Class 6 Social Science — Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat

What you'll learn

• ▸The Indian Subcontinent as a Historical Region
• ▸Sapta Sindhava: The Name from the Rig Veda
• ▸Bhāratavarsha and Jambudvīpa: Names from Epics and Puranas
• ▸Geographical Definition of Bhārata
• ▸Origin of 'Hind' and 'India': Persian and Greek Naming
• ▸Other Foreign-Derived Names: Chinese and Hindustān
• ▸Official Names in the Indian Constitution

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- CHAPTER 5 India, That Is Bharat In India at a very early time the spiritual and cultural unity was made complete and became the very stuff of the life of all this great surge of humanity between the Himalayas and the two seas. — Sri Aurobindo © NCERT Not to be republished Fig. 5.1. A scene from rural India about 2,300 years ago (north gate of the Great Sanchi Stupa) The Big Questions 1. How do we define India? 2. What were the ancient names for India? Reprint 2025-26 --- PAGE 2 --- Exploring Society: India and Beyond Tapestry of the Past © NCERT not to be republished 76 Fig. 5.2. A physical map of the Indian Subcontinent, with some of its rivers. Reprint 2025-26 --- PAGE 3 --- Today, the India we know is a modern nation, with defined borders, defined states and a known population. However, it was very …

Practice Questions from this Chapter

Tap "Get Solution" on any question to ask our AI tutor.

1. Explain 'Bhāratavarsha's' meaning. Get Solution →
2. Discover how 'Sindhu' became 'India'. Get Solution →
3. Map India's shifting historical boundaries. Get Solution →
4. According to the chapter, what is India's most ancient text? Get Solution →
5. What does the term 'Sapta Sindhava', found in the Rig Veda, mean? Get Solution →
6. The name 'Bhāratavarsha', used in the Mahābhārata, means what? Get Solution →
7. Which ancient text provides the definition: 'The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhārata'? Get Solution →
8. Which group of foreigners first referred to India as 'Hind', 'Hidu', or 'Hindu'? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 India's name 'Bharat' comes from ancient Vedic people or legendary kings.
• 💡 One ancient name for India, 'Jambudvīpa', means 'island of the jamun fruit'.
• 💡 The term 'Hindu' was first used geographically by Persians for the Indus region.
• 💡 Greeks dropped the 'h' from 'Hindu' to name India because their language lacked it.
• 💡 The Indian Constitution officially begins with the phrase 'India, that is Bharat'.

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