MEANINGS OF HINDU The word Hindu is not a religious word. It is secular in origin. It has been derived from the word Indo, Sindhu, which is the name of a major river that flows in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. The ancient Greeks and Armenians used to refer the people living beyond the river Sindhu as Hindus and gradually the name struck. After centuries the Aryans came down, and where they started living, they named the place Aryavart and long afterwards it was named as Bhartvarsh. When the Muslims came to the subcontinent they called the people living in the region as Hindustanis to distinguish them from the foreign Muslims. Subsequently when the British established their rule, they started calling the local religions collectively under the name of Hinduism. So whosoever was living across the Sindhu was called Indu & now Hindu whether Muslim, Christian etc.
