Question

What did Hindustan stand for in medieval times in brief

Answer 1

Hindustan is derived from the Persian word Hindu. In Old Persian, the region beyond the Indus river was referred to as Hindus (the Iranic equivalent of Sanskrit Sindhu) hence Modern Persian Hind, Hindu.

This combined with the Iranic suffix 'sthan' results in Hindustan, "land of the Hindus". By about 1st century BC, the term "Hein-tu" was used by Chinese, for referring to North Indian people.The term came into common use under the rule of the Mughals who referred to their dominion, centered on Delhi, as 'Hindustan'.