Why India called Bharat! September 6, 2007

Bharata according to Hindu legendary accounts was the first king to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as Bharātavarṣa.

According to the Mahabharata[citation needed], Bharata’s empire covered all of the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan and Persia.The Republic of India officially known as Bhārat after Bharata.

Bharata was the son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala and thus a descendant of the Lunar Dynasty of the Kshatriya caste. He was originally Named Sarvadamana (subduer of all); the Mahabharata traces the events in his life by which he came to be known as Bharata (the Cherished).Bharata is regarded as the first emperor to rule all of India and so India is also called “Bhaaratvarsha” meaning the land of Bharata

Related links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharata_%28emperor%29