Chapter 5 India, that is Bharat
The Big Questions (Page 75)
Question 1.
How do we define India?
Answer:
India can be defined as a country which has a rich cultural and spiritual history that dates back
to thousands of years to ancient civilizations like the Indus Valley Civilisation and the Vedic
Period.
Question 2.
What were the ancient names for India?
Answer:
The ancient names for India were ‘Bharatavarsha’ , ‘Jambudvipa’ and Bharata.
Think About It
Question 1.
Consider the physical map of the Indian Subcontinent at the start of the chapter. What
are its natural boundaries that you can make out? (Page 77)
Answer:
The natural boundaries which can be seen are the Himalayas and Hindukush mountains in the
north. The Arabian Sea in the West and Bay of Bengal in the East.
Question 2.
Have you identified the ‘snowy mountains’? Do you think this brief description of Bharata
is correct? (Page 80)
Answer:
The snowy mountains mentioned in the Vishnu Purana are the Himalayas. This brief description
of Bharata is correct as it refers to the natural boundaries of India which has helped to protect
India against foreign invaders and made it a well defined unit.
Let’s Explore
Question 1.
Do you recognise the names of any regions given in the map (Fig. 5.4) on page 79? List
the ones that you have heard of. (Page 78)
Answer:
I have heard of the following:
1. Panchala
2. Kashi
3. Anga
4. Vanga
5. Kosala
6. Chedi
7. Kalinga
8. Cholas
9. Pandyas
10. Matsya
Question 2.
In this reproduction of the first page of the original Constitution of India in Fig. 5.5 (page
82), can you make out the phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’? (Page 81)
Answer:
The first page of the Constitution clearly states that ‘India’, that is Bharat shall be a Union of
States.
Question 3.
Can you complete this table of the many names of India? (Page 83)
Answer:
Persian Hind, Hidu, Hindu
Greek Indoi, Indike
Latin India
Chinese Yintu, Yindu
Arabic & Persian Hind, Hindustan
English India
French Inde
Questions, Activities and Projects (Page 84)
Question 1.
Discuss what could be the meaning of the quotation at the start of the chapter.
Answer:
The quotation indicates that the principles that form the foundations of India’s spiritual and
cultural unity were laid down. In ancient India itself and were followed down the centuries as a
way of life for all.
For example
The Vedas which are India’s oldest religious texts have given rise to several schools of thought.
The Upanishads and the different schools of Indian philosophy discussed many issues regarding
the nature of the ultimate reality. Buddhism and Jainism departed from the authority of the Vedas
laying emphasis on different values and practices. But common to all belief systems which
helped to Unite India spiritually was belief in the need to detach from material things and
understand the nature of the ultimate reality.
Similarly our culture has evolved due to fusion of our various religious beliefs systems which
have contributed to our rich heritage of art, sculpture, music, painting etc.
Question 2.
True or/False?
(a) The Rig Veda describes the entire geography of India.
Answer:
False
(b) The Vishnu Purana describes the entire Subcontinent.
Answer:
True
(c) In Ashoka’s time, ‘Jambudvipa’ included what is today India, parts of Afghanistan,
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Answer:
True
(d) The Mahabharata lists many regions, including Kashmir, Kutch, and Kerala.
Answer:
True
(e) The term ‘Hindustan’ first appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago.
Answer:
False
(f) In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu religion.
Answer:
False
(g) ‘Bharata’ is a name given to India by foreign travellers.
Answer:
False
Question 3.
If you were bom 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!
Answer:
I would have chosen the name ‘Bharatavarsha’ as the name covers the entire Subcontinent as it
existed in ancient times . Moreover this name would include all the people who inhabited the
Subcontinent.
Question 4.
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? (Hint: There could be at
least four or five motivations)
Answer:
People travelled to India for various reasons: Many people travelled to India for trade purposes.
Traders and merchants would travel to sell their goods or exchange them for other products.
There was a lot of demand for Indian goods like spices, muslin cloth, silk and indigo. In ancient
times, India was famous for it’s wealth, culture and philosophy. For traveller’s India was a Land
of wonder’s. Thus many people driven by a spirit of adventure and desire to visit new and
exciting places came to India. Some people came as part of an army bent on conquest. For e.g.
the army of Alexander and the Persian king Cyrus. People also travelled to India in search of
knowledge. For e.g. The Chinese traveller’s like Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang and I-tsing came to India
to gain knowledge about Buddhism. Some people like the Shaka tribes were pushed out of their
homes in Central Asia, and sought an alternative homeland in India.
