Antiquity and Origin of the Term 'Hindu'

Dr. Murlidhar H. Pahoja*

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The anti-Hindu historians like Romila Thapar and D.N. Jha have opined that
the word 'Hindu' was given currency by the Arabs in the 8th century. They
however, do not explain the basis of their conclusion nor do they cite any
evidence in support of their claim. Even Arab Muslim writers do not make such
an extravagant claim 3. Another theory propounded by European writers is that
the word 'Hindu' is a Persian corruption of 'Sindhu' resulting from the Persian
practice of replacing 'S' with 'H'. Even here, no evidence is cited. In fact the word
Persia itself contains 'S' which should have become 'Perhia' if this theory was
correct. The present paper examines the above two theories in the light of
epigraphic and litereary evidence available from Persian, Indian, Greek, Chinese
and Arabic sources. The evidence appears to support the conclusion that 'Hindu'
like 'Sindhu', has been in use since the Vedic age and that although 'Hindu' is a
modified form of 'Sindhu', its origin lies in the Saurashtran practice of
pronouncing 'H' in place of 'S'.

1. Epigraphic Evidence :

The Hamadan, Persepolis and Naqsh-I-Rustam Inscriptions4 of Persian monarch

Darius mention a people 'Hidu' as included in his empire. These inscriptions are
dated between 520-485 B.C.4 This fact establishes that the term 'Hi(n)du' was
current more than 500 years before Christ. Xerexes, successor of Darius, in his
inscriptios4 at Persepolis, gives names of countries under his rule. The list
includes 'Hidu'. Xerexes was ruling between 485-465 B.C.4 On a tomb in
Persepolis, another inscription assigned to Artaxerexes (404-395 B.C.)4, there

*Retired as Deputy General Manager, Research Centre, Escorts Ltd., Faridabad.

*Formerly Faculty Member at I.I.T., Kharagpur and at I.I.T., New Delhi.
*Ph.D. (Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1972)
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are three figures above which are inscribed 'iyam Qataguviya' (this is Satygidian),
'iyam Ga(n)dariya' (this is Gandhara) and 'iyam Hi(n)duviya' (this is Hi(n)du).

The Asokan inscriptions (3rd century B.C.)5, repeatedly use expressions like
'Hida' (fgn) for 'India' and 'Hida loka' (fgn yksd) for 'Indian nation'. 'Hida' and its
derivative forms are used more than 70 times in the Ashokan inscriptions. For
instance in the Jaugadha, separate rock edict II, the lines 3 &4, read,

lo eqfulk es itkA vFk itk;s bNkfe fdafr es los.kk fgrlq[ksu ;qt;

s qA vFk itk;s bNfe fdafr
es losu fgrlq[ksu ;qt; fgnyksfxd ikyyksfdds.k gsoea so es bN loeqfulslqA
s w fr fgn
(All men are my people. I desire for my people that they may be provided with all
welfare and happiness. I desire for my people, including the people of Hind and
beyond and I desire for all men.)

The Edict further, says in lines 7 & 8,

ee fufera p /kaea pys;w fr fgnyks
fgn xa p ikyyksxa p vkyk/k;s;Aw
(Dhamma may be followed and and the people of Hind and beyond may be
served.)

The Ashokan inscriptions establish the antiquity of the name 'Hind' for India to
atleast third century B.C.

In Persepolis Pahlvi inscriptions of Shahpur II (310 A.D.) the king has the titles
shakanshah hind shakastan u tuxaristan dabiran dabir, "king of Shakastan,
minister of ministers of Hind Shakastan and Tukharistan".6

The epigraphic evidence from the Achaemenid, Ashokan and Sasanian Pahlvi
records, puts a question mark on the theory about the term 'Hindu' having
originated in Arab usage in the 8th century A.D. Literary evidence takes the
antiquity of the word 'Hindu' back to atleast 1000 B.C. and possibly 5000 B.C.

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2. Evidence from Pahlvi Avesta :

In the Avesta, Hapta-Hindu is used for Sanskrit Sapta-Sindhu7, the Avesta

being dated variously between 5000-1000 B.C. This indicates that the term
'Hindu' is as old as the word 'Sindhu'. Sindhu is a Vedik term used in the
Rigveda. And therefore, 'Hindu' is as ancient as the Rigveda.

In the Avestan Gatha 'Shatir', 163rd Verse speaks of the visit of Veda Vyas to
the court of Gustashp and in the presence of Zorashtra, Veda Vyas introduces
himself saying 'man marde am Hind jijad' 8 - I am man born in 'Hind'. Veda Vyas
was an elder contemporary of Shri Krishna (3100 B.C.).

3. Greek Usage

The Greek term 'Indoi' is a softened form of 'Hindu' where the initial 'H' was
dropped as the Greek alphabet has no aspirate9. This term 'Indoi' was used in
Greek literature by Hekataeus (late 6th century B.C.) and Herodotus (early 5th
century B.C.) 9, thus establishing that the Greeks were using this derivative of
'Hindu' as early as 6th century B.C.

4. The Hebrew Bible :

The Hebrew bible uses 'Hodu' 10 for India, which is a Judaic form of 'Hindu'. The
Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is considered earlier than 300 B.C.10 Today's
Hebrew spoken in Israel also uses Hodu for India.

5. The Chinese Testimony :

The Chinese used the term 'Hien-tu' for 'Hindu' about 100 B.C.11 While
describing movements of the Sai-Wang (100 B.C.), the Chinese annals state that
the Sai-Wang went towards the South and passing Hien-tu reached Ki-Pin11.

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Later Chinese travellers Fa-Hien (5th century A.D.) and Huen-Tsang (7th century
12
A.D.) use a slightly modified term 'Yintu' but the affinity to 'Hindu' is still
retained. This term 'Yintu' continues to be used till today 13.

6. Pre-Islamic Arabic Literature :

Sair-ul-Okul14 is an anthology of ancient Arabic poetry available in the Turkish

library Makhtab-e-Sultania in Istambul. In this anthology is included a poem by
Prophet Mohammed's uncle Omar-bin-e-Hassham. The poem is in praise of
Mahadev (Shiva), and uses 'Hind' for India and 'Hindu' for Indians. Some verses
are quoted below:

Wa Abaloha ajabu armeeman Mahadevo

Manojail ilamuddin minhum wa sayattaru
(If but once one worships Mahadev with devotion,
One will attain the ultimate salvation.)
Wa sahabi Kay yam feema Kamil Hinda e Yauman,
Wa Yakulam na latabahan foeennak Tawajjaru.
( Oh Lord grant me but one day's sojourn in Hind,
Where one can attain spiritual bliss.)
Massayare akhalakan hasanan Kullahum,
Najumam aja at Summa gabul Hindu.
( But one pilgrimage there gets one all merit,
And the company of great Hindu saints.)

The same anthology has another poem by Labi-bin-e Akhtab bin-e Turfa who is
dated 2300 before Mohammed i.e. 1700 B.C. This poem also uses 'Hind' for
India and 'Hindu' for Indian. The poem also mentions the four Vedas Sama,
Yajur, Rig and Athar. This poem is quoted on columns in the Laxmi Narayan
Mandir in New Delhi, popularly known as Birla Mandir (Temple) 8. Some verses14
are as follows:

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Aya muwarekal araj yushaiya noha minar Hinda e,

wa aradakallha manyonaifail jikaratun.
( Oh the Divine land of Hind, blessed art thou,
thou art chosen land showered with divine knowledge.)
Wahalatjali Yatun ainana sahabi akhatun jikra,
Wahajayahi yonajjalur rasu minal Hindatun.
( That celetial knowledge shines with such brilliance,
Through the words of Hindu saints in fourfold abundance.)
Yakuloonallaha ya ahlal araf alameen kullahum,
fattabe-u jikaratul Veda bukkun malam yonajjaylatun.
( God enjoins on all, follow with devotion,
path shown by Veda with divine percept.)
Wahowa alamus Sama wal Yajur minallahay Tanajeelan,
Fa e noma ya akhigo mutibayan Yobasshariyona jatun.
( Overflowing with knowledge are Sama and Yajur for Man,
Brothers, follow the path which guides you to salvation.)
Wa isa nain huma Rig Athar nasahin ka Khuwatun,
Wa asanat Ala-udan wabowa masha e ratun,
( Also the two Rig and Athar(va) teach us fraternity,
taking shelter under their lusture, dispels darkness.)

7. 'Hindu' in Sanskrit Literature :

Another doubt created by the modern day anglicized historian is that the term
'Hindu' is not found used in Sanskrit literature. This misconception can be
dispelled by quoting from Sanskrit works15 :

Meru tantra (es#rU=) (4th to 6th century A.D.), a Shaiva text, comments on 'Hindu'.

ghua
gh p nw";R;so fgUnqfjR;qP;rs fiz;As
(Hindu is one who discards the mean and the ignoble.)

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The same idea is expressed in Shabda Kalpadruma ('kCndYinzqe),

ghua
gh nw"k;fRk bfr fgUnwA

Brihaspati Agam (c`gLifr vkxe) says,

fgeky;a
fg lekjH; ;kofnUnq
Unq ljksoje~A
ra nsofufeZra ns'ka fgUnqLFkkua izp{krsAA
(Starting from Himalaya upto Indu waters is this God-created country Hindustan)

Parijat Haran Natak (ikfjtkrgj.k ukVd) describes Hindu as,

fgufLr
fg rilk ikiku~ nSfgdku~ nq"Vekulku~A
gsfrfHk% 'k=qoxZa p l fgUnqjfHk/kh;rsAA
(Hindu is one who with penance washes one's sins and evil thoughts and with
arms destroys one's enemies.)

Madhava Digvijaya (ek/ko fnfXot;) states,

vksd
a kjewyeU=k<~; iqutZUe–<k'k;%A
xksHkäks Hkkjrxq#fgZUnqfgZalunw"kd%AA
(One who meditates on Omkar as the primeal sound, believes in karma &
reincarnation, has reverence for the cow, who is devoted to Bharat, and abhors
evil, is deserving of being called Hindu.)

Vriddha Smriti (o`) Le`fr) defines Hindu as,

fgal;k nw;rs ;'p lnkpj.krRijA

osnxksizfreklsoh l fgUnqeq[k'CnHkkd~AA
(One who abhors the mean and the ignoble, and is of noblebearing,
who reveres the Veda, the cow, and the deity, is a Hindu.)

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Similarly other Sanskrit works which use the term 'Hindu' are, Kalika Puran,
8,15
Bhavishya Puran, Adbhut Kosh, Medini Kosh, Ram Kosh etc . Even Kalidas
16
has used a derivative form 'Haindava' .

8. 'Hindu' and 'Sindhu'

Another theory says that 'Hindu' originated from the Persian practice of replacing
'S' with 'H'. This does not seem to be true is evident from the fact that Sindh has
not become Hind and both Sindh and Hind exist in Persian as well as Arabic. The
inscriptions of Darius and Xerexes which describe India as Hi(n)du, also use the
term 'Sugd' for Sogdiana. This 'Sugd' should have become 'Hugd' as per this
theory. The Pahlvi inscription of Shahpur II, uses 'S' in Shakastan and
Tuxaristan.

But it cannot be denied that Hindu is a form of Sindhu. It needs to be realised

that this change from S to H is common in Saurashtra where Sorath becomes
Horath, Somnath becomes Homnath and so on. The form Hindu is therefore,
likely to have come from Saurashtra.

It should also be noted that as per Nirukta rules of grammar, in the Vedik
language, replacement of S with H is permitted 17.

9. Conclusion :

Epigraphic evidence takes the antiquity of 'Hindu' back to atleast 500 B.C. Use of
'Hindu' as part of 'Hapta-Hindu' in the Avesta suggests that 'Hindu' is as old as
'Sindhu' and therefore, belongs to the Vedic age.

Regarding the origin of 'Hindu' from 'Sindhu', the Saurashtran practice of

pronouncing 'H' in place of 'S' provides the answer.

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REFERENCES:

1. Thapar, Romila., A history of India, vol 1, Harmondsworth, 1966.

2. Jha, D.N., Ancient India in Historical Outline, Manohar, New Delhi, 1998.
3. Dowson, J., The History of India as Told by its Own Historians, Low Price
Publications, Delhi, 1990.
4. Chattopadhyaya, S., The Achaemenids and India, Munshiram Manoharlal,
new Delhi, 1974.
5- ik.Ms;] jktcyh-] v'kksd ds vfHkys[k] Kkue.My] okjk.klh] laor 2022-
6. Herzfeld, E., Kushano-Sasanian Coins, Archaeolgical Survey of India,
New Delhi, 1998.
7. Damodaran, E., India the Cradle of Mankind, Sahayog Publications,
Mumbai, 1999.
8- rulq[kjke xqIr] fgUnq /keZ ifjp;] lw;ZHkkjrh izdk'ku] ubZ fnYyh] 1997-
9. Rawlinson, H.G., India and the Western World, Rai Book Service, Delhi,
1977.
10. Achtemeier, Paul J. (Ed.), Harper's Bible Dictionery, Theological
Publications in India, Bangalore, 1990.
11. Konow, S., Kharoshti Inscriptions, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol 2,
Pt 1, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, 1991.
12- ekFkqj] fot;sUnzdqekj] ,sfrgkfld LFkkukoyh] jktLFkku fgUnh xzUFk vdkneh] t;iqj]
1990-
13. Chinese Equivalents of Place Names in India and Environs, Survey of India,
Dehradun, 1987.
14. Oak, P.N., World Vedik Heritage, pp 687-698, P.N. Oak, 1984.
15- 'kekZ] lqjUs nz] fgUnw /keZ vkSj laLd`fr] fo".kq izdk'ku] isrfyax t;] eysf'k;k-
16. Asiatic Researches, Vol 3, pp 369, Cosmo Publications, New Delhi, 1980.
17- 'kkL=h]ek/kokpk;Z-] ^fgUnw dkSu\*]dY;k.k&fgUnw laLd`fr vad]xksj[kiqj] la 2050-