The Vedic Age | History for UPSC 2024 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


The Vedic Age
1500 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Page 2


The Vedic Age
1500 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Chronology and Geography
After the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization, which ended c. 1900 BCE, groups of Indo-Aryan 
peoples migrated into north-western India from the Indo-Iranian region and started to inhabit 
the northern Indus Valley. 
The Indo-Aryans were a branch of the Indo-Iranians, which—according to the most widespread 
hypothesis—have originated in the Andronovo culture in the Bactria-Margiana area, in present 
northern Afghanistan
Initially, they came in small numbers, through the passes in the northwestern mountains. 
Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and the plains of the Punjab. 
As they were mainly a cattle-keeping people, they were mainly in search of pastures.
Page 3


The Vedic Age
1500 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Chronology and Geography
After the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization, which ended c. 1900 BCE, groups of Indo-Aryan 
peoples migrated into north-western India from the Indo-Iranian region and started to inhabit 
the northern Indus Valley. 
The Indo-Aryans were a branch of the Indo-Iranians, which—according to the most widespread 
hypothesis—have originated in the Andronovo culture in the Bactria-Margiana area, in present 
northern Afghanistan
Initially, they came in small numbers, through the passes in the northwestern mountains. 
Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and the plains of the Punjab. 
As they were mainly a cattle-keeping people, they were mainly in search of pastures.
Aryans
They were a linguistic group of people who spoke Indo-European language from which later 
emerged Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek etc. 
This is reflected from the words in these languages which are similar in sound and meaning. 
? The Sanskrit words matri and pitri are similar to the Latin mater and pater. 
? Inar of the Hittite (Turkey) language is similar to Indra of the Vedas. 
? Suryyas and Maruttash of the Kassite (Mesopotamia) inscriptions are equivalent of the Vedic Surya and 
Marut. 
Originally the Aryans seem to have lived somewhere in the Steppes stretching from southern 
Russia to Central Asia. From here, a group of them migrated to northwest India and came to be 
called Indo-Aryans or just Aryans.
Page 4


The Vedic Age
1500 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Chronology and Geography
After the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization, which ended c. 1900 BCE, groups of Indo-Aryan 
peoples migrated into north-western India from the Indo-Iranian region and started to inhabit 
the northern Indus Valley. 
The Indo-Aryans were a branch of the Indo-Iranians, which—according to the most widespread 
hypothesis—have originated in the Andronovo culture in the Bactria-Margiana area, in present 
northern Afghanistan
Initially, they came in small numbers, through the passes in the northwestern mountains. 
Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and the plains of the Punjab. 
As they were mainly a cattle-keeping people, they were mainly in search of pastures.
Aryans
They were a linguistic group of people who spoke Indo-European language from which later 
emerged Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek etc. 
This is reflected from the words in these languages which are similar in sound and meaning. 
? The Sanskrit words matri and pitri are similar to the Latin mater and pater. 
? Inar of the Hittite (Turkey) language is similar to Indra of the Vedas. 
? Suryyas and Maruttash of the Kassite (Mesopotamia) inscriptions are equivalent of the Vedic Surya and 
Marut. 
Originally the Aryans seem to have lived somewhere in the Steppes stretching from southern 
Russia to Central Asia. From here, a group of them migrated to northwest India and came to be 
called Indo-Aryans or just Aryans.
Page 5


The Vedic Age
1500 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Chronology and Geography
After the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization, which ended c. 1900 BCE, groups of Indo-Aryan 
peoples migrated into north-western India from the Indo-Iranian region and started to inhabit 
the northern Indus Valley. 
The Indo-Aryans were a branch of the Indo-Iranians, which—according to the most widespread 
hypothesis—have originated in the Andronovo culture in the Bactria-Margiana area, in present 
northern Afghanistan
Initially, they came in small numbers, through the passes in the northwestern mountains. 
Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and the plains of the Punjab. 
As they were mainly a cattle-keeping people, they were mainly in search of pastures.
Aryans
They were a linguistic group of people who spoke Indo-European language from which later 
emerged Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek etc. 
This is reflected from the words in these languages which are similar in sound and meaning. 
? The Sanskrit words matri and pitri are similar to the Latin mater and pater. 
? Inar of the Hittite (Turkey) language is similar to Indra of the Vedas. 
? Suryyas and Maruttash of the Kassite (Mesopotamia) inscriptions are equivalent of the Vedic Surya and 
Marut. 
Originally the Aryans seem to have lived somewhere in the Steppes stretching from southern 
Russia to Central Asia. From here, a group of them migrated to northwest India and came to be 
called Indo-Aryans or just Aryans.
Aryans
The archaeological evidence of migrations comes from what is known as Andronovo Culture situated in southern 
Siberia. (A collection of similar local Bronze Age cultures that flourished c. 2000–900 BCE in western Siberia and 
the central Eurasian Steppe)
From here people moved to north of Hindukush (the area known as Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex) 
and from here they entered India.
? During the period between 1900 BCE and 1500 BCE we get, in these regions, evidence of horses, spoked wheels, fire cult 
and cremation 
? Artifacts and ceramics also suggest movement of people from Central Asian region to South Asian region
All this while interaction between the indigenous inhabitants and the newcomers continued. 
A result of this process of interaction was that the Vedic form of the Aryan language became predominant in the 
entire North-western India. The texts composed in this language, as mentioned above, are popularly known as 
the Vedic Texts.
The early Vedic Aryans lived in the area known as sapta-sindhu meaning area of seven rivers. This area largely 
covers the northwestern part of South Asia up to river Yamuna. 
The seven rivers included Sindhu, Vitasta (Jhelum), Asikni (Chenab), Parushni (Ravi), Vipash (Beas), Shutudri
(Sutlej) and the Sarasvati. In this area the Rigvedic people lived, fought battles, grazed their herds of cattle and 
other domesticated animals.