India is known by two names: India, used worldwide, and the Sanskrit and Hindi nomenclature of Bharat. The name "Bharat" is mainly derived from the name of the Vedic tribe of Bharatas who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the earliest Aryan tribes. At first, the name Bharat referred only to the western part of the Gangetic Valley, but was later more broadly applied to the Indian subcontinent and the region of Greater India, as was the name "India". Today, it refers to the contemporary Republic of India located therein.

In India, the country is often called Bharat or Hindustan by Indian officials and the public. The English word India is very ancient and can be traced back to the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means river, referring to the Indus River. In Tamil, a Dravidian language spoken in the South, its Bharatham. In Santali, an Austroasiatic language spoken in the Northeast, its Siñôt. In Bengali, it is called "Bharot" (Bharat) .

In summary, Indians call India by two names: India and Bharat. The name Bharat is derived from the name of an ancient Vedic tribe and is used interchangeably with India in Hindi and Sanskrit.