India got its name through a linguistic and historical evolution centered around the Indus River, originally called Sindhu in Sanskrit. The name India is derived from this river's name and its surrounding region.

• The Sanskrit word Sindhu referred to the Indus River and its basin, a crucial geographical and cultural landmark in ancient South Asia

• The Old Persian form of Sindhu was Hindu , which the Persians used to describe the region around the river after conquering it around 516 BCE

• The Greeks, who encountered the region through Persian intermediaries and their own explorations, adapted the name to Indos for the river and Indikē or India for the land beyond the Indus. The loss of the initial 'h' sound was due to Greek dialects

• Latin and later European languages adopted the Greek term, and India became the common name for the entire subcontinent

• The British, during their colonial rule, officially used the name India , derived from the Indus River, to refer to the subcontinent

Additionally, the name Bharat is another ancient name for the country, originating from Indian epic poetry and scriptures, referring to the land inhabited by the descendants of the legendary king Bharata

. In summary, India evolved from the Sanskrit Sindhu (Indus River), through Persian Hindu , Greek Indos/India , and Latin India , becoming the internationally recognized name for the country over centuries