OSTRICHLIKE ATTITUDE IS PERPETUATING THE ARYAN INVASION MYTH

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OSTRICH-LIKE ATTITUDEIS PERPETUATING THEARYAN
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

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.

• 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 language-group 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 Civilization (Ancient India, No.3, 1947)

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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.

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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
  Harappa-related setllement in any of the
  Dravidian-speaking States.

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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 cattle-breeders.
• 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 (199665) 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.

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.

• 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 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 Kasi-Videha.
  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
  Kuru-Panchalas 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.

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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 the horse

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Contd.

• Reporting on the faunal remains from Surkotada,
  the renowned international authority on
  horse-bones, 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).

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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 out

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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 Ghaggar-Sarasvati 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 Bata-Markanda 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.

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Contd.

• 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 VedicHarappan equation. This would be
  further reinforced by a satisfactory decipherment
  of the Harappan script, which, however, still
  awaited.

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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 3rd 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 843-48)
  The sharing of some Y-chromosomal 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 northward. .

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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 ostrich-like
  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,
  358-130.
• 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.