TAG: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE
THE CONTEXT: A collaborative effort between archaeologists and Sanskrit scholars is underway to decipher the ancient Rigveda text and its potential connection to the Harappan civilisation.
EXPLANATION:
- The goal is to establish a historical and cultural link between the people of the Vedic age and those of the Harappan settlements, supported by genetic and archaeological evidence.
Research Background and Objectives
- There has been an emphasis on the importance of understanding the Rigveda text to correlate with the archaeological findings from Harappan sites.
- These include excavations at Rakhigarhi and Banawali in Haryana, Kalibanga on the Haryana-Rajasthan border, and Dholavira in Gujarat.
- A thorough understanding of the Rigveda is deemed essential to align textual descriptions with physical archaeological evidence, such as ritual platforms and fire altars found at Rakhigarhi.
- The Rigveda’s mention of fire worship parallels these findings.
Seeking Evidence of Harappan-Vedic Connection
- The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has incorporated new findings in the Class 12 History textbook, specifically under a chapter on the Harappan Civilization.
- This addition is based on DNA evidence from a 4,600-year-old woman’s remains, suggesting the Harappans were indigenous people.
- The ongoing research aims to test the hypothesis that the Harappans and Vedic people were the same.
- However, a disclaimer in the NCERT textbook indicates that further research is necessary to establish this relationship conclusively.
Debate on the Origin and Dating of the Vedas
- There is a debate on the dating of the Vedas.
- Some historians date them between 1,500 BC and 2,000 BC, while others, propose a much earlier origin, around 2,500 BC.
- This period coincides with the age of the Harappan genetic evidence from Rakhigarhi.
- It is argued that the exact period of the Vedic texts’ writing is unknown and emphasizes the need for archaeological evidence to support any hypotheses about their origins.
Saraswati River and Harappan Settlements
- The Rigveda mentions the Saraswati River at least 71 times.
- Archaeological excavations have uncovered numerous Harappan settlements along this river’s banks, indicating a possible connection.
- Of approximately 2,000 known Harappan settlements, about 1,200 are located along the Saraswati River basin.
- This geographic correlation supports the hypothesis that the Rigvedic people and Harappans might be the same.
Animal Bones Debate
- Animal bones found in the Surkotada region of Kutch, Gujarat, have sparked debate among researchers.
- Hungarian scholars suggest these bones are from a domesticated horse, aligning with Rigvedic mentions of horses.
- However, Richard Meadow from Harvard University argues that the bones are from a wild ass.
- Terracotta figurines of horse-like animals found at Lothal and Mohenjadaro sites suggest the possibility of horses during Harappan times, but the evidence remains inconclusive.
South Asian Ancestor Theory
- Contrary to the theory of Aryan migration from Europe to South Asia, recent genetic evidence indicates that Harappans were indigenous to India, dating back to 10,000 BC.
- This challenges previous assumptions about the origins of the Indo-European languages.
- It is suggested that if Harappan traditions were carried forward, the language, possibly Sanskrit, might have continued as well.
- This hypothesis aligns with the notion that Indo-European languages could have originated from Sanskrit.
Genetic Evidence and Modern Indians
- DNA extracted from a well-preserved 4,600-year-old female skeleton at Rakhigarhi revealed genetic links to ancient South Asian populations rather than Steppe or Iranian groups.
- This supports the idea of indigenous development.
- Analysis of DNA from 3,000 modern South Asians shows genetic similarities to the ancient Harappan woman, suggesting a shared ancestry across diverse linguistic and religious groups in India.
- The findings suggest that most people in India share genetic ties to the Harappans, indicating a common ‘ancient ancestor South Asian.’
- This unifies the genetic heritage across the Indian subcontinent.
