According to historians like D.N.

Jha and Romila Thapar, the word Hindu

came from the Arabs in the 8th century.

D.N. Jha Romila Thapar

However, they do not explain their theory or provide any evidence to the
conclusion. Not even the Arab Muslims make such a claim. There are other
theories for the origin of the term Hindu , some European writers proclaimed
the word Hindu came from Persia as they had given the word from Sindhu
and the logic stands that the Persian replaced H with S. According to this
logic then word Persia would have been pronounced Perhia as Persia itself
have S in it. After all the evidences from the above two theories and from
Greek, Persian, Indian, Chinese. It can be concluded that the evidences support
that the Hindu like Sindhu has been in issue since Vedic age and Hindu
is a modified form of Sindhu and it lies in Saurashtran practice of
pronouncing H with S.
Now lets come to the different aspects of the term Hindu with proper
clarification.
 EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCES
The Hamadan (Hamadn or Hamedn is the capital city of Hamadan Province
of Iran, Hamadan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities and one of
the oldest in the world),the Persepolis( Persepolis is a graphic autobiography
by Marjane Satrapi depicting her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran
during and after the Islamic revolution. The title is a reference to the ancient
capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis),and the Naqsh-I-Rustom (Naqsh-e
Rustam is an ancient necropolis located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis,
in Fars Province, Iran, with a group of ancient Iranian rock reliefs cut into the
cliff, from both the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods.) inscriptions of Persian
monarch Darius mentioned a people Hidu included in his empire. These
inscriptions are dated between 520-485 B.C. As well the successors of Darius
(Darius I ( 550486 BCE) was the third king of the Persian Achaemenid
Empire. Also called Darius the Great, he ruled the empire at its peak, when it
included much of West Asia, the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans (Thrace-
Macedonia and Paeonia), most of the Black Sea coastal regions, parts of the
North Caucasus, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east, and
portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt (Mudrya),[3] eastern
Libya and coastal Sudan.), Xerexes (Xerxes I, called Xerxes the Great, was the
fourth king of kings of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. He ruled from 486
BC until his assassination in 465 BC at the hands of Artabanus, the commander
of the royal bodyguard )gave inscription at Persepolis, name of the countries
under his rule and over there the list Hidu exists. Xerexes was ruling
between 485-465 B.C. In one of the tomb in Persepolis another inscription was
found by another king, Artaxerexes(was the fifth King of Persia from 465 BC
to 424 BC. He was the third son of Xerxes I.) there are three figures above
which are inscribed 'iyam Qataguviya' (this is Satygidian),'iyam
Ga(n)dariya' (this is Gandhara) and 'iyam Hi(n)duviya' (this is Hi(n)du).

MAP OF IRAN HAMADAN

PERSEPOLIS NAQSH-I-RUSTOM

Darius Xerexes
 Artaxerexes

In the Ashokan inscriptions it have been noticed that these words have been frequently
been used approximately 70 times, they are 'Hida' for 'India' and 'Hida loka' for
'Indian nation'. For instance in the Jaugadha, separate rock edict II, the lines 3 &4
depicts (All men are my people. I desire for my people that they may be
provide with all welfare and happiness. I desire for my people,
including the people of Hind and beyond and I desire for all men.)
The Edict further, says in lines 7 & 8 (Dhamma may be followed and and
the people of Hind and beyond may be served.)
The Ashokan inscriptions used the name Hind in their inscription atleast in
the 3rd century B.C .
In Persepolis Pahlvi inscriptions of Shahpur II (310 A.D.) the king has the
titles shakanshah hind shakastan u tuxaristan dabiran dabir, "king of
Shakastan, minister of ministers of Hind Shakastan and Tukharistan".
 Ashokan Inscriptions

The epigraphic evidence from the Achaemenid, Ashokan and Sasanian

Pahlvi records,show the word Hindu have been originated and used by the
Arab in the 8th century A.D . Literary evidence takes the antiquity of the word
'Hindu' back to atleast 1000 B.C. and possibly 5000 B.C.

ACHAEMENID(THE TOMB OF CYRUS THE GREAT)

ASHOKAN(ASHOKA PILLAR,SANCHI)

SASANIAN PAHLVI RECORDS(WALL PANEL WITH WINGS AND A

PAHLAVI DEVICE ENCIRCLED BY PEARLS | SASANIAN)
 Evidence from Pahlvi Avesta

In the Avesta (The Avesta /vst/ is the primary collection of religious texts
of Zoroastrianism, composed in the otherwise unrecorded Avestan language )
Hapta-Hindu is used for Sanskrit Sapta-Sindhu, the Avesta is being
dated between 5000-1000 B.C. This implies that the term'Hindu' is as old as
the word 'Sindhu'. Sindhu is a Vedic term used in theRigveda (The
Rigveda is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the
four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas). And therefore,
'Hindu' is as ancient as the Rigveda.
In the Avestan Gatha (The Gathas are 17 Avestan hymns believed to have
been composed by Zarathusthra (Zoroaster) himself) 'Shatir', 163rd Verse
speaks of the visit of Veda Vyas (Veda Vyasa was an Ancient Indian.
(Sanatana Bharatiya). He was one of the important historians, astronomers
and philosophers of the Dwapara Yuga )to the court of Gustashp and in the
presence of Zorashtra , Veda Vyas introduces himself saying 'man
marde am Hind jijad' 8 - I am man born in 'Hind'. Veda Vyas was an
elder contemporary of Shri Krishna (3100 B.C.).

AVESTAN GATHA VEDA VYAS

ZORASHTRA SHRI KRISHNA

 Greek Usage

In Greek term 'Indoi is modified form of Hindu, where the initial

H in Greek alphabet is not pronounced or slient. This term 'Indoi'
was used in Greek literature by Hekataeus (Hecataeus of Miletus, son of
Hagesandrus, was an early Greek historian and geographer. Hailing from a
wealthy family, he lived in Miletus, then under Persian rule.) (late 6th century
B.C.) and Herodotus (Herodotus was a Greek historian who was born in
Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire and lived in the fifth century BC, a
contemporary of Socrates ) (early 5th century B.C.) , thus establishing that the
Greeks were using this derivative of'Hindu' as early as 6th century B.C.

Hekataeus Hecataeus
Herodotus
 The Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew bible (Hebrew Bible or Hebrew Scriptures is the term

used by biblical scholars to refer to the Tanakh, the canonical
collection of Jewish texts, which is the common textual source of
several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament) (Old
Testament) is considered to be 300 B.C. old. The Hebrew bible used
the word Hodu for India(India, officially the Republic of India
(Bhrat Gaarjya),
is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest
country by area, India is a vast South Asian country with diverse
terrain from Himalayan peaks to Indian Ocean coastline and history
reaching back 5 millennia.), which is a Judaic form (Focuses on Jewish
society, texts, ideologies, and institutions comparatively in relation to
surrounding societies and cultures.) of 'Hindu'. It have been noticed
that still in Israel (Israel, a Middle Eastern country on the
Mediterranean Sea, is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the
biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are in Jerusalem.), Hebrew
spoken people refers India as Hodu.

Hebrew bible Israel

 India

The Chinese Testimony

The Chinese( it is the language that is used by the peole of China which is is a
populous nation in East Asia whose vast landscape encompasses grassland,
desert, mountains, lakes, rivers and more than 14,000km of coastline.) , ( used
the word Hien-tu, for resembling Hindus in about 100 B.C. While they were
describing about the Sai-Wang (100 B.C.), the Chinese annals state that the
Sai-Wang went towards the South and passing Hien-tu reached Ki-Pin.
Later Chinese travellers Fa-Hien (Fa-Hien was a Chinese Buddhist monk who
travelled by foot from China to India, visiting many sacred Buddhist sites in
what are now Xinjiang, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
between 399-412 to acquire Buddhist texts ) ,(5th century A.D.) and Huen-
Tsang(Huen-Tsang was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and
translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early
Tang dynasty) , (7th centuryA.D.) use a slightly modified term 'Yintu' but the
term 'Hindu' is still retained. This term 'Yintu' continues to be used till today .

Fa-Hien Huen-Tsang
 Pre-Islamic Arabic Literature

Sair-ul-Okul is an anthology of ancient Arabic poetry available in the Turkish

library Makhtab-e-Sultania in Istambul (Istanbul is a major city in Turkey
that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects
cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here). In this anthology
is included a poem byProphet Mohammed's (is the central figure of Islam
and widely regarded as its founder by non-Muslims.He is known as the "Holy
Prophet" to Muslims, almost all of whom consider him to be the last prophet
sent by God to mankind[3][n 2] to restore Islam, believed by Muslims to be the
unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
other prophets. )uncle Omar-bin-e-Hassham. The poem is in praise of
Mahadev(is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme God
within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in
contemporary Hinduism.) (Shiva), and uses 'Hind' for India and 'Hindu' for
Indians. Some verses
are quoted below with meaning :-

Wa Abaloha ajabu armeeman Mahadevo

Manojail ilamuddin minhum wa sayattaru
(If but once one worships Mahadev with devotion,
One will attain the ultimate salvation.)
Wa sahabi Kay yam feema Kamil Hinda e Yauman,
Wa Yakulam na latabahan foeennak Tawajjaru.
( Oh Lord grant me but one day's sojourn in Hind,
Where one can attain spiritual bliss.)
Massayare akhalakan hasanan Kullahum,
Najumam aja at Summa gabul Hindu.
( But one pilgrimage there gets one all merit,
And the company of great Hindu saints.)

The same anthology has another poem by Labi-bin-e Akhtab bin-e Turfa
who is dated 2300 before Mohammed i.e. 1700 B.C. This poem also uses
'Hind' for India and 'Hindu' for Indian. The poem also mentions the four Vedas
Sama(is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit
text, and part of the scriptures of Hinduism), Yajur(is the Veda of prose
mantras.[1] An ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, it is a compilation of ritual offering
formulas that were said by a priest while an individual performed ritual actions
such as those before the yajna fire.[) , Rig(is an ancient Indian collection of
Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the four canonical sacred texts (ruti) of
Hinduism known as the Vedas.) and Atharva(is the "knowledge storehouse of
atharvas,
the procedures for everyday life"). This poem is quoted on
columns in the Laxmi Narayan Mandir(The Laxminarayan Temple is a
Hindu temple up to large extent dedicated to Laxminarayan in Delhi, India.
Laxminarayan usually refers to Vishnu, Preserver in the Trimurti, also known as
Narayan, when he is with his consort Lakshmi.) in New Delhi, popularly
known as Birla Mandir (Temple) . Some verses are as follows with meaning:

Aya muwarekal araj yushaiya noha minar Hinda e,

wa aradakallha manyonaifail jikaratun.
( Oh the Divine land of Hind, blessed art thou,
thou art chosen land showered with divine knowledge.)
Wahalatjali Yatun ainana sahabi akhatun jikra,
Wahajayahi yonajjalur rasu minal Hindatun.
( That celetial knowledge shines with such brilliance,
Through the words of Hindu saints in fourfold abundance.)
Yakuloonallaha ya ahlal araf alameen kullahum,
fattabe-u jikaratul Veda bukkun malam yonajjaylatun.
( God enjoins on all, follow with devotion,
path shown by Veda with divine percept.)
Wahowa alamus Sama wal Yajur minallahay Tanajeelan,
Fa e noma ya akhigo mutibayan Yobasshariyona jatun.
( Overflowing with knowledge are Sama and Yajur for Man,
Brothers, follow the path which guides you to salvation.)
Wa isa nain huma Rig Athar nasahin ka Khuwatun,
Wa asanat Ala-udan wabowa masha e ratun,
( Also the two Rig and Athar(va) teach us fraternity,
taking shelter under their lusture, dispels darkness.)

Prophet Mohammed

Mahadev (Shiva) Sama Rig Yajur

Atharva Birla Mandir

 'Hindu' in Sanskrit Literature

Now,there was a problem by the modern day historians. According to them the term
Hindu is not found in Sanskrit literature.This misconceptions can be cleared by
describing the verses of the below text :-

Meru tantra (4th to 6th century A.D.), a Shaiva text, comments on 'Hindu'.
Hindu is one who discards the mean and the ignoble.

The same idea is expressed in Shabda Kalpadruma(a dictionary of Sanskrit language).

Brihaspati Agam says,

Starting from Himalaya upto Indu waters is this God-created country Hindustan.

Parijat Haran Natak describes Hindu as,

Hindu is one who with penance washes one's sins and evil thoughts and with
arms destroys one's enemies.

Madhava Digvijaya states,

One who meditates on Omkar as the primeal sound, believes in karma &
reincarnation, has reverence for the cow, who is devoted to Bharat, and abhors
evil, is deserving of being called Hindu.

Vriddha Smriti defines Hindu as,

One who abhors the mean and the ignoble, and is of noblebearing,
who reveres the Veda, the cow, and the deity, is a Hindu.

Similarly it have been seen that other Sanskrit works which use the term 'Hindu' are,
Kalika Puran(The Kalika Purana (ca. 10th century) is a Hindu religious text,
considered as one of the 18 Upapuranas.), Bhavishya Puran (The title
Bhavishya means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies
regarding the future, however, the "prophecy" parts of the extant manuscripts
are a modern era work.), Adbhut Kosh(term 'Hindu' is also found inscriptures
like Adbhut Kosh), Medini Kosh (Telugu A dictionary of Sanskrit), Ram
Kosh(Hindi Sanskrit dictionary) etc 8,15. Even Kalidas (Klidsa was a Classical
Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the
Sanskrit language. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Indian
Puranas. )has used a derivative form 'Haindava'.
Meru tantra Shabda Kalpadruma

Kalidas
 'Hindu' and 'Sindhu'

As discusses earlier that the Persian practice of replacing H with S for the
term Hindu. But this fact does not hold any validity as then the word Sindh
has not become Hind and both Sindh and Hind exist in Persian (Persian,
also known by its endonym Farsi, is one of the Western Iranian languages
within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, and the
predominant modern descendant of Old Persian.) as well as Arabic(Arabic is
a Central Semitic language that was first spoken in Iron Age northwestern
Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. Arabic also is a liturgical
language of 1.7 billion Muslims.). The
inscriptions of Darius and Xerexes which describe India as Hi(n)du, also use the
term 'Sugd' for Sogdiana(Sogdia or Sogdiana was the ancient Indo-European
civilization of an Iranian people that at different times included territory
located in present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan such as: Samarkand,
Bukhara, Khujand, Panjikent and Shahrisab). So according to this 'Sugd' should
have become 'Hugd' as per this theory. The Pahlvi inscription of Shahpur II (Shapur
II, also known as Shapur II the Great, was the tenth king of the Sasanian
Empire. The longest reigning Sasanian monarch, he reigned from 309 to 379),
uses 'S' in Shakastan (Sakastan is a historical and geographical region in
present-day eastern Iran) andTuxaristan(the southeast of them was the region
of Tuxaristan, with Bactrian and other Iranian tongues that had been
associated with the Kusan Empire.).

But it cannot be denied that the term Hindu is a form of Sindhu. It needs to be realized
that this change from S to H is common in Saurashtra(Surashtra and its Prakrit
name Sorath, literally means "good country", the name finds mentions in the
Junagadh Rock inscription dating 150 CE, attributed to Rudradaman I. Prior to
it, during the rule of Ashoka (268232 BCE), the region was under Yavana
Tushaspa, and governed by Pushyagupta during Chandragupta Maurya's reign
(322BC 298BC), Saurashtra is a peninsular region of western India, located
on the Arabian Sea coast. It covers about a third of Gujarat state, notably 11
districts of Gujarat, including Rajkot District. )where Sorath(the southern of the
four historical regions in Kathiawar, Surashtra and its Prakrit name Sorath,
literally means "good country") becomes
Horath, Somnath(The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval
in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is believed to be the first
among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and
tourist spot of Gujarat) becomes Homnath and so on. The form Hindu is therefore,
likely to have come from Saurashtra.

It should also be noted that as per Nirukta(Nirukta means "explained, interpreted"

and refers to one of the six ancient Vedangas, or ancillary science connected
with the Vedas the scriptures of Hinduism.) rules of grammar, in the Vedic
Language(Vedic Sanskrit is an Indo-European language, more specifically one
branch of the Indo-Iranian group. It is the ancient language of the Vedas of
Hinduism, texts compiled over the period of the mid-2nd to mid-1st millennium
BCE. It was orally preserved, predating the advent of Brahmi script by several
centuries.), replacement of S with H is permitted .

Arabic Persian Shahpur II

Somnath temple
 Vedic
Language( Sanskrit)

Conclusion

So in the end it can be said that epigraphic evidences marks the term Hindu
aback atleast 500 B.C. The term Hindu as used as a part of 'Hapta-Hindu' in
the Avesta suggests that 'Hindu' is as old as 'Sindhu' and therefore, belongs
to the Vedic age(The Vedic period (or Vedic age) ( c. 1500 c. 500 BCE)
was the period in Indian history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures
of Hinduism, were composed. During the early part of the Vedic period, the
Indo-Aryans settled into northern India, bringing with them their specific
religious traditions.).

Regarding the origin of 'Hindu' from 'Sindhu', the Saurashtran practice of

pronouncing 'H' in place of 'S' provides the answer.

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