Origin of the term Hindu
Also called: Al-Hind, Hindu as a Persian term, Hind, Hidu · Topic: India, That Is Bharat: Names of India and Unity in Diversity · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 5 "India, That Is Bharat"; Class 12, Ch 1 "Through the Eyes of Travellers"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
The word "Hindu" began as a Persian place name, not as a religious word. It comes from Sindhu, the Indus river. Old Persian changed 's' to 'h', so in records from the 6th century BCE onwards, the people east of the Indus were called Hindu. Other forms grew from it: Hind and Hidu. Later, the Arabs called the land al-Hind, and Persian and Turkish rulers used Hindustān. The word took on a religious meaning only much later.
Example
Al-Biruni, a scholar from Khwarizm who worked at Ghazni, wrote Kitab-ul-Hind ("Book on Hind") in the 11th century. In it, he described the land, people, beliefs and sciences of al-Hind.
Don't confuse with
- Hinduism as a religion: in ancient Persian, "Hindu" was purely geographical. Exam statements that call the early Persian word religious are false.