Civilizations have cherished and perished since centuries. Be it The Roman, The Egyptian, The Greek, or even The Indus Valley Civilization. Their dooms paved the way for a newer, different kind of settlement to form a different ideology.
The time after the Indus Valley collapse, was turbulent in Sub-continent. With the arrival of the Aryans, into the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, the tribes who already inhabited the area, were warring against them.
The Aryans might have arrived in Subcontinent probably 5000-6000 years, or even earlier. For many centuries, from the hills of north-west, tribes after tribes, Clans after clans, in successive waves, kept coming for hundreds of years.
Initially, Indus valley people and might have resisted them, In the early years of their entrance, they lived with their enemy tribe, the Dasas and the Dasyus.
Aryans also settled on the banks of rivers. Population of later Vedic period was a mixed form of animal-rearing Vedic people, farmers, and native tribes. These Indo-Aryan groups started moving from Punjab towards east, circa 1000 BCE.
These were completely different from original Vedic people. A feature of this period was use of iron. Initially, only iron weapons were made. Gradually, tools making also began. Use of wooden plough for farming started. Techniques of pottery, weaving, and carpentry were borrowed from Indus Valley Civilisation.
Around 8th century BCE, iron tools were extensively used to clear and cultivate dense forest areas of central Gangetic Valley. Which increased production.
Infact, production exceeded consumption. On that basis, rural settelements and cities were established. As Aryans gained a stronger foothold in the Northern Regions, followers of their belief increased.
The archaic texts of the Vedas were written, which soon gave way to a new philosophical, but ideologically different religion of Hinduism. This was the time, when the four Vedas were being written, and it is thus known as, The Vedic Period.
The four texts that formed a part of the core lifestyle of the Vedic people are, The Rig Veda, The Sama Veda, The Yajur Veda and The Artharva Veda.
The Rig Veda:
The Rig Veda is a collection of 1028 hymns, dedicated to the Hindu deities and cosmology. It is the world’s oldest religious text, that is still in use. It also talks, about the nature of God, and the virtue of charity.
The Sama Veda:
The Sama Veda contains melodies and chants, which form the roots of Indian Classical Music and Dance Tradition. It is also known as, The Rig Veda of Music.
The Yajur Veda:
The Yajur is a ritual Veda, whose hymns were chanted by Adhvaryus. Adhvaryus were the chief priests, during the Vedic period, who performed yajna, that is the sacrificial fire ritual.
The Atharva Veda:
The Atharva Veda is a knowledge storehouse widely studied and known for its scientific, medicinal research. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian health practice in India is believed to have direct origins, from this text. Complicated medical procedures such as surgeries, have also been described in The Atharva Veda.
Apart from the Vedas, many other texts, like the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads, formed an important part of the early Vedic Literature.
The term Upanishad, is also known as Vedanta, which means, The End of Vedas.
Brihadaranyaka, is the oldest Upanishad and the newest one, Allopanishad, was written during the reign of Akbar.
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| Map of Vedic Period |
In the later period of this Golden Literature, The Dharma Sutra, which talks about the Varna System was written. The oldest epic Mahabharata, was composed by Ved Vyasa and Ramayana, was also written by Valmiki. The Holy book of Hindus, The Bhagavad Gita, was extracted from Mahabharata’s Bhishma Parvan.
Unlike their predecessor, the early Vedic people, lived in a rural tribal economy, with their main occupation, as cattle rearing. Horses and Cow were the two most important animals of this Age, and Cow was deemed Aghanya. Curd, butter and ghee as well as meat of fish, birds and animals, formed an important part of their appetite.
Their lives were mainly Nomadic and although items of wool and leather, were used for Trade, its impact on their economy was negligible. Cattle and gold were considered as a medium of exchange, as coins were unknown during the time.
The Varna System, was predominantly practiced during the Vedic period, with Teachers and Priests, being in the highest class of the Brahmanas, followed by the rulers and the administrators, known as the Rajanya or the Kshatriyas. Farmers, Merchants and Bankers, formed the Vaishyas and the Laborers and Artisans were known as the Shudras.
Those who fell out of these four occupations, were ostracized by the society and were known as the Untouchables.
One thing commendable about the Vedic Period, was the respect and equality that the women enjoyed. They were allowed to study, inherit property and even participate in rituals.
The Sati and Purdah system were unknown and widow remarriages, were not considered to be a taboo during the time.
The role of the King, was to lead his tribe in times of trouble and to protect them from any kind of danger.
The Rig Vedas mention the mutual struggle of the Aryans, in the form of a Dasrajan flood. It was a match among the ten tribal kings in which Sudas of the Bharata Tribe emerged victorious.
Taxes were not imposed except for one Bali, which too was voluntary. Despite there being monarchy, non-monarchical entities too had an important role to play. People worshipped nearly 33 Gods and their mode of worship was through sacrifice. Indra, the Rain God, Agni, the fire God, Varuna, the Water God and Surya, the Sun God, were some of them.
The Vedic Period lasted from 1500 BC to 500 BC, until the rise of kingdoms known as the Mahajanapadas. These kingdoms focused on urbanization, commerce and travel to expand their territories.
While they still followed the Vedas, the Rise of Buddhism and Jainism, questioned the rituals and orthodoxy of the Vedic Culture. This led to many Kings adopting Buddhism and Jainism, ultimately leading to The End of the Vedic Period.
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