India, That Is Bharat

The names by which our country has been known, where they came from, what the Constitution says, and India’s neighbours.

Key ideas

• Our country has been called Bharat, India and Hindustan, and Chinese travellers called it Yintu.
• Article 1 of the Constitution says: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
• The name India comes from the river Sindhu (Indus): Persian speakers said its S as H, and the Greeks turned the name into Indos.
• Countries often have more than one name because different peoples and languages name them, often after rivers or features of the land.
• India is a Union of States: states joined together under one Constitution and one central government.
• The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, which we celebrate every year as Republic Day.

Remember

Watch out

• Mixing up the two dates: the Constitution was adopted in November 1949 and came into force in January 1950.
• Forgetting the “+ 1” when counting Republic Days: 1950 was the first, so 1951 was the second.
• Thinking “India” was the only official name: the Constitution names both India and Bharat.

Worked example