Aryan Invasion Theory

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Aryan Invasion Theory

The major theory that has been repeated throughout time, to interrupt

the evolution of India and migration of man, has been the Aryan

Invasion Theory. According to this account, India was invaded and

conquered by a nomadic tribe of Indo-European tribes from Central Asia

around 1500-100 BC. It was said that these light skinned nomads fought

a major battle with the darker skinned "Dravidian Civilization, from

which they took most of what later, became the Hindu culture." The

Aryan Invasion Theory is based upon ruins that were discovered in the

Indus valley. The Aryan people also cite how the Aryan Vedic

scriptures explain a war between the powers of light and darkness.

This was therefore interpreted throughout time, to mean that the war

occurred between a lighter skinned civilization (Aryans) and more dark

skinned civilization. Scholars believed that the Aryans came into

India around the time of 1500 BC, since the Indus Valley culture was

earlier than this, they concluded that it had to be preAryan. It was

also assumed by these same scholars, much of them who were of Christian

origin, and unsympathetic to the Vedic culture, that the Vedic culture

originated from primitive nomads from Central Asia. Thus, the Vedic

culture could not have found any "urban culture like that of the Indus

Valley." The Vedic culture was thus said to be warriors of Central

Asian decent who came into India with horse drawn chariots and iron

weapons. However, there was never any chariots or iron discovered in

Indus Valley sites. The whole idea of nomads with chariots has been

challenged. How could these nomads travel through rough mountain

valleys (in tough weather ) with these chariots? Horse drawn chariots,

were vehicles that were most likely used in lands that were mostly

flat. Therefore, it can be said that the metals and wheel fragments

that were discovered could come from the Vedic culture. Opponents of

the Aryan Invasion theory, point to many different flaws in the

theory. First off, some scholars now believe that it may have been

just a pure biased opinion that has been passed on throughout time.

The Aryan Invasion Theory served to divide India into a northern Aryan

and southern Dravidian culture, which were hostile to each other.

This theory also gave the British an excuse in their conquest of

India. They could claim to only be doing what their Aryan ancestors

had previously done. Lastly, by implementing the Aryan Invasion

Theory, the history and science of India was given a mostly Greek

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