Brief history of the word HINDU

Indian 'Aryans' called India Sapta Sindhu Sthala in 1500 BCE, i.e. 3500 years ago. It meant land of seven rivers referring to Indus river basin.
Iranian 'Aryans' (Zoroastrians) called India Hepta Hindu in 1500 BCE, also 3500 years ago.
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Persians and Arabs called the land beyond Indus as Hind in 500 CE, i.e. 2500 years ago.
In 1400 CE, i.e. 600 years ago, Indian kings used phrase Hindu Dharma to differentiate Indian culture from invading Turuku Dharma. It was a cultural, not a religious difference.
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Religion as a category for defining people was introduced by Europeans in 19th century. Before that it was Christian, heretic and heathen.
Hinduism was a word first used in 1816 by Rajaram Mohan Roy, also from Bengal. He believed there was need to 'reform' Hindu Dharma.
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The 'reform' of Hindu dharma was seen as a Western exercise to destroy Hinduism. So in 1894, another Bengali, Chandranath Basu, invented word Hindutva: Hinduism that needs no reform.

Hindutva was taken by in 1923 by Savarkar and in 1990s by BJP to promote Hindu supremacy.

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