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India, That Is Bharat – Class 6 Social Science notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 6 Social Science, chapter 5. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

Our country has had many names over thousands of years. The Constitution begins with the words 'India, that is Bharat'. Names such as Jambudvipa and Bharata come from ancient Indian texts, while names like Hindu, Indoi and India came from how foreigners referred to the land around the Sindhu river.

Names from within India

Article 1 of the Constitution says: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States'.
Bharata is linked to the Bharatas, an ancient clan mentioned in the Rigveda, and to the land described in the Vishnu Purana as lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains.
Jambudvipa, the 'island of the jambu tree', was an ancient name used in texts and in some inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka.

Names given by others

The Persians called the land beyond the Sindhu river 'Hindu', as they pronounced 's' as 'h'.
The Greeks called it 'Indoi' or 'India', from the word for the Indus; Megasthenes wrote a book called Indica.
Chinese travellers such as Xuanzang used names like 'Yindu' for India.

Why names matter

Names reflect how a people see their land and how others see it.
The many names show India's long history and its contacts with other civilisations.

Key terms

Bharat: the name for India used in ancient texts and in the Constitution
Jambudvipa: an ancient Indian name for the land, meaning the island of the jambu tree
Sindhu: the Sanskrit name of the river Indus
Constitution: the basic law that describes how a country is governed

Important questions with answers

How did the names 'Hindu' and 'India' come into use?2 marks

The Persians called the land beyond the river Sindhu 'Hindu' because they pronounced 's' as 'h'. The Greeks, who learnt of it through the Persians, called the river Indus and the land 'Indoi' or 'India', and this name later spread to other languages.

What do the names Bharat and Jambudvipa tell us about ancient India?3 marks

Bharat is linked to the Bharatas, an ancient clan in the Rigveda, and the Vishnu Purana describes Bharata as the land between the ocean and the Himalayas, showing that people saw the land as one region. Jambudvipa, meaning the island of the jambu tree, was used in ancient texts and Ashoka's inscriptions, which shows that a common name for the land existed very early.

'Many names of India reflect its long history and contacts with the world.' Explain.5 marks

Inside India, ancient texts used names such as Bharata and Jambudvipa. The Rigveda mentions the Bharata clan, the Vishnu Purana describes Bharata as the land lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains, and Jambudvipa appears in texts and Ashoka's inscriptions. These names show how Indians understood their land as a whole. Outsiders gave other names based on the river Sindhu: the Persians said Hindu, the Greeks said Indoi and India, and Megasthenes described the land in his book Indica; Chinese travellers such as Xuanzang called it Yindu. These names show that India had contacts with Persia, Greece and China through trade, travel and learning. Today the Constitution brings the two traditions together in Article 1: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States'.

Quick revision

Article 1: India, that is Bharat.
Bharata clan in the Rigveda; Jambudvipa in ancient texts.
Hindu (Persian), Indoi (Greek) from Sindhu.
Many names show long history and contacts.

Exam tips

Learn which name came from which people: Persians (Hindu), Greeks (Indoi, India), Chinese (Yindu).
Quote Article 1 exactly in answers: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States'.

Practice MCQs

The Constitution says India is also called
1. Hindustan
2. Bharat
3. Aryavarta
4. Jambudvipa
Show answer
Answer: (b) Bharat. Article 1 says 'India, that is Bharat'.
The river from which the names Hindu and India come is the
1. Ganga
2. Godavari
3. Narmada
4. Sindhu (Indus)
Show answer
Answer: (d) Sindhu (Indus). Sindhu became Hindu and Indus.
Megasthenes, who wrote Indica, was
1. Chinese
2. Greek
3. Persian
4. Arab
Show answer
Answer: (b) Greek. He was a Greek ambassador at the Mauryan court.
Jambudvipa means
1. island of the jambu tree
2. land of rivers
3. land of mountains
4. land of the sun
Show answer
Answer: (a) island of the jambu tree. It was an ancient name for the land.
The Persians said 'Hindu' for 'Sindhu' because
1. they disliked the river
2. they pronounced 's' as 'h'
3. they lived on the Ganga
4. they used Greek
Show answer
Answer: (b) they pronounced 's' as 'h'. The sound shift gave Hindu.
The ancient clan called the Bharatas is mentioned in the
1. Arthashastra
2. Ramcharitmanas
3. Rigveda
4. Indica
Show answer
Answer: (c) Rigveda. The name Bharata is linked to them.
Which article of the Constitution says 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States'
1. Article 1
2. Article 14
3. Article 21
4. Article 370
Show answer
Answer: (a) Article 1. It is the very first article.
The Vishnu Purana describes Bharata as the land lying
1. east of the Himalayas
2. north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains
3. west of the Indus only
4. on an island in the sea
Show answer
Answer: (b) north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains. It defines the land between the sea and the Himalayas.

All chapters of Class 6 Social Science

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.