Hindustan n : northern region of India where Hinduism predominates

English

Proper noun

Hindustan

1. the northern region of India, in which the predominant religion is Hinduism

Hindustan (Hindi: हिन्दुस्तान [Hindustān], [Hindustān], [ɦɪn̪d̪ʊst̪aːn]) is one of the popular names of India. However the meaning of Hindustan has evolved over the years, today it primarily refers to India.

Etymology

Hindustan is derived from the (Persian) word Hindu, which is itself is derived from Sindhu, Sanskrit for the Indus River and together with a popular suffix -stān, which in Sanskrit also means a place (Sthana), gave birth to the word, 'Hindustan', which was rendered as, Hindusthan .

Further, it may relate to various aspects belonging to three geographical areas, namely the modern 'Republic of India'. Historically, the 'Indian subcontinent' during the medieval times. Or, a region in northern India, east and south of Yamuna river, between the Vindhya mountains and the Himalayas, where Hindi / Hindustani language is spoken.

See also

• India (disambiguation)

Further reading

• A Sketch of the History of Hindustan from the First Muslim Conquest to the Fall of the Mughol Empire by H. G. Keene
• STORY OF INDIA THROUGH THE AGES; An Entertaining History of Hindustan, to the Suppression of the Mutiny, by Flora Annie Steel, 1909 E.P. Dutton and Co., New York .
• The History of Hindustan: Post Classical and Modern, Ed. B.S. Danniya and Alexander Dow. 2003, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 8120819934. .

References