Our ancestors called the penninsula, with Kashmir in North, Gandhar (Afghanistan) in the west and Videha (Nepal) in the east as: Bharat, Bharat Varsha, Jambudweep, or Aaryavarta. Most popularly Bharat. The people of this Bharat followed the Sanaatana Dharama, or the Vedic Dharama.

Around 800 BC, the Sassanians (Parsi rulers of Persia), called the people of Bharat: Sindhu after the mighty river. Now, they did not pronounce the sound "S" and thus they called the people and the river Hindu.

Later when Greeks came around 300 BC, they called the river Hindu as Indus and the region after the river as India.