question_answer 6)

In what ways has the meaning of the term "Hindustan" changed over the centuries?    

Answer:

In the thirteenth century the term "Hindustan" meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. The term was used in the political sense for lands that were a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultan. The areas included in this term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate but the term never included south India. In the early sixteenth century Babur used Hindustan to describe the geography, the fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent. While the idea of a geographical and cultural entity like 'India' did exist, the term "Hindustan" did not carry the political and national meanings which we associate with it today. Today we understand the term "Hindustan" as "India", the modern nation-state.