Savarkar’s Coding of Hindutva; Metacode Rashtra, Part 6; Code Territorium (5/6); Codeelement Des, Indivisibility of the Territory (2/3)
When Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar spoke of the indivisibility of India, or Hindustan, he did not confine himself to the boundaries of the subcontinent as drawn by colonial rulers. Instead, he developed the far-reaching idea of ‘Greater Hindustan’, a vision rooted in both history and faith.
A Shared Cultural Heritage
Savarkar drew upon the notion of an ancient Hindu world empire, suggesting that Hindus across the globe—whether in Africa, the Americas, Mauritius, Bali, or beyond—were all remnants of this civilizational expanse. For him, these communities were not isolated minorities but branches of a single tree whose roots lay deep in Bharatvarsha. Their destiny, he insisted, was inseparably tied to the freedom and strength of their ancestral homeland, which he defined as both the fatherland and the holy land of Hinduism as a whole.
The Absurdity of Colonial Divisions
This vision extended also to the Hindus of French India (Gomantak, Goa) and Portuguese India (Pondicherry—today Puducherry). Savarkar argued that even the names of these territories were absurdities—colonial inventions imposed from outside. He regarded them as artificial and forced divisions, incapable of severing the eternal bonds of blood, religion, and land that connected the Hindus of those regions to their wider community across Hindustan and the world. In his view, Goa and Puducherry were therefore not appendages but indispensable and integral parts of Hindustan.
Dharma-Kshetra: The Sacred Field of Unity
To give this vision a deeper foundation, Savarkar invoked the concept of the “field of dharma” (Dharma-Kshetra). For him, all these territories were part of a sacred geography in which the ‘divine Hindu order’—the Dharma—was meant to be realized. In this way, territorial integrity was not simply a political claim but a spiritual imperative, binding geography, history, and faith into one indivisible whole.
Final Thoughts
Savarkar’s idea of ‘Greater Hindustan’ highlights the intensity of his belief in cultural unity and territorial indivisibility. For him, Hindu identity was not limited by colonial borders or diaspora distance; it was universal, bound together by a shared civilizational memory and sacred ties to the land.
This vision continues to raise important questions today: Does such an expansive notion of unity serve as an inspiring reminder of cultural belonging, or does it risk excluding those who do not share in the same heritage? Can the idea of a sacred, indivisible homeland be reconciled with the pluralism of the modern nation-state?
For Savarkar, Hindustan was more than a nation—it was a civilizational homeland whose unity reached across oceans and centuries. To divide it, or to deny its global bonds, was to betray not just territory, but Dharma itself.
💭 Do you think Savarkar’s idea of a Greater Hindustan—linking Hindus across the globe to Bharatvarsha—was a visionary concept or an unrealistic ideal? How do you see the connection between territory and faith in Savarkar’s thought? The idea of Dharma-Kshetra, a sacred field where Dharma is realized, gives political geography a spiritual dimension. Is this a strength that inspires unity, or a limitation when applied to governance today?
👉 Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources:
KLIMKEIT, Hans-Joachim. 1981. Der politische Hinduismus. Indische Denker zwischen religiöser Reform und politischen Erwachen. Otto Harrassowitz: Wiesbaden.
PHAKE, Sudhir/PURANDARE, B. M. and Bindumadhav JOSHI. (Eds.). 1989. Savarkar. Savarkar Darshan Pratishtnah (Trust): (Bombai) Mumbai.
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar. 2007. Hindu Rashtra Darshan. Bharat Bhushan. Abhishek Publications: New Delhi.
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar. 1999. Hindutva: Who is a Hindu. Seventh Edition. Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak: Mumbai.
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar. 1950. The story of my transportation for life. Sadbhakti Publications: Bombay.
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar. 1924. An Echo from Andamans. Vishvanath Vinayak Kelkar: Nagpur, in GROVER, Verinder. 1998. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar: A biography of his vision and ideas. Deep and Deep: Publications: New Delhi.
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