Anicent Names of Punjab

What is Panjab and Why Is It Important?

The history of Panjab is not just about kings and wars — it’s the story of continuity.
Despite invasions, migrations, and linguistic shifts, Panjab’s civilization has remained alive for over 7,000 years.

From Meluhha’s traders to Mughal administrators, every era added a new name, but the essence of Panjab — its land, language, and rivers — stayed the same.

As the old Panjabi saying goes:
“Kings come and go, but the rivers keep flowing.”

Why Do Regions Need Names?

Rural people living inside Panjab rarely needed a large regional name; they used local identities such as Majha, Malwa, Doaba, Pothohar, Hindko, Puadhi.
A broader term like Panjab was required only when talking to outsiders—traders, travelers, and administrators.
Thus, names serve a communicative purpose: they tell outsiders who we are and where we belong.

When an ancient sailor from Mesopotamia traded with people from the Indus Valley, he used the name Meluhha to describe them.
Centuries later, Persian officials wrote Hindush, and Arabs or Greeks said Indos.

Chronological Map of Panjab’s Names

Era	Approx. Years	Main Name of Region	Source / Language	Key Meaning
Early Bronze Age	2600 – 600 BCE	Meluhha / Meluhha-Ki	Sumerian, Akkadian	Land of Boatmen
Achaemenid Persian	520 BCE onward	Hindush / Hind	Old Persian	Province of the Indus
Biblical Age	c. 480 BCE	Hodu	Hebrew (Bible)	Eastern limit of Persia
Vedic–Avestan	1200 – 600 BCE	Sapta-Sindhu / Hapta-Hindu	Sanskrit & Avestan	Land of Seven Rivers
Epic Age	1000 – 500 BCE	Bārta, Baheek, Madra, Arhaṭṭa	Vedic & Mahābhārata	Tribal regions of Panjab
Classical Age	200 BCE – 700 CE	Jibin, Udihana, Pītu, Pasācha	Buddhist / Chinese	Monastic & hill regions
Sasanian Age	240 – 400 CE	Hindistan	Middle Persian (Shapur I)	Unified Panjab–Kabul region
Islamic–Mughal	1333 CE → Now	Panjab / Panjnad	Panjabi + Persian	Land of Five Rivers

MELUHHA — The First Name of Panjab (2600 – 600 BCE)

Historical Context

Archaeologists found the word Meluhha on Mesopotamian tablets and cylinder seals kept in the Louvre Museum.
It referred to the Indus River basin including Sindh and Panjab, the center of the Harappan Civilization.

Language and Meaning

Malah = boatman → Meluhha = land of boatmen.
The suffix -Ki (meaning “land”) survived into modern Punjabi place-names like Bhai Ki Pind, Nanoki, Patto Ki.

Timeline

Earliest mention – 2400 BCE
Last mention – 643 BCE (Ashurbanipal Inscription)
After this, Meluhha faded as Aryan languages spread westward and new names such as Hind emerged.

Later Forms

Words like Mallah, Mall, Meli, Malakh in Punjabi still echo Meluhha.
Ancient Sanskrit texts turned it into Mlechchha, a term that later meant “foreigner,” showing linguistic evolution over prejudice.

Meluhha is the oldest recorded name of Panjab and Sindh in world history.

HINDUSH, HIND AND HINDUSTAN — The Persian Province (520 BCE onwards)

Source

The Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great lists Hindush as a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire.
From Kabul to Sindh was divided into:

Gandhara — north
Hindush — central Panjab
Satagāu — southern Sindh

Administrative Evidence

30,000 clay tablets from Persepolis mention Hindush in tax records—proof that the Persians collected tribute from Panjab in gold dust and grain.

Linguistic Legacy

Greek rendering → Indos
Latin → India
Hence, India = Greek form of Panjab’s Persian name Hindush.

Sasanian Continuation

Around 240 CE, Emperor Shapur I recorded the same land as Hindistan (hndstn) at Kaʿba-ye Zartosht, showing that Panjab remained Iran’s eastern frontier for centuries.

HODU — Panjab in the Bible (≈ 480 BCE)

The Book of Esther (1 : 1, 8 : 9) says:

“The king Ahasuerus ruled from Hodu to Kush.”

“Hodu” = Hebrew for Hind, i.e., Panjab.
Thus, the Bible itself acknowledges Panjab as the eastern end of the Persian Empire—a fact useful for religion and geography questions in exams.

SAPTA-SINDHU / HAPTA-HINDU — The Land of Seven Rivers (1200–600 BCE)

Dual Traditions

Rigveda (Sanskrit): Sapta-Sindhu
Zend Avesta (Avestan): Hapta-Hindu

Both refer to the same fertile region of seven rivers stretching from Kabul to Sutlej.

The Seven Rivers

Indus (Sindhu)
Kabul River
Jhelum
Chenab
Ravi
Beas
Sutlej (or the lost Sarasvati)

Cultural Meaning

The phrase symbolized not only geography but a spiritual homeland of the Aryans.
Both texts share common verses and deities like Mitra and Varuna, indicating a shared Indo-Iranian origin.

The “Seven Kingdoms” Theory

Spiegel’s Pahlavi commentary (2nd century CE) explains that “Hapt Hindu” means “the land ruled by seven chiefs.”
Greek historian Arrian confirms this when he says that Alexander appointed Porus as overlord of seven kings and 2,000 villages.

BĀRTA, BAHEEK, MADRA AND ARHAṬṬA — The Tribal Panjab (1000–500 BCE)

Bārta (Bhārta)

Tribe east of Ravi mentioned in Rigveda.
The modern term Bhārat (India) is derived from this tribe.

Baheek (Vaheek)

In Karna Parva, Baheeks are called “outside the pure land of Āryāvarta.”
Shows that ancient Ganga plains viewed Panjabis as culturally different.

Madra

Central Panjab region (Mājha between Ravi and Chenab).
King Shalya of Madra joined the Kauravas.

Arhaṭṭa / Aratta

Western Panjab (Jhang–Multan side).
Identified with ancient Jatt tribes.
Roman records (Periplus of the Erythraean Sea) mention Aratrioi = Aratta.

BUDDHIST AND CHINESE NAMES OF PANJAB (200 BCE – 700 CE)

Jibin (Chi-pin / Jibin Guo)

Recorded by Chinese monks and in Buddhist literature.
Covered Taxila to Swat Valley.
Meaning in Chinese: Ji = robe, Bin = traveler → “land from where robed monks come.”
Texts translated from Gāndhārī Prakrit, the ancestor of modern Panjabi.

Pītu (Pe-too)

Noted by Xuanzang (631–643 CE) after crossing Pothohar.
Described as Buddhist land where both Mahayana and Hinayana were taught.
Probably corresponds to modern Malwa and Doaba.

Udihana (Uddiyana / Odiyana)

Means “garden or orchard.”
Extended from Ropar to Swat.
Birthplace of Padmasambhava, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism.
Hindu Shahi rulers later used titles like Udisaha to show origin from this region.

Pasācha (Paśācha Desh)

Northern Panjab and Kashmir foothills.
The Paśāchī language evolved into Hindko and Pothohari dialects.
Sanskrit authors mocked it as “language of spirits,” revealing linguistic bias against Panjabi speech.

THE PANJNAD AND THE MODERN NAME PANJAB (1333 CE → TODAY)

Ibn Battuta’s Visit (1333 CE)

Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta first wrote the word Panjab while passing through Multan.
He heard locals use it for the region of five rivers.

Mughal Records

Ain-i-Akbari (Abul Fazl, 1590 CE) mentions Panjnad, the point where all five rivers meet.
“Panj” (Panjabi) + “Nad” (Sanskrit for river) = Hybrid term used for tax and revenue purposes.

Linguistic Evidence

In Middle Persian (Pahlavi), five = panj, same as Panjabi.
Modern Persian uses pānj and Hindi pānch → showing that Panjabi preserves the oldest form.
Similar continuity exists in words: īṭṭ (brick), akkh (eye) found identically in 2,000-year-old inscriptions.

Cultural Observation

The saying “every ten koh the dialect changes” (1 koh – 2 – 3 miles) shows why Panjab is a living museum of languages—from Sanskrit to Persian to modern Panjabi.

CIVILIZATION CONTINUITY OF PANJAB

Period	Civilizational Identity	Characteristic
Harappan	Meluhha	Maritime trade and urban planning
Persian	Hindush	Provincial administration
Vedic	Sapta-Sindhu	Religious and linguistic growth
Epic	Madra, Aratta	Tribal kingdoms
Buddhist	Jibin, Udihana	Cultural exchange with China
Islamic–Mughal	Panjab	Political unity under Delhi rule
Modern	Panjab	Bilingual heritage (Hindi-Urdu + Panjabi)

ADDITIONAL FACTS :

Ganweriwala — Second-largest Harappan site in Cholistan Desert, near Harappa.
Achaemenid Tax System — Hindush paid 360 talents of gold dust as tribute (Herodotus).
Xerxes I’s Tomb — Depicts a soldier labeled Hindush in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Kushan Connection — Sasanian inscriptions call rulers Kushan-Shah for Panjab area.
Greek Name Pentapotamiai — Greek term for “five rivers” = same as Panjab.
Religious Co-existence — Zoroastrian, Vedic, Buddhist and later Islamic traditions all flourished here.

QUICK REVISION QUESTIONS

Earliest name of Panjab? → Meluhha
Who mentioned Hindush first? → Darius I of Persia
Hodu in Bible means? → Panjab region
Seven Rivers belonged to which name? → Sapta-Sindhu / Hapta-Hindu
Who first wrote the word Panjab? → Ibn Battuta (1333 CE)
Language of early Buddhist texts in Panjab? → Gāndhārī Prakrit
Which Persian king used Hindistan? → Shapur I (Sasanian Empire)

SHORT DEFINITIONS (For One-Liners and MCQs)

Term	Meaning / Significance
Meluhha	Oldest known name of Panjab & Sindh in Mesopotamian records
Hindush	Province of Persian Empire (Behistun Inscription)
Hodu	Hebrew term for Panjab in the Bible
Sapta-Sindhu	Land of seven rivers (Vedic)
Hapta-Hindu	Same as Sapta-Sindhu in Avestan
Bārta	Eastern Panjab tribe; root of Bhārat
Madra	Region around Sialkot; King Shalya’s kingdom
Arhaṭṭa / Aratta	Western Panjab, linked with Jat tribes
Panjnad	Confluence of five rivers; mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari
Panjab	Modern name meaning “Land of Five Rivers”

CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC INSIGHTS

The addhak (double-sound) in Panjabi (e.g., “akkh,” “bitt,” “chakk”) is absent in Hindi and Persian, proving Panjabi’s independent evolution.
Ancient Panjabi influenced Pahlavi (Middle Persian) more than the other way around.
Religious shifts—from Harappan to Vedic to Buddhist to Islamic—did not erase local customs; instead, they layered over a continuous civilization.

SUMMARY IN ONE GLANCE

Theme	Ancient Term	Today’s Equivalent
Trade & Maritime	Meluhha	Harappan Civilization
Imperial Administration	Hindush	Panjab under Achaemenids
Sacred Geography	Sapta-Sindhu	Vedic Homeland
Tribal Culture	Madra / Aratta	Regional Identities
Religious Transmission	Jibin / Udihana	Buddhist Heritage
Unified Identity	Panjab / Panjnad	Modern Panjab

CONCLUSION

The History of Panjab is not just about ancient names — it’s about 7,000 years of unbroken civilization.
From Meluhha’s merchants to Mughal chroniclers, every age renamed the same fertile land in its own language — but the rivers never stopped flowing.
The language of Panjab, preserving ancient sounds like panj, akkh, and īṭṭ, is living proof of this continuity.

“The rivers of Panjab have changed their courses,
but the civilization has never stopped its flow.”

Understanding Panjab’s history means understanding how culture, geography, and language create identity — a topic that connects Ancient History, Geography, and Culture.

Published by Sharan Gill on December 27, 2025December 27, 2025