As far as I know, India consisted of numerous princely states before Dutch and English arrived here. They used to fight each other for power and money. There was not at all any organized structure before Indian independence. Then how can we name it as a country before British??? Is so, were Pakistan and Bangladesh too, a part of India, at a time when such an organized nation was not in world map??
Or simply, when did our country India came to existence as a single entity, with name India, Hindustan, Bharat or something else? Is it with Indus Valley civilization? When did it get these names???
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Answers (7)
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India was not a single unified state or country prior to becoming a British colony, but it was divided into different states or princely kingdoms such as the Mughal empire, the Maratha empire, Sikh Empire, The Rajput etc....all of which individually again were nothing but a loose collections of small sultanates and princely states which were kind of autonomous and owed allegiance to their respective prince or sultans. Most well-known examples I can elucidate here as the Adilshahi Kingdom in the Deccan plateau which covered places from the now states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP etc. The Maratha Empire formed first by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and later on led by the Peshwas etc.
Together all of these was actually a geographical concept more commonly called as the Indian subcontinent, that is the all of the land beyond the Indus River or Sindhu, and came to be called as India in the later period. Bharat is the name that is derived from the ancient King Bharat (there are two Bharats and the name could be taken from either one) So Indus gave way to name India which was used by the British and other Europeans and Hindustan was derived from Persian pronunciation of Sind which is Hind. Hind and Hindustan were used as early as 11th century - the time when the Islamic invasions on India started occurring.
Indus valley civilization can be considered a part of all these amalgamations and transformations that were taking place through all these centuries.
The present day form that we see now started taking place along with the British rule, with Pakistan, East Pakistan now Bangladesh etc. separated from the greater Indian subcontinent leading to the form that is now India/ Bharat/ Hindustan!
India was not a distinct political unit before colonial rule. There was only some sort of cultural and religious identity of the region. Each princely state was sovereign and independent.In fact, the colonial rulers gave the political identity to India.
India's name was referred as Bharat Varsha in Mahabharata. Bharat was said to have ruled the whole earth until the death of Maharaja Parikshit.
According to the first article of Constitution of India it was referred as India that is Bharat.
In 1492 it was Columbus who came to 'Discover' - what - India, as he did it to find a few other Indias (because it was his job). And he did it more than 100 years before ENGLISH entered in BHARAT. It was not India that was perhaps Columbus was trying to find as he did find America, he basically found an Island in Caribbean and that was America. It was INDIA everywhere for him! And that is the reason, he mistook America to be India, he called the original people of everywhere he went as Indians and every place he visited was India.
The fact remains that Europe was trading for silk, gold, spices, diamonds and so many other items with India via different routs until 1453. But in 1453 it was Muslims those captured this country and stopped Europeans doing all the trade with India. But Europeans never gave up and found alternative routs for the sake of trade to India. And that was the reason for the entire great Discoverers’ like Columbus, Bartholomew Diaz, Vasco da gama came to India. And what is your question- You think we did not have a history before Brits came to India or we did not have a culture before they taught us how to eat and read.
Yes it was not India but Bharat before Brits came to this country.
We always were the same, divided into states, languages, under the rule of Jamindars, Rajas, Samrats, Chakravarti samrats etc and are still the same, only the names have changed.
Yes India was country before the advent of Britishers.The scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Manusmriti have evidence for this.whereas the chaar dhaam establishment by Shankaracharya in four directions prove that India was one country before the British rule.
It was known as Bharat but also consisted of many small kingdoms and rulers who fought between themselves. Mughals invaded and made it even worse by having their own kingdoms . British came and with them came a semblance of discipline and unity although they looted the nation as long as they ruled . But they also brought in western education and united rule ..
