Saturday, 20 February 2016

history of the Original Home of the Aryans

                                                    Original Home of the Aryans

The original home of the Aryans is a debatable question and
there are several views. Different scholars have identified differentregions as the original home of the Aryans. They include the Arctic
region, Germany, Central Asia and southern Russia. Bala
Gangadhara Tilak argues that the Aryans came from the Arctic region
on astronomical calculations. However, the theory of southern Russia
appears to be more probable and widely accepted by historians.
From there, the Aryans moved to different parts of Asia and Europe.
They entered India in about 1500 B.C. and came to be known as
Indo-Aryans. They spoke the Indo-Aryan language, Sanskrit.

                                                         Vedic Literature

The word ‘Veda’ is derived from the root ‘vid’, which means
to know. In other words, the term ‘Veda’ signifies ‘superior
knowledge’. The Vedic literature consists of the four Vedas – Rig,
Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The Rig Veda is the earliest of the four
Vedas and it consists of 1028 hymns. The hymns were sung in praise
of various gods. The Yajur Veda consists of various details of rules
to be observed at the time of sacrifice. The Sama Veda is set to
tune for the purpose of chanting during sacrifice. It is called the
book of chants and the origins of Indian music are traced in it. The
Atharva Veda contains details of rituals.

Besides the Vedas, there are other sacred works like the
Brahmanas, the Upanishads, the Aranyakas and the epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata. The Brahmanas are the treatises relating to prayer
and sacrificial ceremony. The Upanishads are philosophical texts
dealing with topic like the soul, the absolute, the origin of the world
and the mysteries of nature. The Aranyakas are called forest books
and they deal with mysticism, rites, rituals and sacrifices. The author
of Ramayana was Valmiki and that of Mahabharata was Vedavyas.
Rig Vedic Age or Early Vedic Period (1500 - 1000 B.C.)
During the Rig Vedic period, the Aryans were mostly confined
to the Indus region. The Rig Veda refers to Saptasindhu or the landof seven rivers. This includes the five rivers of Punjab, namely
Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej along with the Indus and
Saraswathi. The political, social and cultural life of the Rig Vedic
people can be traced from the hymns of the Rig Veda.

                                                 Political Organization

The basic unit of political organization was kula or family.
Several families joined together on the basis of their kinship to form
a village or grama. The leader of grama was known as gramani. A
group of villages constituted a larger unit called visu. It was headed
by vishayapati. The highest political unit was called jana or tribe.
There were several tribal kingdoms during the Rig Vedic period
such as Bharatas, Matsyas, Yadus and Purus. The head of the
kingdom was called as rajan or king. The Rig Vedic polity was
normally monarchical and the succession was hereditary. The king
was assisted by purohita or priest and senani or commander of
the army in his administration. There were two popular bodies called
the Sabha and Samiti. The former seems to have been a council of
elders and the latter, a general assembly of the entire people.

                                                          Social Life

The Rig Vedic society was patriarchal. The basic unit of society
was family or graham. The head of the family was known as
grahapathi. Monogamy was generally practiced while polygamy
was prevalent among the royal and noble families. The wife took
care of the household and participated in all the major ceremonies.
Women were given equal opportunities as men for their spiritual
and intellectual development. There were women poets like Apala,
Viswavara, Ghosa and Lopamudra during the Rig Vedic period.
Women could even attend the popular assemblies. There was no
child marriage and the practice of sati was absent.Both men and women wore upper and lower

                                                    garments made

of cotton and wool. A variety of ornaments were used by both men
and women. Wheat and barley, milk and its products like curd and
ghee, vegetables and fruits were the chief articles of food. The eating
of cow’s meat was prohibited since it was a sacred animal. Chariot
racing, horse racing, dicing, music and dance were the favourite
pastimes. The social divisions were not rigid during the Rig Vedic
period as it was in the later Vedic period.

Economic Condition

The Rig Vedic Aryans were pastoral people and their main
occupation was cattle rearing. Their wealth was estimated in terms
of their cattle. When they permanently settled in North India they
began to practice agriculture. With the knowledge and use of iron
they were able to clean forests and bring more lands under
cultivation. Carpentry was another important profession and the
availability of wood from the forests cleared made the profession
profitable. Carpenters produced chariots and ploughs. Workers in
metal made a variety of articles with copper, bronze and iron.
Spinning was another important occupation and cotton and woolen
fabrics were made. Goldsmiths were active in making ornaments.
The potters made various kinds of vessels for domestic use.
Trade was another important economic activity and rivers
served as important means of transport. Trade was conducted on
barter system. In the later times, gold coins called nishka were used
as media of exchange in large transactions.

                                                              Religion

The Rig Vedic Aryans worshiped the natural forces like earth,
fire, wind, rain and thunder. They personified these natural forces
into many gods and worshipped them. The important Rig Vedic
gods were Prithvi (Earth), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind), Varuna (Rain)and Indra (Thunder). Indra was the most popular among them during
the early Vedic period. Next in importance to Indra was Agni who
was regarded as an intermediary between the gods and people.
Varuna was supposed to be the upholder of the natural order. There
were also female gods like Aditi and Ushas. There were no temples
and no idol worship during the early Vedic period. Prayers were
offered to the gods in the expectation of rewards. Ghee, milk and
grain were given as offerings. Elaborate rituals were followed during
the worship.

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