Often civilizations are known in history by the names they are called by their contemporary civilizations. Land of South East Asia that we know as India today has been named with various names over times - India, Hindustan, Bharat, and so many more that you probably heard of. Map of Greater India I am going to go through these names in chronological order that describes this geographic region. Its important here to note that the definitions are not just limited to the Republic of India but also includes neighboring countries as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Srilanka, Tibet, and many countries in SE Asia as these political nations were carved out of India fairly recently relative to the history of the region. Muleha - Sumerian Name for Indus Valley The oldest ever identity of this region comes from the ancient Sumerian civilization. Meluḫḫa or Melukhkha (Sumerian: 𒈨𒈛𒄩𒆠 Me-luḫ-ḫa) is the Sumerian name of a prominent trading partner during the Middle Bronze Age as
The history abounds with s tories of powerful men behaving badly . It’s a unfortunate yet predictable spectacle witnessed for thousands of years of human history across the globe— those in positions of power can’t help but help themselves to the help. Power corrupts even the best of us. But there’s an antidote - spiritual wisdom . Often spiritual wisdom had to step forward and confront the brutality of the powerful oppressor and heal the pain of the oppressed. Plunder of India in Medieval Times The sacred land of five rivers, we now call Punjab has been a playground for marauders and looters who plundered its wealth, destroyed its religious plurality, its beauty, and its heritage for over 700 years from the 11th century till the 18th century. The day Mahmud of Ghazni ransacked and looted Lahore in 1021, it ended Punjab’s rule over itself and foreign rule started, which lasted till 1769 when after over 750 years the Punjabis returned to ‘self-rule.’ Confronting Intolerance with Spir