The Constitutional Name of India (From Earliest to Present)

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Present book is devoted to the different name of India, which India has adorned in a stretches of history. In this book, it has been endeavoured to highlight the etymological history of these names besides their geographical confinement. It is also here endeavoured to highlight regarding some names, that, how did they extend their geographical confinement in a stretches of history and how were they applied to the geography of whole India from the Himalayan mountains in the north to the seas in the east, west and south. Two more, perhaps the most important things about the terms and names i.e. Hind, Hindu(s), Hindustan and Bharat has been discussed critically herewith in the book. Regarding these terms, has been justified that how did the original meaning change duringfurther course of history and by the age of Muslim rule in India how and by which connotation have appeared these terms. In other words, herewith, it has been discussed and justified elaborately on the authority and evidences of literary and historical sources in the light of philology, and finally it has been shown that the terms 'Hindu' and 'Hindustan' have taken their connotational journey from the geographical etymology to the religious connotation in the course roughly 2600 years of history. Second thing, which is elaborately discussed in the book is that how and why did the name 'Bharat' prefer to the Constitutional name of India. For the purpose, what kind of discussion and debate occurred in the House of Constituent Assembly of India. In this regard, this also has been highlighted in the book while enterprising all these things. At the very beginning of the book, few pages are devoted to geo physical outline of today's India and few pages are devoted to find out the earliest term of India, though it was in territorial character and not in national character. It holds most important thing in order to know the history of the different names or in other words in finding out the antiquity of Indian names certainly. The pious view behind enterprising all these and the subject matter of the present book is to provide all required historical as well as literary information to the person(s) who have will to know and understand reasons and history of the names and terms which are applied to India as in national or in territorial character. In short it has been endeavoured to make available all information in a single book with some glimpses that how has India been entitled traditionally, historically and constitutionally.

Prof. Ashwaveer W. Gajbhiye is one of the few scholars since his college days, who is quietly carrying his research. He has contributed a dozen of research papers on Ancient Indian history, culture, archaeology and Constitution. Especially his research papers entitled 'Indian Penal Code in Asoka's Inscriptions; 'A study of the Asokan Epigraphy with reference to the Constitutional Official Language of India; 'A study of the Aśoka's Inscriptions in context to The Legal Maxims in Modern Judiciary; 'Relevance of Asoka's Foreign Policy: A study in the light of His Inscriptions', etc. presented respectively in the Annual conference of the Epigraphical Society of India, at Karnatka University, Dharwad, 34th Session, 2009, Birla College, Kalyan, Mumbai, 36th Session, 2011, University of Allahabad, 38th Session, 2012, Ravenshaw University, Cattack, Orrisa, 39th Session, 2013, and the same published in the Journal of ESI, Mysore, Vol. XXXV, 2010, Vol. XXXVII, 2012, Vol. XXXIX, 2013, etc. are very much praiseworthy and recognized as significant in historical point of view. In the present study author has placed before us his researches on the "The Constitutional Name of India" yielded by history and geography. Several historian have been written since last hundred of years. The mention may be made of the works of Al-Biruni, Prof. F. Max Muller, Dr. H.C. Raychaudhuri, Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Siddheshwar Sastri Chitrao, Tarkatirtha Shri. Laxman Sastri Joshi, Prof. A.L. Basham, Prof. Romila Thapar, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, our pioneer Prime Minister Late Pdt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Romesh Chunder Dutt, Ralph T.H. Griffith, Dr. Edward C. Sachau, Sir Alexander Cunnigham Prof. Vasudeo Saran Agrawal, H.G. Wells, Dr. P.N. Chopra and so on, who contributed a lot are full of merit and hold the field even today. But they are mostly of discriptive character with little reference to meaning and generally deal which shows the maximum endeavour of their mind and thoughts. To some extent this is due to the paucity of material evidence. None of the scholars made an intensive study of the subject. It is hardly necessary to say that all views, on present evidence, can be argued. What is the evidence which can be so variously manipulated. Others prefer some sort of compromise.

Till now, no comprehensive work has been published which may project a complete picture of the present name of this country. The need for such a work was, therefore, genuinely felt by the scholarly world and the present work attempts to fulfil that gap. The full marshalling of all this evidence and the adjustment, where possible, of the results of one discipline against another, form the body of present book. Prof. Gajbhiye devotes especial attention and produced a more detailed analysis than any hither to attempted. Author have take care to raise and discuss specific problems relating to the each period. His various sequences will, think, find general acceptance. Though the main focus is on a historical survey of Constitutional name of India. The era wise division and then differentiation of separate varieties simplifies the topic and makes it easier to understand even for a novice student. Throughout the course of this study, the author has tried remain objective and has not allowed any pre-conceived notions to supervene his analysis. Before drawing conclusion, he has weighed thoroughly the existing theories and valuable opinion of the scholars and if he has differed from them at several places, it is only because his findings have led him to such conclusions. In my opinion Jambudvipa which is the name in the Purāņas for the vast area form China to the Caspian Sea and form India to Siberia. In earlier geography of the four continents (Chaturdvipi - Bhugola) the earth was conceived in the form of a four -pettalled lotus (Chatturdala Bhüpadma), with Meru mountain in the centre as pericarp and with Bhadraśva in the east, Bharata in the south, Ketumala in the west and Uttarakuru in the north. Later on this geographical conception gave place to that of seven continents, in which the whole of Asia became Jambudvipa. The book is divided into seven chapters. In fact his book begins with the Dedicational note. This Dedicational note is so unique that I have never observed so far today. It is because, there is no mention of the name of the particular person. It is about quality, dedication, devotion and superiority, honesty, of an ennoble personality born in India, towards right education, right culture and civilization, right religion, right philosophy, right literature, right personal, public and collective responsibility etc. Though there is a invisibility of the name of such ennoble person but the theme, meaning and the adjectives contained in the Dedicational note has clear cut visibility of the name. Findings show that the Dedicational note is devoted to Ven'ble Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. In preface, it is justified about the aim and object of the book keeping in mind importance of the subject. First chapter is devoted to the present Geo-political background of India. Second chapter is endeavoured to find out earliest term for the name of India though it was in territorial or regional character. It is endeavoured after ransacking ancient literature especially in the light of concerned hymns and verses in the Rig Veda along with opinions and justifications verdicted by renowned scholars on the subject. Chapter third is devoted to the terms like Bhārat, Bhāratvarşa and Jambudvipa etc., its etymological history and its adherence to the place name of India along with its geographical extension from the confinement of particular geographical region. In the Fourth chapter it has been discussed on the territorial terms and also has been shown that how did they disappear from the memory of people in a long course of time. Chapter Fifth is devoted to the etymological history of the terms like India, Hind and Hindustan etc. It has been also endeavoured in the chapter that how did these terms adhere as the place name of India along with geographical extension from the geographical confinement of particular territory. Sixth Chapter is devoted to the history and justification that how did transmigration of term Hindu and Hindustan take place. Chapter Seventh is on the debates occurred in the Constituent Assembly of India during there was a discussion going on about the naming of India. This is the purpose behind it, of author, that to show the Constitutional name of India. This chapter is enough interesting to the persons who want to know the Constitutional name of India. I believed that the study of India i.e. Bharat is extremely interesting carried out by the author in the present work, under the light of enormous data from renowned authorities.

A scholar of Indian epigraphy once said, "William Shakespeare might have found noting substantial in name and obviously gives no importance to name by saying, "What is in a name?" but earlier to him and even after him names remained very important to men." Of course, names remained very important to men in their personal and public life. Names became so important to men that some time he or she gets ready to do whatever for name. History shows that men often had have been taking much labour for naming the things. Pages of history are crowded with names. India has her own independent research platform entitled 'Place Names Society of India' at Mysore, from where research work is doing regarding the place names in India. Often it has been observed that several time turmoil prevails on names and naming the things consequently socio- public life of the Indian society affected badly. Sometime it resulted in delightful atmosphere when it takes for the sake of the benevolent purpose. We have the good and momentous example in this regard and this example is; when, the frame work of the Constitution of Independent India was going on in the Constituent Assembly, the issue of naming the newly born republic of India was greatly debated and discussed. This is the greatness of names. India has her very beautiful and beloved names since the remote past of Indian history. It is observed after ransacking available sources about different names of India roughly from BC 2000 to 16th century A.D. that India has been termed by different names in a stretches of history by her dwellers and outsiders from time to time. Of these, some names have lasted long still even today as in national character popularly, whereas, some of, those were regional or territorial, could not have lasted long and disappeared in the mists of antiquity. This is a fact that, etymologically, all terms which were applied as the names of India, originally, they had come into vogue in regional or in territorial character ab-initio. However, some of these names have been applied for the name of whole India. In this category, the names come such as; Bharat, Bharatavarşalndia, Hind, Hindustan, Jambudvipa, Indudesh, and Aryadesh etc. The names which were chiefly in territorial character, these are as such; Saptasindhu, Aryavarta, Brahmävarta, Brahmarshidesh, and Madhya pradesh etc. Today some of these names have confined chiefly in the pages of history, because they either have lost in the mists of antiquity or erased out from the memory of people though they had their beautiful, glorious history and fame in the past. Sources show that there are numerous terms and names either in territorial or in regional character described in ancient Indian literature. Of these, some names are of the different countries in the then India, and some are termed after the names of their respective Janapadas and Mahajanapadas (Large and Small Monarchical States). Of these, some names are of the republics in ancient India while some are termed after the names of different respective clans. One thing is to be noticeable, that, there was a fashion among the ancient Indians who designed their respective territory or states as a country as it is described as desha. In the present work only few such territorial terms and names or few states have been discussed according to the need and necessity. The pious view behind enterprising all these and the subject matter of the present book is to provide all required historical as well as literary information to the person(s) who have will to know and understand reasons and history of the names and terms which are applied to India as in national or in territorial character. In short it has been endeavoured to make available all information in a single book with some glimpses that how has India been entitled traditionally, historically and constitutionally. Keeping in mind this, present little book is devoted to the different name of India, which India has adorned in a stretches of history. In this book, it has been endeavoured to highlight the etymological history of these names besides their geographical confinement. Simultaneously, it is also here endeavoured to highlight regarding some names, that, how did they extend their geographical confinement in a stretches of history and how were they applied to the geography of whole India from the Himalayan mountains in the north to the seas in the east, west and south. Two more, perhaps the most important things about the terms and names i.e. Hind, Hindu(s), Hindustan and Bharat has been discussed critically herewith in the book. Of these names, first thing is about the etymological history of the term Hind, Hindu and Hindustan has been discussed elaborately with an impartial justification.

**Contents and Sample Pages**