By Dr. Suvrokamal Dutta*
The word ‘Hindu’ and its origin are very ancient and sacred. The are several couplets and shlokas from the Shastras, Shiv Puran, Chandi Puran, the Rig Veda and other Puranas where there are mentions as well as direct and indirect evidence of the word ‘Hindu’ together with the words of sacred rivers like Sapta Sindhu, Saraswati, Parbat Mala (mountain ranges) like Hindu Kesha or Hindu Kush.
In Mahabharat also there are mentions of the word Hindu in relation to Gandhara Pradesh as well as Kambhoja. The writings of Chinese pilgrim like Fahien Hsuan Tsang also uses the word Hindu. Greek scholar Megasthenes in his famous book on India named Indica does mention the word Hindu.
Persian scholar Firdausi Ibn Batuta Al Buruni does talk about Al-Hind or the great lands of the mighty river Hindu or Sindhu. The Javanese, Thai and Balinese Ramayana do mention Bharatvarsha, Sindhu, Deepa and Hindu desh (country).
The Raja of Zabul of Zabulistan near Kabul in 700 AD issued a holy war firman to all the Rajput and other Hindu regional kingdoms before the battle of Herat in the holy name of Hindu Dharma appealing to them to help him to crush the Arab invaders in this holy war to save the holy land of Lord Shiva of Zabul and Kubha or Kabul. Later on Raja Dahir of Sindh, before the battle of Debal against the Arabs, issued a religious appeal to the Rajput and the Gujhara kings of Hindu Desh to help him win the battle against the Arab Invader Mohammad Bin Qasim and save Sindhu Desh or Sindh. Bin Qasim had invaded the kingdom of Sindh.
The Hindu Shashi rulers Raja Jayapala and Anandpala of Kabul, Kambhoja and Gandhara Pradesh in Afghanistan had also made similar appeals to Chauhan Parmar and Kashmira or Kashmir kingdoms to protect his holy land of Lord Shiva Parvati from Mahmud of Ghazni. In fact, AnandPala’s lineage was known as the Hindu Turk Shahi kingdom.
Therefore, the word ‘Hindu’ is of a much ancient origin and was often co-opted by the Greek, Chinese, Persian and Arab scholars who visited India during the ancient and Muslim rule times.
There is no evidence to prove from Arab, Greek or Persian scriptures that the word Hindu was filthy or of vulgar origin as claimed by a few.
*The writer is a well-known right-wing thinker and analyst
