ABSTRACT
The catalogue of country names prepared by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names carries three names for India. The name of the country, India, is based on the name of the river Sindh. The United Nations Group of Experts has called India by the short name Bharat. The Constitution of India addresses the country as India that is Bharat. The name Sindh resonates in the name of the country because of the location of the river on the borders of India. During the time of Panini, fifth century bce, the river was called Sindhu and the regions on its banks were called the Sapta-Sindhiva, thus referring to its seven tributaries. The expression Bharata, meaning ‘progeny of Bharat’, is also ascribed to the name of a tribe and Bharata was their land. To comprehend the concept of Jambudvipa, one needs to gain familiarity with how the Hindu cosmographers comprehended the earth and its constituent units.
