The History of India taught in schools and colleges in India are based on the works of anti-Hindu historians Romila Thapar and D.N.Jha. According to these pseudo-historians, only in the 8th century CE the name 'Hindu' was given currency by the Arabs. This statement is not backed by any evidence, however.

Another theory from the Europeans states that the name 'Hindu' is a Persian corruption of 'Sindhu', resulting from the Persian practice of replacing 'S' with 'H'. Again no evidence is shown for this theory.

Dr. Murlidhar H.Pahoja, an independent researcher, exposes the falsity of these two theories with overwhelming evidence in his booklet titled "Antiquity and Origin of the Term 'Hindu'", which can be downloaded at: http://sarasvati95.googlepages.com/antiquityhindu.pdf

Here are the points with which he exposes the falsity of the above claims:

Epigraphic Evidence

• The Hamadan, Persepolis and Naqsh-I-Rustam Inscriptions of the Persian monarch Darius mention a people 'Hidu' as included in his empire. These inscriptions are dated between 520-485 BCE.

• Xerexes, successor of Darius, in his inscriptios at Persepolis, gives names of countries under his rule. The list includes 'Hidu'. Xerexes was ruling between 485-465 BCE.

• The Asokan inscriptions (3rd century BCE), repeatedly use expressions like 'Hida' (हिद) for 'India' and 'Hida loka' for 'Indian nation'. 'Hida' and its derivative forms are used more than 70 times in the Ashokan inscriptions.

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

Literary Evidence

Literary evidence takes the antiquity of the word 'Hindu' back to at least 1000 BCE and possibly 5000 BCE.

Evidence from Pahlvi Avesta

• In the Avesta, Hapta-Hindu is used for Sanskrit Sapta-Sindhu, 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'--I am man born in 'Hind'. Veda Vyas was an elder contemporary of Shri Krishna (3100 BCE).

Greek Usage

• The Greek term 'Indoi' is a softened form of 'Hindu' where the initial 'H' was dropped as the Greek alphabet has no aspirate. This term 'Indoi' was used in Greek literature by Hekataeus (late 6th century BCE) and Herodotus (early 5th century BCE).

The Hebrew Bible

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

The Chinese Testimony

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

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

Pre-Islamic Arabic Literature

• Sair-ul-Okul1 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.

• The same anthology has another poem by Labi-bin-e Akhtab bin-e Turfa who is dated 2300 before Mohammed i.e., 1700 BCE. 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).

'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 works:

Meru tantra (4th to 6th century CE), a Shaiva text, comments on 'Hindu':

hInaM cha duShyatyeva hindurityuchyate priye |
"Hindu is one who discards the mean and the ignoble."

• The same idea is expressed in Shabda Kalpadruma:

hInaM duShyati iti hindu |

Brihaspati Agama says:

himAlayaM samArabhya yAvadindu sarovaram |
taM devanirmitaM desha hindusthAnaM prachakShate ||


"Starting from Himalaya up to Indu waters is this God-created country Hindustan."

Parijat Haran Natak describes Hindu as:

hinasti tamasA pApAn daihikAn duShTamAnasAn |
hetibhiH shatruvarga cha sa hindurabhidhIyate ||


"Hindu is one who with penance washes one's sins and evil thoughts and with
arms destroys one's enemies."

Madhava Digvijaya states:

oMkAramUlamantrADhya punarjanmadRuDhAshayaH |
gobhaktako bhAratagururhindurhisanadUShakaH ||


"One who meditates on Omkar as the primeal sound, believes in karma and reincarnation, has reverence for the cow, who is devoted to Bharat, and abhors evil, is deserving of being called Hindu.

Vriddha Smriti defines Hindu as:

hiMsayA dUyate yashcha sadAcharaNatatpara |
vedagopratimAsevI sa hindumukhshabdabhAk ||


"One who abhors the mean and the ignoble, and is of noblebearing, who reveres the Veda, the cow, and the deity, is a Hindu."

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

'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.

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.

Other Sanskrit references

• Some scholars hold that ancient Indian civilisation did have a name of its own, prior to the arrival of Persians. A Sanskrit scholar, Swami Mangal Nathji, had found ancient Hindu writings called Birhannaradi Purana in Hoshiarpur (Punjab)[1] which contained the verse:

Himalayam samarabhya yavat bindusarovaram
Hindusthanamiti qyatan hi antaraksha-rayogatah


"The country between Himalayas and Bindu Sarovar (Cape Commorin Sea) is Hindusthan derived by combining the first letter 'Hi' of Himalayas and the last compound letter 'ndu' of the word Bindu."

Other instances are cited in Vishnu Purana, Padma Purana and the Brihaspati Samhita:

Aaasindo sindhu paryantham yasyabharatha bhoomikah
Mathrubhuh pithrubhoochaiva sah vai hindurithismrithaah


"Whoever considers the land of Bharatha Bhoomi between Saptha Sindhu and the Indian Ocean as his motherland and fatherland is known as Hindu."

From VishNu Purana, 2.3.1:

Uttaram yat samudrasya, Himadreschaiva dakshinam |
Varsham tad Bharatam nama Bharati yatra santatih ||


"Bharat is the name of country situated to the north of the sea and south of the Himalayas and its progeny is known as Bharati."