Concept Of Bharatvarsha
“Bharatvarsha” holds significant cultural, historical, and spiritual significance in Indian tradition. It is considered the sacred land where many of the world’s major religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, originated and flourished. It has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, with a long history of civilization, art, literature, philosophy, and scientific achievements.
Today, Bharatvarsha is represented by the modern nation of India, which is one of the most populous and culturally diverse countries in the world. However, the concept of Bharatvarsha extends beyond political boundaries, encompassing a broader sense of cultural and spiritual identity that continues to resonate with people both within and outside the subcontinent.
Many Puranas, epics, and other ancient texts mention Bharatvarsha. It was a land that belonged to a bigger entity known as Jambu-dvipa. The Puranas give a detailed theory of how the globe was divided. Bharatvarsha was the centre of Jambu-divipa. It was considered the innermost of the seven concentric islands or continents. The Bharatvarsha is the name given to the entire Jambu-divpa in several Puranas and epics.
Bharatvarsha is a translation of the Vedic word Bharata, which signifies Bharata’s homeland. The phrase had its beginnings in the Vedic era. It later developed during the Epic and Puranic ages. Eventually, the same geographic area was referred to as Hindustan. During the British period, this region became known as India. The entire nation was given the name Bharatvarsha after the ancient Bharata tribe. The members of this tribe were known as Bharatasantati (people of the lineage of Bharata). Poets, thinkers, and writers of our forefathers were aware of the nation as a whole. They claimed that the region between the Hills and the sea belonged to a single universal king.
The entire Earth is called Bharatvarsha in the Brahmand’s scriptural descriptions. Other texts refer to the region south of the Himalayas as Bharatvarsha. Another name for it is Aryavarta. According to the Rig Veda, Aryans are the name of the people who live in Aryavarta.
As a result, the residents of Bharatvarsha came to be known as Bharatiya. The Sindhu River was referred to as Hindu by the Persians, and as a result, Hindustan was created. Due to the English naming of the Sindhu River as the Indus, Hindustan became known as India.
Geographical Area Of Bharatvarsha
Bharatvarsha ranges from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin in the north-south. Also, the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea is part of the Bharatvarsha region. The enormous Himalayas encircle the Indian peninsula on three sides. They have a length of about 2414 km. This term has been used in various ancient Indian texts, including religious scriptures, epics, and historical texts, to refer to the geographical region that encompasses modern-day India, as well as parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Shri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, and other neighbouring countries.
