name was primarily used in religious and philosophical contexts, emphasizing the spiritual and mythical unity of the land long before any political empire achieved it.

2. Bharatavarsha / Bharata Khanda: The Enduring Indigenous Name

Bharatavarsha, often shortened to Bharat, is arguably the most powerful indigenous name for the subcontinent, and it is one of the two official names (India, that is Bharat) enshrined in the modern Indian Constitution.

• Etymology and Meaning: The name is traditionally traced back to the legendary Emperor Bharata, a figure mentioned in the Puranas and the epic Mahabharata, who is said to have ruled the entire territory. Varsha means 'country' or 'subcontinent.'
• Geographical Scope: By the time of the Epics and the Puranas (ancient Hindu texts), Bharata Khanda represented the entire Indian subcontinent, encompassing modern India and its neighbors.
• Historical Context: This name signifies a deep cultural and spiritual unity. It was the name used by the people of the land to refer to their own civilization for centuries before foreign incursions.

3. Aryavarta: The Land of the Noble Ones

Another ancient Sanskrit name, Aryavarta, was used to define the cultural and geographical heartland of early Vedic civilization.

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• Etymology and Meaning: It translates to "Land of the Aryas" or "Land of the Noble People."
• Geographical Scope: Initially, its scope was limited, primarily referring to the region between the Himalayas and the Vindhya mountain range, and between the eastern and western seas—essentially, the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This was the area where the Vedic culture flourished.
• Historical Context: This name appears in post-Vedic texts like the Manusmriti and reflects a cultural and linguistic identity rather than a political one.

4. Sindhu / Indos: The Greek and Persian Connection

The name India, and its predecessors, originates not from indigenous Sanskrit but from the geographical labels applied by foreign travelers and conquerors, primarily the Persians and the Greeks.

• The Persian 'Hindu': The ancient Persians (Achaemenids) struggled to pronounce the Sanskrit 'S' sound, transforming the name of the great river Sindhu (Indus River) into 'Hindu.'
• The Greek 'Indos': When the Greeks, following figures like Alexander the Great, arrived, they transliterated the Persian 'Hindu' into Indos (or Indika).
• Historical Context: This marked a significant shift. While 'Bharat' was a cultural name, 'Indos'/'India' became a geographical one, used by the outside world to describe the region beyond the Indus River.

5. Hindustan: The Mughal and Persian Legacy

The name Hindustan became the most common and widely recognized name for the subcontinent during the medieval and early modern periods, particularly under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.

• Etymology and Meaning: Derived from the Persian 'Hindu,' the suffix -stan means 'land' or 'place.' Thus, Hindustan means "Land of the Hindus."
• Geographical Scope: Its meaning varied over time. In the 13th century, it might have referred only to the area around Delhi and Punjab. By the Mughal era (16th-19th centuries), it commonly referred to the entire northern and central subcontinent, though sometimes it was used to mean the entire region.
• Historical Context: This name was widely used by the inhabitants and rulers of the subcontinent right up until 1947, and it remains a popular, informal name today.

6. Hodu: The Biblical Reference

A lesser-known but historically significant name, Hodu, appears in ancient religious texts, demonstrating the subcontinent's long-standing connection to the Middle East.

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• Etymology and Meaning: Hodu is the Biblical Hebrew name for India.
• Historical Context: It is mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically the Book of Esther, which states that King Xerxes ruled 127 provinces "from Hodu to Kush" (India to Ethiopia), illustrating that the region was known to the ancient world as a distant, powerful land.

7. Aja Nabha Varsa: The Primal Name

Some ancient texts refer to an even more primal name, linking the land to the earliest Vedic deities.

• Etymology and Meaning: The term combines "Aja" (another name for the Vedic God Brahma), "nabha" (center or navel), and "varsa" (land/region).
• Historical Context: This name is found in some very early Puranic accounts, suggesting a deep-rooted belief that the Indian subcontinent was the spiritual and geographical center of creation.

The Political Evolution of Naming: From Empire to Independence

The period immediately preceding 1947, known as the British Raj, saw the formalization of the name "India" for administrative purposes. The British adopted the Greek/Roman term, which had been filtered through Persian, as it was the name most recognized internationally. This act solidified "India" as the political and administrative identity of the territory under colonial rule.

However, the indigenous name Bharat never disappeared. When the Constituent Assembly was drafting the Constitution in 1949, there was a significant debate over the official name.

• The Constitutional Compromise: The framers ultimately settled on a dual identity to honor both the ancient indigenous heritage and the modern international recognition. Article 1(1) of the Constitution states: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
• The Role of 1947: The year 1947 marked the political separation of the subcontinent into the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The name "India" was chosen for the successor state to the British Raj, but only with the explicit inclusion of "Bharat" to maintain the continuity with the civilization's deep past.

Topical Entities and LSI Keywords

The history of India's pre-1947 names is tied to several key entities and concepts, which serve as crucial topical authority signals:

• Ancient Texts: Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata, Manusmriti, Book of Esther.
• Key Empires/Rulers: Emperor Bharata, Achaemenid Empire (Persians), Alexander the Great (Greeks), Mughal Empire, British Raj.
• Geographical Landmarks: Indus River (Sindhu), Himalayas, Vindhya Range.
• LSI Keywords/Concepts: Bharatvarsha, Bharata Khanda, Indika, Sindhu, Hodu, Aryavarta, Vedic cosmology, Constituent Assembly, pre-independence era, Indian subcontinent.

In conclusion, the question "what was India called before 1947" has no single answer. The land was simultaneously known as the spiritual and vast Jambudvipa, the culturally-defined Bharatavarsha, the geographically-defined Hindustan, and the internationally-recognized India. This rich, layered naming history is a testament to the subcontinent's complex identity, where ancient spiritual roots and foreign political labels have merged to form the identity of the modern nation.