Aryavarta
Topic: India, That Is Bharat: Names of India and Unity in Diversity · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Aryavarta means "the land of the Aryas", the land of the noble or cultured people. Texts such as the Manusmriti describe it as the area between the Himalaya and the Vindhya mountains, stretching from the eastern sea to the western sea. So it covered north India only, not the whole Subcontinent. It was mainly a cultural and religious idea, the land where Vedic customs were followed. It was not the name of any one kingdom.
Example
The Allahabad (Prayaga) pillar inscription of Samudragupta (c. 4th century CE) says that he uprooted many kings of Aryavarta, meaning the rulers of north India.
Don't confuse with
- Bhāratavarṣha / Bhārata: this name covered the whole land, from the Himalayas to the ocean. Aryavarta covered only the north, above the Vindhyas.
- Dakshinapatha: this was the name for the southern land, below the Vindhyas.