In a big blow to the historians still reeling from a colonial hangover, a recent DNA study of skeletal remains in Rakhigarhi has found no Central Asian traces. According to a report in Economic Times, Vasant Shinde and Neeraj Rai, the lead researchers of the study have stated that this establishes the Vedic era was guided and founded by totally indigenous people with limited external contact.
Rakhigarhi is one of the biggest Harappan civilisation sites discovered so far and is spread across 300 hectares near Hisar in Haryana. The remains are believed to be 6000 years old. The lead researchers stated that apart from the lack of any Central Asian element in the DNA study of the skeletal remains, there was also no sign of violence or warfare.
“The Rakhigarhi human DNA clearly shows a predominant local element — the mitochondrial DNA is very strong in it. There is some minor foreign element which shows some mixing up with a foreign population, but the DNA is clearly local,” Shinde said. He went on to add: “This indicates quite clearly, through archeological data, that the Vedic era that followed was a fully indigenous period with some external contact.”
Most recently, the discovery of chariots at an excavated site in Sanauli put into question one of the basic assumptions the Aryan Invasion Theory relies upon- that the invaders introduced horses into the subcontinent. It has neither been established nor refuted that the chariots were horse driven, but this discovery coupled with the latest DNA study at Rakhigarhi seriously put into question the credibility of the theory in its entirety.
The Aryan Invasion Theory asserted that Vedic culture and practices were of a foreign origin, which was supposedly enforced upon the indigenous populations of the Indian subcontinent by a fairer or light skinned group of people that invaded the mainland and pushed the local population down south. The theory was promoted to help the British suppress Indian nativist ideology or a sense of common identity, further assisting them in their larger ‘divide and rule‘ policy. The same theory has been promulgated by several historians from India, who have labelled Vedic practices as a foreign introduction into the Indian subcontinent. The latest findings are a huge blow to the Aryan Invasion Theory and suggest that Vedic practices evolved more less from local indigenous people rather than a ‘foreign invading tribe’.
The theory has also been used in modern times by political parties in southern India to create a North vs South divide, referring to the apparent original inhabitants of the land as Dravidians and the foreign North Indians as Aryans. This had helped parties like DMK and AIADMK in furthering their xenophobic and regionalist political rhetoric in the decades following Independence.
Nonetheless, while the Aryan Invasion Theory can be put to rest, the study still hasn’t answered the larger question of what exactly happened to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Lack of damage to buildings, skeletons and archaelogical sites indicate that war was not the cause of the displacement of population.
“The condition of the human skeletons, the burial…all show absence of palaeo-pathology symptoms which could indicate ailments due to lack of medical care. The persons here were healthy; denture morphology showed teeth free of any infection; bones are healthy, as is the cranium,” Rai said.
One of the suggested theories is that there was a shift in the course of the Indus river, which made agriculture and livelihood difficult in the basin area. However, the fact that almost all personal and household items, including food grains were abandoned as the population migrated still poses relatively unanswered questions as to the fate of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The article clearly says that a foreign element was in the population.
An invasion is always by a small minority, conquering a majority and ruling over them.
The British were a small handful yet the ruled over India, gave it it’s name, it’s culture, it’s language, it’s railroads, Law , justice and democracy.
Your article seems to confirm that the Indian subcontinent was invaded and conquered.
Horses, Chariots have nothing to do with that.
Besides there is a horse breed , which is domestic to Bharat , is separate from the Central Asian, Arab horse breeds- the Equus sivalensis.
Replying to r singh …… foreign elements means that there were few people who came from out and lived in the country just like how indians go to live in America that doesn’t mean that they rule America or became indigenous Americans . Use some common sense .there were many incidents where people were coming to this land for businesses and if they liked it here they started living here .its not possible few people to randomly come and wage war , britishers ruled because indian rulers allowed them to do it .indian rulers allowed them to do business which they misused it to rule us by tricking us but that is not possible 10000 years ago and even if it has to happen there has to be a major war for that and lakhs of people would be killed …..there are no such evidence .
You people want to basically divide india so you will keep repeating it like a robot .its divide and rule basically . Even more if people from outside came to this land and fought with indigenous people which you call as Davidian or south indian then south indians would never accept the vedic culture because of their fight with north indians but thats not the case in south india . when bhagwan ram walked from north to south , in south he was known as rama and further south raman .shiva is mentioned in south indian text when shiva came to down south and many more such incidents are recorded in south india .
This theory is basically put by west to divide the country and our own people use it for their political agenda to create hate and then divide people and rule . Kust like how RAW is trying to divide pakistan into two similarly USA wants to divide india .coz of fools like you they are successful in these things . Caste theory was again put by Britishers to divide indians .
this is an out and out lie. there was an aryan invasion. dna proves it. here: https://qz.com/india/1243436/aryan-migration-scientists-use-dna-to-explain-origins-of-ancient-indians/
foreign elements means that there were few people who came from out and lived in the country just like how indians go to live in America that doesn’t mean that they rule America or became indigenous Americans . Use some common sense .there were many incidents where people were coming to this land for businesses and if they liked it here they started living here .its not possible few people to randomly come and wage war , britishers ruled because indian rulers allowed them to do it .indian rulers allowed them to do business which they misused it to rule us by tricking us but that is not possible 10000 years ago and even if it has to happen there has to be a major war for that and lakhs of people would be killed …..there are no such evidence .
You people want to basically divide india so you will keep repeating it like a robot .its divide and rule basically . Even more if people from outside came to this land and fought with indigenous people which you call as Davidian or south indian then south indians would never accept the vedic culture because of their fight with north indians but thats not the case in south india . when bhagwan ram walked from north to south , in south he was known as rama and further south raman .shiva is mentioned in south indian text when shiva came to down south and many more such incidents are recorded in south india .
This theory is basically put by west to divide the country and our own people use it for their political agenda to create hate and then divide people and rule . Kust like how RAW is trying to divide pakistan into two similarly USA wants to divide india .coz of fools like you they are successful in these things . Caste theory was again put by Britishers to divide indians .
Just like how you pointed a website i can send you links of 1000s websites which will disprove it. Grow up learn to see how other nations wants to create division india .
Replying to r singh …… foreign elements means that there were few people who came from out and lived in the country just like how indian go to live in America that doesn’t mean that they rule America or became indigenous Americans . Use some common sense .there were many incidents where people were coming to this land for businesses and if they liked it here they started living here .