THE INDO-ARYANS :A LOOK AT THEIR OROGINS

History 1.2

Submitted by

Ayush Dwivedi

Submitted by

Ms. Namrata Gogoi

UID- SM0116012

1st year, 1st Semester

National Law University, Assam

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TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction
1.1 Overview

1.2 Literature Review

1.3 Research Problem

1.4 Scope and Objective

1.5 Research Question

1.6 Research Methodology

2. The origin and history of indo-Aryans

2.1 The saga of the Aryan invasion of India and Related Theories.

3. The early Vedic age: social set up of Aryans

3.1 Origin

3.2 Social and economic life.

3.3 Culture, religion and education.

3.4 Position of women.

4. Description of migration theory of Indo-Aryans and textual references to migration.

4.1 Rig-Veda.

4.2 Srauta sutra of Buadhayana.

4.3 Later Vedic and Hindu texts.

5. Theories related with Aryans.

5.1 Central Asian theory

5.2 Theory of North pole or Arctic region
5.3 Indian theory
6. Conclusion

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7. Bibliography

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 1. Introduction
1.1 Overview
Aryan, name give to the people who spoke an archaic language named as Indo –
European language. They were thought to have settled in ancient Iran and northern
Indian subcontinent. The theory of an “Aryan race” arose in the mid 19th century and
existed till mid 20th century. According to the hypothesis, light skinned Aryans were
those people who invaded and conquered ancient India from north. Subsequently they
shaped the course of Indian culture by their language and modes of social organization
after which Vedic religion was formed and replaced by Hindu religion. In late 20th
century a number of scholars rejected the Aryan invasion hypothesis.

According to some historians, Aryans came in hordes and settled in north-western India
from where they moved towards the Gangetic valley, north eastern India and southern
India. On the other hand some historians say that Aryans came in two or more waves
and colonized the land. No evidence till yet found that confirms that Aryans occupied
the land forcibly. Once they settled in India they developed closer contacts with non
Aryans. The Aryans made class restrictions more rigid in order to regulate those
contacts. At that time there were four groups namely priests, warriors, peasants/traders
and shudras.Skin colour or Varna was a distinguishing feature of this system. Hence
these for groups were known as varnas.Gradually these four groups grew more complex
having many subdivisions. The occupation, marital status and other social aspects of a
person were decided by the Varna in which he was born. The food of the Rigvedic
Aryans consisted of parched grain and cakes, milk and milk products, and various fruits
and vegetables.

Ancient Indian History by Saharan M.S.

Theory of Aryan Race and India by Thapar Romila
The Rigvedic Aryans:The debate must go on by Lal B.B.
2. Literature Review

 India: Historical beginnings and concepts of the Aryans:

This book states that to get idea of the idea of the beginning of Indian history one must
refer to puranas. This book narrates the story of Manu and evolution of the earth. This
book also states that in Indian history nowhere is mentioned that Aryans were original
ancestors. Apart from this, this book helped researcher in getting a brief view of the
Vedas and according to Max Muller, Rig-Veda was the key to language and religion of
early India. This book also tells that how Aryans assumed a racial significance.

 Theory of Aryan race and India:

According to this article there are a lot of controversies among historians regarding origin
of Aryans. This article states that how Max Muller and John Muir drew attention to the
plight of sudras and peasants who were oppressed by Brahmans. This article also narrates
the conflict between Aryans and non Aryans. This article helped researcher in getting to
know the economic, educational, fooding, clothing, amusement, social cultural and
religious activities of the Aryans.

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1.2 Research Problem

The present paper tries to analyse the origin, social setup and migration theory of Aryans.

1.4 Scope and Objective

The scope of this project is limited to the study of indo –Aryans and Vedic era.

The objectives of the research are

1. To study about origin of indo-Aryans.

2. Conflicts regarding origin of Aryans.

3. Migration theory of Aryans.

1.5 Research question

1. Who were the Aryans?

2. What are different views of historians regarding origin of Aryans?

3. What was pre-Aryan India like?

1.6 Research methodology

The researcher conducted mixed type of methodology. Researcher conducted Doctrinal type of
research to collect proper data and gather appropriate information. The use of library sources and

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internet sources has greatly supplemented the research. Various books pertaining to the subject
have been immensely helpful in guiding the research. Researcher also conducted the Empirical
research for collecting the data of daily time spending on social networking sites.

To ensure a quality study of the subject matter, the researcher collected the Secondary type of
data. Though primary data is very valuable and precious; still the importance of the secondary
data cannot be overlooked. So, the researcher collected secondary data through various books,
articles, journals and other sources.

2 The Origin and History of Indo- Aryans

Aryan, title firstly given to a people who were said to speak an archaic Indo-European language
and who were idea to have settled in prehistoric times in historical Iran and the northern Indian
subcontinent. The theory of an “Aryan race” seemed within the mid-19th century and remained
established untill the mid-20th century. According to the hypothesis, these most commonly mild-
skinned Aryans had been the group who invaded and conquered old India from the north and
whose literature, faith, and modes of social institution subsequently formed the path of Indian
culture, mainly the Vedic religion that informed and was eventually outmoded by Hinduism.

However, in view that the late 20th century, a growing number of historians have rejected each
the Aryan invasion hypothesis and the usage of the time period Aryan as a racial designation,
suggesting that the Sanskrit term arya (“noble” or “distinguished”), the linguistic root of the
phrase, used to be honestly a social as a substitute than an ethnic epithet. As an alternative, the
time period is used strictly in a linguistic sense in attention of the impact that the language of the
historic northern migrants had on the progress of the Indo-European languages of South Asia.
During the 19th century “Aryan”term was used as a synonym for “Indo-European” and likewise,
extra restrictively, to refer to the Indo-Iranian languages.
In Europe the notion of white racial superiority emerged in the 1850s, propagated most
assiduously with the aid of the comte de Gobineau and later by his disciple Houston Stewart
Chamberlain, who first used the time period “Aryan” to intend the “white race.”Members of so-
called race spoke Indo-European languages, were credited with the entire growth that benefited
humanity, and were purported to be superior to “Semites,” “yellows,” and “blacks.” Believers in

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Aryanism came to treat the Nordic and Germanic peoples as the purest individuals of the “race.”
That suggestion, which had been repudiated by using anthropologists by way of the 2d quarter of
the twentieth century, was once seized upon through Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and was once
made the basis of the German executive policy of exterminating Jews, Roma (Gypsies), and
different “non-Aryans.” For a very long time it was believed that India was the original dwelling
land of the Aryans. This notion was just about universal in India as much as the British conquest.
It was once stated that there were seven languages belonging to Indo-Aryan crew, out of this
seven sister languages most effective Sanskrit and Persian exist outside Europe. The remaining
five languages like Greek, Latin, German, Gothic and Celtic are European. Due to the fact that
nearly all of the Indo-European languages are European, the long-established house land of the
Aryans was once in Europe. 12

1
http://www.importantindia.com/1061/the-origin-and-the-original-home-of-the-aryans accessed on 18th
september at 3:00 pm
2
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aryan accessed on 18th september at 5:00 pm

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 2.1 The Saga of Aryan Invasion of India
The Aryan Invasion idea was first propounded when linguistic similarities between Sanskrit and
the important European languages have been learned by way of European students in the course
of the colonial generation. In an atmosphere of raging eurocentricism, it was inevitable that any
rationalization of this seemingly inexplicable discovery would taken on racial and ideological
overtones. British intellectuals have been in particular nonplussed via this apparent hyperlink
between the languages of the conquerors and the conquered. In the earliest phases of British rule
in India, the East India company proceeded mostly unconsciously - without ethical dilemmas and
without overt recourse to ideological or racial superiority. However as the guidelines of the East
India manufacturer multiplied, and battles grew to become extra hard fought and the resistance to
British occupation in India grew, the ideology of European racial superiority became virtually
major in justifying British presence in India - now not only to assuage British judgment of right
and wrong, but in addition to convince the Indian folks that the British were not mere colonial
conquerors however a sophisticated race on a noble civilizational mission. After 1857, the
British schooling method in India had been intentionally designed to assist in the development of
a slender but influential category of deeply indoctrinated and predominantly loyal sellers of
British colonial rule in India. British elaborations of the Aryan invasion theory became concrete
and effortless ideological tools in producing legitimacy for British rule. In it is most classical and
colonially tinged incarnation, it portrayed the Aryans as a enormously developed and culturally
superior race within the old world, finding their normal house in Northern Europe. It then went
on to recommend that some time in antiquity, the Aryans migrated from their usual house in
Europe and introduced with them their language and their advanced culture and transcendental
philosophy to civilize the primitive and materially backward Dravidian persons of the
subcontinent. All of the greatness of Indian civilization used to be ascribed to the Aryans,
therefore implying that if India had been to ever obtain greatness again, a return to Aryan rule
used to be principal.

And with the aid of claiming a cultural continuity between this noble race of old occasions and
themselves, the British would turn out to be inheritors of the grand Aryan lifestyle and assert
their "legitimate" civilizational proper to rule over the folks of the subcontinent - to not exploit
them, however so to "reinvigorate" Indian civilization via reintroducing Aryan rule that had been

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disfigured and corrupted through the violent and barbaric incursions of the Muslims.
Preposterous and distorted because it was, this absurdly racist proposition was made palatable to
a self-doubting and repressed category of higher-caste Hindus who had been told that they were
descendants of the Aryans, and might identify with the manifold and globally encompassing
achievements of the Aryan individuals through accepting British authority as a way to take part
in this pleasant Aryan renaissance in India. The theory gained fast currency amongst upper-caste
Hindus who had respectable gripes against the Muslim the Aristocracy for having been denied
equal entry to energy within the Muslim courts, but have been too enfeebled to place up a battle
on their own, and have been too alienated from the mass of artisans and peasants to become a
member of in standard rebellions in opposition to the feudal dispensation. The British rulers
supplied the possibility of gaining petty privileges in alternate for acquiescence to colonial rule,
and the Aryan invasion concept provided the ideological justification for betraying the rest of
ones nation. With the aid of placing the ancestral home of the Aryans a long way off in Northern
Europe, the British were putting the proposal in the heads of such upper-caste Hindus that they
had been a long way eliminated from the Indian lots and had no just right intent to establish with
them.

Wittingly or unwittingly, the Aryan invasion idea thus grew to be the emotional bait for a
element of the Indian populace who were to aid and abet the colonial challenge in India.
Although a few of these Indians eventually did strengthen country wide feelings, and cast a
country wide identification that ultimately came into clash with the continuation of colonial rule,
the theory persevered to play an predominant position in complicated the psyche of the submit-
independence Indian intelligentsia.

Due to the fact the Aryan invasion belongs to a interval of enormous antiquity, and there is little
bodily proof to help any authoritative conclusion, theories affirming (or opposing) the invasion
speculation can vary from being wildly speculative at worst, to being moderately plausible at
nice. Even essentially the most diligent and purpose of historians can at pleasant provide you
with told conjectures, leaving open the probability for uncertainty, and ideologically-pushed
diversionary postulations. The absence of concrete information and the anomaly involved in
interpreting surviving texts from the Aryan period makes the challenge of combating history-

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writing that has been colored by using colonially influenced evaluation doubly difficult.

Nevertheless, it's possible to construct the contours of what may be more believable, and at the
least do away with what's absolutely fiction or delusion.3

3
http://archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/aryan-invasion-theories

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3 The early Vedic age: social set up of Aryans

After the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization, one more superb civilization flourished in
India. The humans who were in charge for the evolution of this civilization called themselves
Aryas or Aryarns.Arya’ literally method the man of ‘noble character’, and the “free-born”. They
belonged to the group of humans often called Indo-Europeans. They entered into India from the
north-west.Despite the fact that the Rig Veda offers with devotional work of religious nature, but
it gives a vivid view of the early Vedic civilization. The Vedic Civilization is fine understood
from the social life, political business enterprise, fiscal existence and religious beliefs.They
spoke the Indo-European languages from which modern-day languages like Sanskrit, Persian,
Latin, Greek, Celtie, Gothic have developed. At first, the Aryans look to have lived somewhere
in the subject east of the Alps, known as Eurasia.Despite the fact that the Rig Veda offers with
devotional work of devout nature, but it gives a vivid picture of the early Vedic civilization. The
Vedic Civilization is great understood from the social life, political employer, monetary life and
religious beliefs.

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 3.1 Origin
The early Aryans have been familiar with exact animals’ equivalent to goats, puppies, pigs, cows,
horses etc. And likewise with the timber like pine, maple, oak, willow, birch and so forth. Which
might be observed in Europe. This resulted in Prof. Giles to recommend the eu starting place of
the Aryans. It's mostly believed that they migrated to India and other parts of Asia from Europe.
It is difficult to locate the exact part of Europe where the Aryans originally lived before they
migrated elsewhere. According to Giles, Balkan countries were the original home of the Aryans.
The flora and fauna and the animals with which the early Aryans were familiar could be found in
the Balkan countries at that time.Prof. Hist believes that the Aryans migrated from Lithuania
Europe into Caucasus and from there they entered into Iran. Again from Iran they entered into
Punjab. This view is proved by the discovery of Boghaz Koi inscription and the Tel-El- Amarna
Letters in Western Asia.
Some historians held the view that the Aryans entered into India from the region of South Russia.
Brandenstain held that the Aryans migrated to India from Kirghitz stepps in Russia. The
prominent Philologist, Schrader accepts South Russia as the fashioned residence of Russians
from where they migrated to one of a kind areas.
Some historians held the view that Aryans belonged to India. The Rig Veda refers to ‘Sapta
Sindhu’ land (of seven rivers) which was the name of Punjab. Subsequently it was called
“Panchanada” (land of five rivers). The flora and fauna with which the Aryans were familiar are
not found in Punjab. Again the fertility of Punjab must have attracted immigration. From the
linguistic view point Greek and Latin belong to Aryan group of Languages. These considerations
led the historians to believe that Aryans do not originally belong to India.4

4
http://www.historydiscussion.net/vedic-age/early-vedic-age-origin-social-life-economic-life-culture-and-
religion/3013 accessed on 19th september at 6:00 pm

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 3.2 Social and Economic Life

Family:

The family was regarded as the social and political unit. It used to be the nucleus of the social
lifetime of the early Aryans. The father was the chief of the household and he was once often
called “Grihapati”. The Aryans had joint families. The father had great authority over the
youngsters. Though the father was once variety and affectionate yet from time to time he grew to
be merciless towards his children. From Rig-Veda we come to know about a father who blinded
his son for his extravagance.5

The Village:

During the Rig Vedic Age men and women lived in villages. The residences were made of wood
and bamboo. The hymns of Rig-Veda refer to Pura. Apparently Puras were fortified locations
and served as places of refuge throughout threat of invasion.There used to be absence of word
Nagara (city) in the hymns of Rig-Veda. Gramani was once the head of the village. He looked
after the affairs of the village, each civil and army. There used to be an officer referred to as
Vrajapati who led Kulapas or heads of households to combat.

Agriculture:

Reference in Rig-Veda shows, that agriculture was the foremost occupation of the individuals.
They ploughed the field by means of a pair of oxen. Rig-Veda even mentions that twenty four
oxen have been attached to a plough share while to plough the land. The ploughed land was once
often called Urvara or Kshetra. Water was furnished into the fields by the use of irrigation canal.
Use of manure was recognized to them. Barley and wheat have been typically cultivated. Cotton
and oil seeds have been additionally grown.Rice was possibly no longer greatly
cultivated.Agriculture used to be their predominant supply of revenue.

5
http://www.importantindia.com/20540/social-and-economic-life-during-the-later-vedic-period/ accessed on 5 th
October 2016 at 11:00 am

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 3.3 Culture, Religion and Education
The devout lifetime of the Aryans was once easy and undeniable. They worshipped more than a
few manifestations of nature such as the sun, the moon, the sky, the dawn, the thunder, the wind
and the Air. Vedic hymns have been composed in praise of nature. Rigveda mentions that thirty
three gods and goddesses were worshipped by way of the Aryans.

These divinities were placed beneath three categories particularly:

(1) the terrestrial gods similar to Prithvi, Agni, Brihaspati (Prayer), and Soma,
(2) The atmospheric gods, such as, Indra, Rudra (most of the time lightning), Maruts, Vayu
(wind) and Parjanya and and Vishnu all related to the most glorious phenomenon of nature, viz.,
the solar. (three) celestial gods akin to Dyaus (the sky), Varuna (vault of Heaven), Ushas
(daybreak), Asvins (regularly twilight and morning stars) and Surya, Mitra, Savitri.

Among the vedic gods, Indra occupied the manager location, used to be given the most important
number of hymns—about one fourth of the complete quantity of hymns within the Rig Veda
Samhita. He was sometimes called Purandara and the destroyer of forts. He was additionally the
god of rain. Varuna was once viewed as the nice of fact and moral order. He was once conceived
as the omniscient ruler of the cosmic waters. Maruta was the god of storm. He helped Indra in
scattering away the demons. Usha was the goddess of dawn.6

Prithvi used to be considered because the goddess of grain and of procreation.Agni was once 2d
in value simplest to Indra. He acted because the coordinator among all deities. He conveyed to
the gods the oblations offered by the devotees. He obtained particular homage by using the
humans as no sacrifice would be carried out without delivering to him. Vishnu used to be
worshipped as the god of three worlds. Surya was viewed because the destroyer of darkness.
Aside from these deities, others like Savitri, Saraswati, Brihaspati and Prajnya were additionally
worshipped.
Mode of Worship:
6
http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-aryans-in-the-indus-valley-texts-castes-beliefs.html accessed on 5th
october 2016 at 2:00 am

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The mode of worship was simple. The Vedic worship intended certainly simplest oblation and prayer. A
first-rate value was attached to the hymns. The Aryans chanted hymns to appease the various divinities.
Yajna or sacrifice used to be an extra mode to soothe the gods and goddesses. They furnished milk,
ghee, grains, wine, fruits and so on. As offering into fireplace.

Animals like horses, buffaloes, rams, bulls, and even cows were additionally regularly sacrificed.
The method of sacrifice was simple. Each Aryan family took part within the providing of prayers
and performing of fireside-sacrifice. There was no priestly classification for performing these
devout sites. No shrine or temple was once developed. Photo worship was unknown in those
days.
The theory of reincarnation or rebirth was once not entirely fashioned. The Rig Vedic hymns had
no regular concept concerning lifestyles after loss of life. The Rig Vedic thought of lifestyles
after demise used to be very indistinct. The soul departed to “Land of fathers”, pitralok was once
acquired by using Yama and rewarded or punished in line with its deeds. So the idea of rebirth
was once there.7

The doctrine of transmigration of soul was no longer thoroughly developed. In-spite of

worshipping various deities the Vedic age saw the prevalence of monotheism. The hymns of Rig-
Veda, Mandal x, 82 specific the perception that God is one even though. He bears many names.
The idea of single supreme vigour governing and controlling the universe appears to have
emerged. The religious lifetime of Vedic Aryans was once easy. They worshipped nature by
means of prayer and sacrifice which in a while shaped the basis of Hindu faith. In this vedic
period , the following objectives were ascribed to education.
1. Self - control
2. Development of character
3. Social awarenesss
4. Intergral development of personalty
5. Propagation of purity
6. Preservation of knowledge and culture

7
http://www.indianetzone.com/54/culture_aryans.htm accessed on 11th october 2016 at 9:oo pm

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 Gurukul System:
schooling in historic India originated with the Gurukul approach. This sort of ancient college in
India used to be residential in nature with the Shishyas or students and the Guru or instructor
residing in proximity within the same residence. The students resided together irrespective of
their social standing. However,several temples and neighborhood centers regularly took the
function of schools. Moreover to that ancient Indian education accomplished a noticeable
position in the early Vedic period. In the Vedic days, the instructing of the four Vedas, the
hymns and ritual practices have been visible. The Vedas incorporated the Sanskrit language
which in flip became the language of classical finding out. Besides the pronunciation of the
Vedas and their implication, phonology, metrics, elementary grammar, and etymology have been
also taught.
In fair climate; lessons had been held under the resort of the tree. In the rainy season schools
ran unde thatched roof. Temple schools of the past had been of fine renown for having spacious
structures for classrooms and the residential complexes of the pupils and the "experts". Gurukuls
and Ashrams have been on the whole based on the river banks or on the lake to obtain the
knowledge. 8
3.4 Position of Women
In the early Vedic age women enjoyed an honoured location in the society. The wife was once the
mistress of the household and authority over the slaves. In all devout ceremonies she participated
with her husband. Prada system was not widely wide-spread within the society. Sati system used
to be also not everyday within the Vedic society.9
The education of women was not nelegted. The Rig-Veda mentions the names of some learned
women like Viswavara, Apala and Ghosa who composed mantras and attained the rank of Rishis.
The girls were married after attaining puberty. The practice of ‘Swayamvara’ was popular in the
society. Monogamy was a common practice. Remarriage of widows was alllowed. The women
were not independent persons in the eye of the law. They had to remain under the protecting care
of their male relations.10
i

8
http://indiansaga.com/history/aryans_education.html accessed on 15th october 2016 at 12:30 am
9
India: Historical Beginnings and Concept of Aryan by Romila Thapar
10
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/society/status-of-women-in-vedic-and-post-vedic-period/4397/ accessed on
12th October 2016 at 7:00 pm

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19
4 Description of migration theory of Indo-Aryans and textual references to
migration.

The Indo-Aryan migration theory proposes that the Indo-Aryans migrated from erative
Asian steppes into South Asia during the early a part of the 2nd millennium BCE, bringing
with them the Indo-Aryan languages. The theory proposes migrations originating from the
Sintashta tradition which moved by way of the Bactria-Margiana discipline, into the
northern part of the Indian subcontinent (cutting-edge India, Pakistan and Nepal).Migration
by way of an Indo-European persons used to be first hypothesized in the late 18th century,
following the discovery of the Indo-European language family , when similarities between
western and Indian languages had been famous. Given these similarities, a single source or
foundation used to be proposed, which used to be subtle with the aid of migrations from
some fashioned place of origin. This linguistic argument is supported via archeological and
anthropological research. Genetic study exhibits that those migrations form part of a
elaborate genetical puzzle on the origin and unfold of the quite a lot of accessories of the
Indian populace. Literary study exhibits similarities between more than a few,
geographically distinctive, Indo-Aryan historical cultures.11

4.1 Rig- veda

Just as the Avesta does now not point out an outside place of birth of the Zoroastrians, the
Rigveda does now not explicitly consult with an external homelandor to a migration. Later
Hindu texts, such as the Brahmanas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas, are established in the
Ganges neighborhood (rather than Haryana and the Punjab) and point out regions still extra to
the south and east, suggesting a later motion or growth of the Vedic faith and tradition to the east.
There's no clear indication of basic movement in either path in the Rigveda itself; searching for
oblique references within the textual content, or by way of correlating geographic references
with the proposed order of composition of its hymns, has no longer led to any consensus on the
challenge.

11
https://clubs.ncsu.edu/hsc/hsc/Events/Entries/2007/2/21_Aryan_Invasion_Theory_-
_Myth_or_reality_files/Aryan%20Migration%20Theory-Manav.pdf accessed on 8 th October 2016 at 10:00 am

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 4.2 Srauta Sutra of Baudhayana
According to Romila Thapar, the Srauta Sutra of Baudhayana "refers to the Parasus and the
arattas who stayed behind and others who moved eastwards to the middle Ganges valley and the
places equivalent such as the Kasi, the Videhas and the Kuru Pancalas, and so on. In fact, when
one looks for them, there are evidence for migration.

4.2 Later Vedic Texts

The Puranas tell that Yayati left Prayag (confluence of the Ganges & Yamuna) and conquered the
area of Sapta Sindhu. His 5 sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu correspond to the
primary tribes of the Rigveda.The Puranas additionally file that the Druhyus were pushed out of
the land of the seven rivers by means of Mandhatr and that their next king Gandhara settled in a
north-western neighborhood which grew to be referred to as Gandhara. The sons of the later
Druhyu king Pracetas are supposed with the aid of some to have 'migrated' to the area north of
Afghanistan although the Puranic texts most effective convers.12

5 Theories related with Aryans

5.1 Central Asian Theory
There are more many schools of thought involving the normal residence of the Aryans. The
essential idea which held the discipline for a very long time was that the Aryans at the beginning
lived in significant Asia. This idea was propounded by Prof Max Muller a German scholar of
comparative languages. He mentioned that the ancestors of the Indians, Greeks, Persians,
Romans, Germans and the Celts ought to have lived collectively initially. The 'Pitri' and 'Matri' in
Sanskrit are nearly the identical because the Persian 'Pidar' and 'Madar', the Latin 'Pater' and
'Mater' and the English 'Father' and 'mom'.
5.2 Theory of North Pole or Arctic Region
According to late Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Arctic region was the original home of the Aryans.
He commented that the Aryans had not disregarded their motherland and the Rigveda comprises
specific references to a place where harsh cold, longer dusks and six months day and night are
found. These references propose that the Arctic region must have been the original home of the

12
http://archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/aryan-invasion-theories accessed on 8th october 2016 at 1:00 pm

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 Aryans. According to Tilak, Aryans departed from this place approximately in 8000 B.C., and
from there they colonised in Central Asia in 6000 B.C. In the nonexistence of any written records
and based only on the science of Astronomy, this theory has not been recognised by historians. 

5.3 Indian Theory

Dr. A. C. Dass, late Ganga Nath Jha, Sri L. D. Kalla, Sri. D. S. Trivedi and so on., have
acknowledged this thought. In keeping with A. C. Dass, Rigveda says that the Aryans were the
residents of Sapta-Sindhu. This region stretched from river Indus up to the Saraswati River.
Kashmir and Punjab were additionally underneath this region. Dr. Sam-purnanand additionally
backs the theory of Sapta-Sindhu as the ancestral dwelling of the Aryans. custodians of this
theory assert that it has not been proved until now that the Aryans came from external and
strategies of they being the normal inhabitants of someplace close to Punjab are very sturdy.
Aryans considered themselves the residents of Sapta-Sindhu. Had they arrive from external, they
would have introduced Vedas with them. But if truth be told simply the reverse, considering that
the people who had penned the 'mantras' of Rigveda, have got to had been residents of some
position close Punjab. Regarding the affinity of Indian and European language, this conception
states that within the language of Aryans, there is a plethora of Sanskrit phrases, but so just isn't
the case with the latter. If Aryans had come from outside, their historical literature (Vedas) will
have to also have been discovered there. But no Vedic literature has been discovered in any
location external India.13

6 Conclusion
The Aryans were one of the tribes of Indo-European-speaking, horse-using nomads residing
within the arid steppes of Eurasia. Around 1700 BC, the aryans invaded the old urban
civilizations of the Indus Valley, and destroyed that tradition. The Indus Valley civilizations
(often called called Harappa or Saraswati) had been far extra civilized than any horse-back
nomad, with a written language, farming capabilities, and a truly city existence. Some 1,200
years after the supposed invasion, the descendants of the Aryans, so they say wrote the
traditional Indian literature referred to as the Vedic manuscripts.

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http://archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/aryan-invasion-theories accessed on 25th september 2016 at 6:00 pm

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It's usually believed that they were not the original inhabitants of India. Many theories were put
ahead in favor and towards the argument. Some historians say that the original residence of
aryans was central Asia. Others are of the opinion that their normal house was in southern Russia
(close the Caspian sea) or in the south-east Europe (in Austria and Hungary). German scholar
Max-Muller inspiration that the original dwelling of the Aryans was once someplace close the
Caspian Sea. From there they had migrated to the european countries. Two categories of Aryans
are said to have come to Persia and India. The Aryans who had migrated to India are known as
the 'Indo-Aryans'. They were the first men and women who entered India by means of the north-
western passes. The common descent of the Aryans can be indicated by means of the truth that
Sanskrit, the language of the Indo-Aryans, is closely involves many languages of Europe and
some languages of Western Asia. From this it may be concluded that in olden occasions the
ancestors of those people who spoke equivalent languages need to have once lived as neighbors.
Bhagwan S. Gidwani in his booklet 'The Return of the Aryans' contends that Aryans have been
the fashioned inhabitants of India and from right here they migrated to other areas on the planet.
He argues that if Aryans did migrate from other areas to India then why is there no reference to
those places in their books, akin to Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, and so forth. In line with Bal
Gangadhar Tilak Aryans firstly inhabited Siberia however as a result of the falling temperature
had to leave Siberia for greener pastures. A mountain of evidence unearthed by archaeologists
over the years shows us that India was certainly not uninhabited before the coming of the Indo-
Aryan speaking people (the "Aryans") in around 1,500 BC. In fact, a first wave of urbanization
had already swept past north-western and western India, long before the Aryans started setting
up towns and cities in the Ganges Plain. ince the Aryans are known to have cleared great patches
of wooded area lands within the Ganges undeniable with a view to fuel their fashionable
agricultural company, it's probable that this a part of India would had been more densely forested
in earlier instances. However, the landscapes of India's different important geographical points --
the Northern Mountains, the Peninsula and the Coasts -- are likely to have suffered minimal
alterations for this reason of Aryan activity. Caste-based division of society has its earliest
mention mostly in the Vedas which, along with other textual sources like the Puranas, the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, have been used by historians to draw a number of insights into
Aryan social life.14

14
Theory of Aryan race and India:History and Politics by Romila Thapar

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7 Bibliography
1. India: Historical Beginnings and the Concept of Aryan
2. A History of Ancient and Medieval India : From Stone Age to the 12th Century by UPINDER
SINGH
3. Ancient Indian History by MS SAHARAN
4. The Theory of Aryan Race and India : History and Politics by ROMILA TAHPAR
5.  The Rigvedic People: Invaders? Immigrants? or Indigenous? By BB LAL

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