NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science (Exploring Society) Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat (NCERT 2026–27)

These Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 5 solutions cover India, That Is Bharat from Exploring Society: India and Beyond, the new NCF-2023 textbook for the 2026–27 session. The chapter belongs to the theme Tapestry of the Past and explores the ‘Big Questions’ — how we define India and what its many ancient names were. You will learn how Indians named their land (Sapta Sindhava, Jambudvīpa, Bhārata) and how foreigners named it (Hindu, Indoi, Yindu, Hindustān and finally India). Below you get step-by-step answers to all Questions, activities and projects, clear notes on key terms, extra practice, MCQs, Assertion–Reason and FAQs.

Class: 6 Subject: Social Science Book: Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter: 5 Theme: Tapestry of the Past Session: 2026–27
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Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 5 – Overview

Chapter 5, India, That Is Bharat, answers two ‘Big Questions’: how do we define India, and what were the ancient names for India? The India we know today is a modern nation with fixed borders, but the region often called the Indian Subcontinent has had many names and shifting boundaries over thousands of years. We learn about its past from ancient texts, travellers’ accounts and inscriptions. Indians themselves gave the northwest the name Sapta Sindhava (‘land of the seven rivers’, from Sindhu, the Indus). The Mahābhārata listed many regions and used the terms Bhāratavarṣha (‘the country of the Bharatas’) and Jambudvīpa; Emperor Aśhoka also used ‘Jambudvīpa’ in his inscriptions around 250 BCE. Later, Bhārata became the common name, used even in the Constitution’s opening phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’. Foreigners — Persians, Greeks and Chinese — took names from Sindhu, giving us Hind/Hindu, Indoi/Indike, Yindu, Hindustān and ultimately India.

Key Concepts & Terms

Indian Subcontinent: the large region of the world that today includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and neighbouring areas; in the past it had many names and shifting boundaries.

Inhabitants: people who live in a particular place — here, the people who lived in ancient India.

Sources of the past: we learn India’s ancient names from three main sources — ancient texts, accounts of travellers and pilgrims, and inscriptions.

Sapta Sindhava: meaning the ‘land of the seven rivers’, the name the Ṛig Veda (India’s most ancient text) gives to the northwest region. ‘Sindhava’ comes from Sindhu, the Indus River.

Bhāratavarṣha: meaning ‘the country of the Bharatas’, a term in the Mahābhārata that extends to the whole Subcontinent. ‘Bharata’ first appears in the Ṛig Veda as one of the main Vedic groups of people.

Jambudvīpa: meaning ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun (jambul) tree’, a term used in the Mahābhārata and by Emperor Aśhoka (about 250 BCE) for the whole of India, which then included parts of today’s Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Bhārata / Bharat / Bharatam: the name that became most widespread in time and is still used today — written ‘Bharat’ in north India and often ‘Bharatam’ in the south. The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa describes Bhārata as the country north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains (the Himalayas).

Constitution: a document that spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation. The Indian Constitution, which came into force in 1950, opens with the phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’ (and ‘Bhārat arthāth India’ in Hindi).

Foreign names from Sindhu: the Persians called India Hind / Hidu / Hindu (a purely geographical term, not the religion); the Greeks dropped the ‘h’ to get Indoi / Indike; the Chinese said Yintu / Yindu and Tianzhu (‘heavenly master’). Hindustān first appeared in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago and was used by later invaders.

“Questions, activities and projects” — Full Solutions

All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter Questions, activities and projects section. Answers are original, written in exam-ready style.

1. Discuss what could be the meaning of the quotation at the start of the chapter.

ANSWER The quotation by Sri Aurobindo says that very early in history, India achieved a complete spiritual and cultural unity that became “the very stuff of the life” of the great mass of people living between the Himalayas and the two seas (the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal). In simple words, it means that even though ancient India was made up of many regions, kingdoms and peoples, they were bound together by shared ideas, beliefs, texts and ways of life. This common culture and spirituality made the whole land feel like one, long before it became a single modern nation. It explains why the same idea of ‘Bhārata’ — the land from the Himalayas in the north to the oceans in the south — was recognised in both north and south India.

2. True or false? • The Ṛig Veda describes the entire geography of India. • The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa describes the entire Subcontinent. • In Aśhoka’s time, ‘Jambudvīpa’ included what is today India, parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. • The Mahābhārata lists many regions, including Kashmir, Kutch, and Kerala. • The term ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. • In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu religion. • ‘Bhārata’ is a name given to India by foreign travellers.

ANSWER (i) False. The Ṛig Veda only gives the northwest region the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’ (the land of the seven rivers); it does not describe the entire geography of India. (ii) True. The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa describes Bhārata as the country lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains — that is, the entire Subcontinent. (iii) True. In Aśhoka’s time (about 250 BCE), ‘Jambudvīpa’ described the whole of India, which then included what is today Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan. (iv) True. The Mahābhārata lists many regions, including Kāshmīra (Kashmir), Kaccha (Kutch) and Kerala. (v) False. The term ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago, not in a Greek inscription more than 2,000 years ago. (vi) False. In ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ was a purely geographical term derived from ‘Sindhu’; it did not refer to the Hindu religion. (vii) False. ‘Bhārata’ was a name used by Indians themselves — it comes from the Ṛig Veda — not a name given by foreign travellers.

3. If you were born some 2,000 years ago and had the chance to name our country, what name or names might you have chosen, and why? Use your imagination!

ANSWER This is an imagination activity, so your own answer with a sensible reason is accepted. A model answer: If I had lived 2,000 years ago, I might have named our country ‘Sapta Sindhava’ — the land of the seven rivers — because rivers like the Indus, Ganga and Yamuna gave us water, fertile soil and a place to settle and farm. Rivers were the lifeline of the people, so the name would honour them. I might also have chosen ‘Himavarṣha’ (the land below the snowy mountains), because the great Himalayas in the north are a striking natural boundary and protect the land. Both names describe the country’s geography clearly, just as ancient Indians liked to do — they knew their geography well.

4. Why did people travel to India from various parts of the world in ancient times? What could be their motivations in undertaking such long journeys? (Hint: There could be at least four or five motivations)

ANSWER In ancient times people undertook long and difficult journeys to India for several reasons: 1. Trade: India was famous for valuable goods such as spices, cotton, fine cloth, gems and ivory, so merchants came to buy and sell. 2. Knowledge and learning: India had great centres of learning and famous scholars, so students and scholars came to study and to discuss ideas. 3. Religion and pilgrimage: India was the land of the Buddha, so pilgrims like Xuanzang travelled from China to visit holy places and collect Buddhist texts. 4. Curiosity and exploration: travellers came to see and record this rich, ancient land — its rivers, peoples, customs and cities. 5. Conquest and power: some came as invaders, hoping to gain control of the wealthy region and its resources.

Activity (LET’S EXPLORE): The chapter asks you to complete a table of the many names of India. Using the chapter, the names are: Persian — Hind / Hidu / Hindu (and later Hindustān); Greek — Indoi / Indike; Latin — India; Chinese — Yintu / Yindu (also Tianzhu); Arabic & Persian — Hindustān; English — India; French — Inde.

Extra Practice Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. From which three kinds of sources do we learn the ancient names of India?

ANSWERWe learn India’s ancient names from three kinds of sources: (i) ancient texts such as the Ṛig Veda and the Mahābhārata, (ii) the accounts of travellers and pilgrims like Xuanzang, and (iii) inscriptions, such as those left by Emperor Aśhoka.

Q2. What does the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’ mean, and which text gives this name?

ANSWER‘Sapta Sindhava’ means the ‘land of the seven rivers’. This name for the northwest region of the Subcontinent is given in the Ṛig Veda, India’s most ancient text. The word ‘Sindhava’ comes from ‘Sindhu’, the Indus River.

Q3. How did the name ‘India’ develop from the word ‘Sindhu’?

ANSWERThe Persians turned ‘Sindhu’ into ‘Hindu’. The ancient Greeks then took the Persian word but dropped the initial ‘h’ (which did not exist in Greek), giving ‘Indoi’ and ‘Indike’. From these came the Latin and English name ‘India’.

Q4. What does ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ mean, and where does the word ‘Bharata’ first appear?

ANSWER‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’ and is used in the Mahābhārata for the entire Subcontinent. The word ‘Bharata’ first appears in the Ṛig Veda, where it refers to one of the main Vedic groups of people; later, several kings named ‘Bharata’ are also mentioned.

Q5. Which phrase about India’s name appears at the beginning of the Indian Constitution?

ANSWERThe Indian Constitution, first written in English, uses the phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’ right at the beginning. The Hindi version says the same as ‘Bhārat arthāth India’. The Constitution came into force in 1950.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe how Indians named their own land in ancient times.

ANSWERIndians gave their land several names that came from their texts. The most ancient text, the Ṛig Veda, named the northwest region ‘Sapta Sindhava’, the ‘land of the seven rivers’, from the word ‘Sindhu’ (the Indus River). Moving on in time, the Mahābhārata listed many regions such as Kashmir, Kutch and Kerala, and used two names for the whole Subcontinent: ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, meaning ‘the country of the Bharatas’ (from ‘Bharata’, a Vedic group named in the Ṛig Veda), and ‘Jambudvīpa’, meaning ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’. Emperor Aśhoka also used ‘Jambudvīpa’ in his inscriptions around 250 BCE. In time, ‘Bhārata’ became the common name, described in the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa as the land north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains. This name is still used today as ‘Bharat’ in the north and ‘Bharatam’ in the south.

Q2. Explain how foreigners named India and where these names came from.

ANSWERMost foreign names for India came from the river ‘Sindhu’ (the Indus). The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians; in the 6th century BCE a Persian emperor took control of the Indus region, and in their records the Persians called India ‘Hind’, ‘Hidu’ or ‘Hindu’ — a purely geographical term, not the religion. The ancient Greeks, using Persian sources, dropped the ‘h’ and called the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’, from which came the Latin and English ‘India’. The ancient Chinese called India ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’ (also from ‘Sindhu’) and ‘Tianzhu’ (‘heavenly master’), showing their respect for the land of the Buddha. The term ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Persian inscription about 1,800 years ago and was later used by most invaders to describe the Subcontinent.

Q3. Why is it difficult to find a single ancient name for the whole of India, and how do we know ancient Indians understood their geography well?

ANSWERIt is difficult to find a single early name for the whole of India because the region had many different names and shifting boundaries, and because ancient Indian texts are hard to date exactly. Early names like ‘Sapta Sindhava’ described only one region (the northwest). A name for the entire Subcontinent appears later, in the Mahābhārata (‘Bhāratavarṣha’ and ‘Jambudvīpa’), written from a few centuries BCE onward. We know ancient Indians understood their geography well because their descriptions match the real land: the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa places Bhārata between the ocean and the snowy mountains (the Himalayas), and an ancient Tamil poem of about 2,000 years ago praises a king known from ‘Cape Kumari in the south’ to ‘the great mountain in the north’ and the eastern and western oceans. Different parts of the country thus adopted a similar definition of India — a sign of shared knowledge and unity.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. India’s most ancient text, which gives the name ‘Sapta Sindhava’, is the:

(a) Mahābhārata    (b) Ṛig Veda    (c) Viṣhṇu Purāṇa    (d) Constitution

2. The name ‘Sapta Sindhava’ means:

(a) land of the snowy mountains    (b) land of the seven rivers    (c) island of the jamun tree    (d) country of the Bharatas

3. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means:

(a) the country of the Bharatas    (b) the land of the seven rivers    (c) the heavenly master    (d) the island of the jamun tree

4. The word ‘Jambudvīpa’ refers to the fruit of which tree?

(a) Mango tree    (b) Banyan tree    (c) Jamun (jambul) tree    (d) Peepal tree

5. Emperor Aśhoka, who used ‘Jambudvīpa’ in an inscription, can be dated to about:

(a) 250 BCE    (b) 600 CE    (c) 1950 CE    (d) 5,000 years ago

6. The first foreigners to mention India in their records were the:

(a) Greeks    (b) Chinese    (c) Persians    (d) Arabs

7. The Greeks called India ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’ because they:

(a) added an extra letter    (b) dropped the initial ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’    (c) translated ‘Bhārata’    (d) named it after a king

8. The Chinese pilgrim who travelled to India in the 7th century CE and collected Buddhist texts was:

(a) Aśhoka    (b) Sri Aurobindo    (c) Xuanzang    (d) Bharata

9. The term ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Persian inscription about:

(a) 500 years ago    (b) 1,800 years ago    (c) 5,000 years ago    (d) 250 years ago

10. The phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’ is found at the beginning of the:

(a) Ṛig Veda    (b) Mahābhārata    (c) Indian Constitution    (d) Viṣhṇu Purāṇa

Answer key: 1-(b), 2-(b), 3-(a), 4-(c), 5-(a), 6-(c), 7-(b), 8-(c), 9-(b), 10-(c).

For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.

A-R 1. Assertion: Many foreign names for India come from the word ‘Sindhu’.

Reason: The Persians, Greeks and Chinese all formed their names for India from ‘Sindhu’, the Indus River.

A-R 2. Assertion: In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ referred to the Hindu religion.

Reason: In ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ was a purely geographical term derived from ‘Sindhu’.

A-R 3. Assertion: The name ‘Bhārata’ is still in use in India today.

Reason: ‘Bhārata’ is written as ‘Bharat’ in north India and often as ‘Bharatam’ in south India.

A-R 4. Assertion: It is hard to find a single early name for the whole of India.

Reason: Ancient Indian texts are difficult to date, and the region had many names and shifting boundaries.

A-R 5. Assertion: Ancient Indians knew their geography well.

Reason: Texts from north and south India described India from the Himalayas to the southern cape and the two oceans.

Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(D), 3-(A), 4-(A), 5-(A).

Exam Tips & Common Mistakes

How to score full marks in this chapter

Remember the three sources of India’s ancient names — texts, travellers’ accounts and inscriptions. Learn the meaning of each name (Sapta Sindhava = land of seven rivers, Bhāratavarṣha = country of the Bharatas, Jambudvīpa = island of the jamun fruit) and which text or people it comes from. Keep the foreign chain clear: Sindhu → Hindu → Indoi/Indike → India (Persian → Greek), and Sindhu → Hindhu → Indu → Yindu (Chinese). Quote the Constitution’s phrase ‘India, that is Bharat’ and use the dates — Aśhoka about 250 BCE, the Constitution in 1950 — to show you have studied the chapter.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Thinking the Ṛig Veda describes the whole of India — it only names the northwest as ‘Sapta Sindhava’.
  • Saying ‘Hindustān’ first appeared in a Greek inscription — it was a Persian inscription, about 1,800 years ago.
  • Believing ‘Hindu’ in ancient Persian meant the religion — it was a purely geographical term.
  • Calling ‘Bhārata’ a foreign name — it was used by Indians and comes from the Ṛig Veda.
  • Mixing up the meanings of Bhāratavarṣha and Jambudvīpa.
  • Leaving the imagination question (Q3) blank — give any sensible name with a reason.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chapter 5 of Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society about?

Chapter 5, India, That Is Bharat, explains how we define India and the many ancient names for the Indian Subcontinent. It covers names given by Indians (Sapta Sindhava, Bhāratavarṣha, Jambudvīpa, Bhārata) and by foreigners (Hindu, Indoi, Yindu, Hindustān and finally India), all learnt from texts, travellers’ accounts and inscriptions.

What do the names Bhāratavarṣha and Jambudvīpa mean?

‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’ (the Bharatas were a Vedic group named in the Ṛig Veda). ‘Jambudvīpa’ means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun (jambul) tree’. Both terms appear in the Mahābhārata and refer to the whole Indian Subcontinent.

What is the exercise heading for Chapter 5 of Exploring Society?

The end-of-chapter exercise in Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 5 is headed Questions, activities and projects and contains 4 numbered questions (including a True/False set), all answered step by step on this page.

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