Bharata

Bharata is a name with multiple meanings in Indian tradition. It designates a legendary king, the dynasty he is said to have founded, and the land associated with that lineage. In Sanskrit literature Bharata is used as an eponym for a ruler and for the people of his realm, and it later became the traditional name for the Indian subcontinent, often rendered as Bharata-varsha or Bharat.

In myth and epic literature, Bharata is described as a great king whose reign established the Bharata dynasty, the ancestral line remembered in northern Indian historiography and legend. In some accounts he is the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala, others place him as a model monarch whose lineage predates the more famous Kuru rulers. The Bharata name hence lent its title to the land and its inhabitants, a usage that endured in classical and later texts.

In modern usage, Bharat (or Bharatvarsha) remains a standard literary and cultural name for the subcontinent. In contemporary India the term Bharat is widely used in official, legal, and cultural contexts alongside India; the two names are often treated as interchangeable in many languages and discursive settings. The name Bharat also appears in personal names, literature, and media, reflecting its enduring symbolic significance as a historical and national identifier.