HINDU..... do we really know why we are called Hindu? It is not because of our religion but because of our location west to SINDHU river. The term hidu (hindu), a form of sindhu, was first used by the Persians. It occurs along with the word Gadara, a form of Gandhāra, (present Kandhar in Afganistan) in an inscription of King Darius (518 BC) of Iran. It is used there in a geographical sense and denotes the people or country on the river Sindhu conquered by Darius. In old Persian “Sa” is pronounced as “Ha’; “Sindhu” is called “Hindu” from which the Greeks further corrupted it into “Sinthos” or “Indos’ from which are derived the Arabic and Persian words Hindu and Hindustan and the English words Indian and India. In mediaeval India the Arabs and early Muslim travellers referred to western India as “Hind” (i.e. Sindha) and the Turks, Afghans and Mongols used this geographical name, Hindustan, for the whole of the country. The word “Hinduism” began to be used for Indian religious traditions usually with a view to distinguishing them from Christian and Islamic traditions in India.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 17:08:11 +0000
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