Yintu
Also called: Yindu · Topic: India, That Is Bharat: Names of India and Unity in Diversity · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 5 "India, That Is Bharat"
Meaning
Yintu and Yindu are Chinese names for India. They come from Sindhu through a chain of sound changes: Sindhu → Hindhu → Indu → Yindu. China had another name for India, Tianzhu. It also comes from Sindhu, but it can be read as "heavenly master". This reflects how much the Chinese respected India as the land of the Buddha.
Example
Xuanzang (also spelt Hiuen Tsang) travelled from China to India in the 7th century CE. He visited many parts of India, met scholars and collected Buddhist texts. He returned home after 17 years and translated the texts from Sanskrit into Chinese. In his record of the journey, he discusses the name Yindu.
Don't confuse with
- Tianzhu: this is the other Chinese name. It also comes from Sindhu (statements that say it is unrelated are false), but it carries the respectful sense of "heavenly master".