THINK ABOUT IT (Page 104)
-
Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter. What are its natural boundaries that you can make out?
- North: The towering Himalayan mountain range.
- North-West: The Hindu Kush mountain ranges and the Indus river valley.
- West: The Arabian Sea.
- East: The Bay of Bengal and dense forest hills of the North-East.
- South: The Indian Ocean.
LET'S EXPLORE (Page 106)
-
Do you recognise the names of any regions given in the map (Fig. 4.4)? List the ones that you have heard.
Yes, many ancient regions correspond to modern areas:
- Kashmera: Kashmir
- Kuru / Panchala: Parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh
- Magadha / Kashi / Kosala: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
- Vanga / Pundra: Bengal
- Pragjyotisha: Assam
- Kaccha / Surashtra: Gujarat (Kutch & Saurashtra)
- Vidarbha: Maharashtra
- Kalinga: Odisha
- Andhra / Ashmaka: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
- Chola / Pandya / Kerala / Dravida: Tamil Nadu and Kerala
THINK ABOUT IT (Page 110)
-
Have you identified the 'snowy mountains'? Do you think this brief description of Bharata is correct?
- Snowy mountains: The Himalayas (Himadri).
- Is the description correct? Yes. The Vishnu Purana states: "The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharata." This precisely describes the geographical boundaries of the Indian subcontinent.
LET'S EXPLORE (Page 112)
-
In this reproduction of the first page of the original Constitution of India in Fig. 4.5 (page 114), can you make out the phrase 'India, that is Bharat'?
Yes. In Part I, Article 1(1) of the Constitution of India, the opening line clearly reads: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
LET'S EXPLORE (Page 116)
Table: Many Names of India
| Language / Source | Name Given to India |
|---|---|
| Persian | Hind / Hidu / Hindu |
| Greek | Indoi / Indike |
| Latin | India |
| Chinese | Yintu / Yindu / Tianzhu |
| Arabic & Persian | Hindustan |
| English | India |
| French | Inde (or India) |
Questions, activities and projects (Page 118)
-
1. True or false?
Statement Ans The Rig Veda describes the entire geography of India. False (It focuses mainly on the north-west 'Sapta Sindhava' region) The Vishnu Purana describes the entire Subcontinent. True In Ashoka's time, 'Jambudvipa' included what is today India, parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. True The Mahabharata lists many regions, including Kashmir, Kutch, and Kerala. True The term 'Hindustan' first appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. False (It first appeared in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago) In ancient Persian, the word 'Hindu' refers to the Hindu religion. False (It was a purely geographical term derived from the river Sindhu) 'Bharata' is a name given to India by foreign travellers. False (It was an indigenous name given by ancient Indians) -
2. Discuss what could be the meaning of the quotation at the start of the chapter: "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
Sri Aurobindo explains that despite diverse languages, regions, and political kingdoms, the people living between the Himalayas and the oceans (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) shared a profound cultural, civilisational, and spiritual unity. Shared epics, sacred rivers, pilgrim routes, and philosophical traditions bound the entire subcontinent into one united civilization from ancient times.
-
3. Why did people travel to India from various parts of the world in ancient times? What could be their motivations in undertaking such long journeys?
Foreign visitors, scholars, and travellers came to India for several motivations:
1. Trade and Commerce: To buy famous Indian spices, fine cotton textiles, silk, gemstones, and perfumes.
2. Education and Learning: To study at world-renowned ancient universities like Nalanda, Takshashila, and Vallabhi.
3. Religious Pilgrimage: Chinese Buddhist pilgrims like Xuanzang travelled to visit holy Buddhist sites, meet scholars, and collect sacred Buddhist manuscripts.
4. Curiosity and Exploration: Envoys and ambassadors (like Megasthenes) came to understand Indian society, administration, and philosophy.
5. Military Conquest: Invaders came attracted by India's immense agricultural and mineral wealth. -
4. If you were born some 2,000 years ago and had the chance to name our country, what name or names might you have chosen, and why? Use your imagination!
I would have chosen names like:
1. Ratnagarbha (Land of Jewels): Because our land is blessed with rich fertile river valleys, abundant minerals, lush forests, and diverse natural resources.
2. Jambudvipa: Celebrating the native flora (the great Jamun tree) that flourished across the length and breadth of the fertile subcontinent.
3. Sindhumatruka (Child of Rivers): Honouring the life-sustaining sacred rivers like Ganga, Indus, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri that nourished ancient civilization.
