Dear Mr D'Souza, Hindustan does not mean land of Hindus

July 25, 2014 13:56

As an FYI for Mr Francis D'Souza, the word Hindustan is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, which in turn is derived from Sindhu, the Sanskrit name for the Indus River. Old Persian refers to the people living beyond the Indus as Hindu. This combined with the suffix "sthan", meaning "place" gets us Hindustan, as the land on the other side (from Persia) of the Indus. The term came into common use under the rule of the Mughals who referred to their dominion, centred on Delhi, as 'Hindustan'.

So, no, it does not refer to the Hindu religion.

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