OSTRICH-LIKE ATTITUDE IS PERPETUATING THE ARYAN INVASION MYTH

By B. B. LAL
Director General (Retd.)
Archaeological Survey of India
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THE BACKGROUND OF THE MYTH

In 19th Cent. Max Muller dated Vedas to 1200 BCE on an ad hoc basis Objections by scholars Max Muller surrenders (Physical Religion, 1890): Whether the Vedic hymns were composed in 1000 or 1500 or 2000 or 3000 BC, no power on earth will ever determine. Pity, some scholars still cling to 1200 BCE and dare not cross this Lakshamana

Rekha

 In 1920s Harappan Civilization was discovered and dated to 3rd mill. BCE on the basis of its contacts with West Asian civilization Since the Vedas had already been dated, be it wrongly, to 1200 BCE, the Harappan Civilization was declared to be Non-Vedic. And since the only other major languagegroup was the Dravidian, it was readily assumed that the Harappans were a Dravidian-speaking people. In 1946 Wheeler discovered a fort at Harappa; and since the Aryan god Indra is mentioned in the Rigveda as puramdara, i.e. destroyer of forts, he declared that Aryan Invaders destroyed Harappan 3 Civilization (Ancient India, No.3, 1947)

FALLACY IN WHEELERS ARGUMENT

In support of his Invasion theory, Wheeler cited human skeletons at Mohenjo-daro (ibid.) His interpretation is wrong; since the skeletons were found at different stratigraphic levels and could not, therefore, be related to an invasion. No evidence whatsoever of invasion at any of the hundreds of Harappan sites. On the other hand, there is ample evidence of continuity of habitation, though marked by gradual cultural devolution. 4

Cont.
That no new people at all arrived between 4500-800 BCE, is duly established by a detailed study of human skeletal remains by Hemphill (in Harappa Excavations, 1991). Thus, if there is no evidence of warfare nor of an alien people and their material culture, where is the case for any invasion, much less by Aryans?
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CLAIM THAT HARAPPANS WERE DRAVIDIAN-SPEAKERS IS WRONG

According to the Aryan Invasion thesis, the Invading Aryans drove away the Dravidian-speaking Harappans to South India. If there was any truth in it, one would find settlements of Harappan refugees in South India, but there is not even a single Harappan or even Harapparelated setllement in any of the 6 Dravidian-speaking States.

Contd.
Further, it is seen that even when new people occupy a land, the names of at least some places and rivers given by earlier people do continue. For example, in USA names of rivers like Missouri and Mississippi or of places like Chicago and Massachusetts given by earlier inhabitants do continue even after the European occupation. But there is no Dravidian river/place-name in the entire area once occupied by the Harappans, viz. from the Indus to upper reaches of the Yamuna. All told, therefore, there is no evidence whatsoever for holding that Harappans were a Dravidian-speaking people.
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A BACK-DOOR ENTRY
Having failed to establish Aryan Invasion, Romila Thapar (1988-91: 259-60) invokes mechanism of migration of pastoral cattlebreeders. Toeing her line, R. S. Sharma (1999: 77) says: the pastoralist came from Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex which saw the genesis of the culture of the Rigveda.
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Contd.
But can Sharma cite even a single site in India, east of the Indus which was the main scene of the activity of the Rigvedic people where remains of BMAC have been found ? He cannot, since there is none Then why indulge in baseless speculations ?
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ANOTHER BACK-DOOR ENTRY

Possehl (1996:65) holds: the speakers of Vedic Sanskrit came from elsewhere. This conclusion comes from .. Indo-European words for trees such as birch, Scotch pine, linden, alder and oak. These are plants from a temperate environment and the fact that their names are shared among the early languages of the family suggests a homeland in this environment. 10

 The Rigveda does not mention any of the cold-climate trees referred to by Possehl. On the contrary, all trees mentioned in the Rigveda, e.g. Asvattha (Ficus Religiosa), Nyagrodha (Ficus benghalensis), etc. belong to tropical climate. The same is true for the fauna Thus, a cold-climate-home thesis is 11 absolutely baseless

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WITZELS ABORTIVE ATTEMPT

In order to give a prop to the Aryan Invasion theory, Witzel (1995: 320-21) deliberately mis-translates a part of Baudhayana Srautasutra (18.44) as follows: Ayu went eastwards. His people are the Kuru-Panchala and KasiVideha. This is the Ayava (migration). (His other people) stayed at home in the west. His people are the Gandhari, Parsu and Aratta. This is the Amavasu group.
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 The correct translation would, therefore, be: Ayu migrated eastwards. His people are the KuruPanchalas and Kasi-Videhas. Amavasu migrated westwards (and not stayed back, as Witzel says) . His people are Gandhari, Parsu and Aratta. In other words, the parting took place from an intermediary region, between Gandhara on the west and Kurukshetra on the east. There is no question of any kind of migration eastwards into India from the west.
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WERE THEN HARAPPANS THEMSELVES VEDIC ARYANS?

If there was no Aryan Invasion nor were the Harappans Dravidian-speaking people, could they themselves have been the Vedic Aryans ? Against such an equation four objections have been raised, namely: - (i) Whereas the Vedic people were nomads, the Harappans were urbanites; - (ii) The Vedic people knew the horse, while the Harappans did not;
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- (iii) Whereas the Vedic people used spoked wheels, the Harappans did not; - (iv) Finally, since according to Max Muller the Vedas were only as old as 1200 BCE and Harappan Civilization was of the 3rd mill. BCE, how can the two be equated, chronologically? All these objections are baseless. Briefly: Nomads ? Vedic people lived settled life and constructed forts. In RV 10.101.8 the prayer is: Oh gods, make strong forts as of metal. RV 4.30.20 mentions hundred fortresses of stone. 23

Contd.
Trade was carried on even on seas . RV 9.33.6: O Soma, pour thou forth four seas filled with a thousand-fold riches. The ships had sometimes as many as a hundred oars (sataritra). Vedic people had sabhas and samitis and even a hierarchy of rulers: Samrat, Rajan and Rajakas (RV 6.27.8 & 8.21.8). That these gradations were real is confirmed by Satapatha Brahmana (V.1.1.12-13): By offering Rajasuya he becomes Raja and by Vajapeya, Samrat; the office of Raja is lower and of Samrat, higher. Can we still call the Rigvedic people Nomads ?
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Contd.
The Horse. In his Mohenjo-daro Report, Mackay states: The most interesting of model animals is one that I personally take to represent the horse. Wheeler confirmed Mackays view. Now a lot of new material has come to light: from Lothal, Surkotada, Kalibangan, etc. Lothal has yielded a terracotta figure as well as faunal remains of 25 the horse

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Contd.
Reporting on the faunal remains from Surkotada, the renowned international authority on horsebones, Sandor Bokonyi of Hungary, emphasized: The occurrence of true horse ( Equus Caballus L.) was evidenced by the enamel pattern of the upper and lower cheek and teeth and by the size and form of the incisors and phalanges (toe bones). 27

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Contd.
Spoked wheel. Though the hot and humid climate of India does not let wooden specimens survive, there are enough terracotta models of spoked wheels, e.g. from Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi, Banawali, etc.

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Chronological Horizon of the Vedas

It is most crucial to ascertain the exact chronological horizon of the Vedas, since the 1200-BCE fatwa of Max Muller is at the root of the Aryan Invasion theory The mention of a shift of vernal equinox from Mrigasiras to Rohini in the Aitareya Brahmana has led many astronomers to assign this text to ca. 3500 BCE and thus the Vedas to 4th mill. BCE. I am incompetent to offer any comments, but would suggest that an international seminar be held on this topic to thrash it 31 out

Contd.
However, of immense help is the combined evidence of archaeology, geology, hydrology and radiocarbon-dating In this context, the role of Rigvedic Sarasvati is vital. According to RV 10.75.5, it lay between Yamuna and Sutlej; and flowed from mountains to the sea (RV 7.95.2). It is identifiable with the GhaggarSarasvati combine which is now dry downstream from Sirsa.
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 On Sarasvatis bank stands Kalibangan, an important site of Harappan Civilization. Hydrological investigations reveal that the site had to be abandoned because of the drying up of the Sarasvati an event that took place because of rise of BataMarkanda Terrace in the Himalayas (Puri and Verma 1998). It is interesting to note that the Panchavimsa Brahmana (XXV.10.16) too refers to the drying up of the Sarasvati. Radiocarbon dates show that Kalibangan was abandoned around 2000 BCE. Since the Sarasvati was a mighty flowing river during the Rigvedic times and it dried up around 2000 BCE, the Rigveda has to be dated to a period prior to 2000 BCE. 36

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 Since the Rigveda must be dated prior to 2000 BCE and, according to RV 10.75.5-6, the Rigvedic people occupied the area from the Ganga in the east to the Indus on the west, a question may straightaway be asked: Archaeologically, which civilization flourished in this very area prior to 2000 BCE? The inescapable answer will have to be: the Harappan. Hence a Vedic=Harappan equation. This would be further reinforced by a satisfactory decipherment of the Harappan script, which, however, still awaited.
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Contd.

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Contd.
Now, even if Vedic people and Harappans were the same, were they indigenous ? The answer is Yes. There is ample archaeological evidence to demonstrate that the Harappan Civilization, which attained maturity in 3 rd mill. BCE, had its roots in 6th mill. BCE. Some of the Carbon-14 dates from recent excavations at Bhirrana in the Sarasvati valley in modern Haryana are: 4536, 5041 & 6439 BCE. In other words, the Harappans were the sons of the soil. Hence Vedic people too were indigenous.
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THE EVIDENCE OF GENETICS

A great deal of genetic research is being carried out which throws light on this issue and I quote here Sanghamitra Sahoo et al. (2006: 84348): The sharing of some Ychromosomal haplogroups between Indian and Central Asian populations is most parsimoniously explained by a deep, common ancestry between the two regions, with diffusion of some Indian-specific lineages 41 northward. .

Contd.
The Y-chromosomal data consistently suggest a largely South Asian origin for Indian caste communities and therefore argue against any major influx, from regions north and west of India, of people associated either with the development of agriculture or the spread of the Indo-Aryan language family.
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OSTRICH-LIKE ATTITUDE
Seeing thou seeth not; knowing thou ignoreth. How long wouldst thou continue with this ostrichlike attitude ? Shouldnt thou re-think and give the Aryan Invasion theory a ceremonial burial ?
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Overall Cultural Mosaic

As would be seen from the map that follows, the Vedic Aryans occupied only the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. There were other cultural entities in other parts in 3rd mill. BCE. All these got intermingled later on in course of time and brought into being the composite Civilization.
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REFERENCES
Hemphill, B. E., J. R. Lukacs and K. A. R. Kennedy. 1991. Biological Adaptations and Affinities of Bronze Age Harappans. In R. H. Meadow (ed.), Harappa Excavations 1986-1990, pp.137-82. Madison. Wisconsin: Prehistory Press. Muller, F. Max. 1890, reprint 1979. Physical Religion. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. Possehl, Gregory L. 1996. Indus Age: The Writing System. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. Puri, V. M. K. and B. C. Verma. 1998. Glaciological and Geological Source of Vedic Sarasvati in the Himalayas, Itihas Darpan, Vol. IV, No. 2: 7-36. Sahoo, Sanghamitra, et al. 2006. A prehistory of Indian Y chromosomes: Evaluating demic diffusion scenarios. PNAS, Jan. 24, vol.103,no.4,843-848. Sharma, R. S. 1999. Advent of the Aryans in India. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers. Thapar, Romila. 1988-91. In Journal Asiatic Society of Bombay, vol. 64-66, pp. 259-60. Wheeler, R. E. M. 1947. Harappa 1946: The Defences and Cemetery R 37. Ancient India, 3;58-130. Witzel, Michael. 1995. Rigvedic History: poets, chieftains and polities. In George Erdosy (ed.). The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia, pp. 307-52. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
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