Abstract
When and where was the Rigveda (Rv) composed? How are the Vedic people related to the vast Harappan archaeological tradition? These quintessential questions have no direct answers. At our current level of understanding, archaeology and sacred texts constitute two distinct streams which do not intersect. We must therefore collate evidence from different sources and try to produce a synthesis. It is particularly important to take note of archaeological evidence from Central Asia, because it has not received the attention it deserves. What is well known in science must be kept in mind in the case of history also. A theory to be valid must explain each and every fact (known at present or to be known in future) in a self-consistent manner. Conversely, even if there is one piece of evidence that a theory is unable to explain, it should be put on hold, modified or even rejected.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Basu A, Sarkar-Roy N and Majumder PP 2016 Genomic reconstruction of the history of extant populations of India reveals five distinct ancestral components and a complex structure. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113 1594–1599
Di Cristofaro J, Pennarun E, Mazières S, Myres NM, Lin AA, Temori SA, Metspalu M, Metspalu E, Witzel M, King RJ, Underhill PA, Villems R and Chiaron J 2013 Afghan Hindu Kush: Where Eurasian sub-continent gene flows converge. PLoS ONE 8 e76748
Chaubey G, Singh M, Rai N, Kariappa M, Singh K, Singh A, Pratap Singh D, Tamang R, Selvi Rani D, Reddy AG, Kumar Singh V, Singh L, Thangaraj K 2016 Genetic affinities of the Jewish populations of India. Sci. Rep. 6 Article ID 19166, 10 pages. ISSN 2045-2322
Kochhar R 2000 The vedic people: Their history and geography (Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, reprint 2015)
Lassen C 1847 Indische Altersthumkunde, Vol. 1 (Bonn: Koenig)
López S, Thomas MG, van Dorp L, Ansari-Pour N, Stewart S, Jones AL, Jelinek E, Chikhi L, Parfitt T, Bradman N, Weale ME and Hellenthal G 2017 The genetic legacy of Zoroastrianism in Iran and India: Insights into population structure, gene flow, and selection. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 101 353–368
Max Muller F 1869 Rig-Veda-Sanhita (London: Trubner)
Moorjani P, Thangaraj K, Patterson N, Lipson M, Loh P-R, Govindaraj, P, … Singh L 2013 Genetic evidence for recent population mixture in India. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 93 422–438
Silva M, Oliveira M, Vieira D, Brandão A, Rito T, Pereira JB, Fraser RM, Hudson B, Gandini F, Edwards C, Pala M, Koch J, Wilson JF, Pereira L, Richards MB and Soares P 2017 A genetic chronology for the Indian subcontinent points to heavily sex-biased dispersals. BMC Evol. Biol. 17 88
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kochhar, R. Ancient Indian history: What do we know and how?. J Biosci 44, 60 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-019-9891-5
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-019-9891-5