Aryans Came to Dominate India. Aryan Invasion

¶ … Aryans came to dominate India.

Aryan Invasion

How the Aryans Came to Dominate India

The general scholarly and historical view is that the first group of people to invade the indigenous people of India was the Aryans. The date given for this invasion is approximately 1500 BC.

The Aryans are described as "… semi-nomadic Nordic Whites, perhaps located originally on the steppes of southern Russia and Central Asia, who spoke the parent language of the various Indo-European languages" ( Aryans: Who Were the Aryans). It is also commonly accepted that they brought certain cultural, social and organizational traditions with them that had a profound impact on the continent which shaped its history. "The Aryans brought with them strong cultural traditions that… still remain in force today" ( India). This invasion resulted in the domination of the indigenous Dravidian people ( Boeree). Furthermore, the Aryans lived in and dominated the northern regions of India for approximately seven-hundred years before settling in the Ganges valley (India).

The Aryan's are also described as being "… remarkably expansionist" and they subjugated the local population as they advanced (Aryans: Who Were the Aryans?) This advance was also achieved by the imposition of religion and language.

There are a number of central reasons that account for their dominance. They brought with them what is known as the Vedic religion, which would eventually resulted in a series of sacred books called the Vedas. This provided a firm basis for the assumption of control and power in the society. The Aryans are also credited with the introducing the Sanskrit language, which shaped the literature and religious insight of the continent for centuries.

If one had to discuss the various ways in which the Aryan's dominated the Indian continent one would have to into account not only the influence of language and culture but also the introduction of social organization through the caste system. "As the Aryans settled in, they developed the caste system"( Boeree)

The caste system is in essence a hierarchical division of society into different groups with different powers and privileges. It can be argued that the Aryans used the caste system to establish and maintain their power and dominance in the society. The two most dominant castes were composed of Aryans. These were the Kshatryas or warriors, and the Brahmins or priests (Boeree). These castes formed a hierarchical and strict order or privilege and rule which lasted officially until the British rule of India and still continues in an informal sense in India today (Boeree). .

However, one should also bear in mind that there is much debate and dissention in scholarly circles about the Aryan invasion of India. Even the actual encounter between the Dravidian people and the Aryans is unclear and shrouded in conjecture. It has also been suggested that there was no actual invasion of the Aryans but that what in fact actually occurred was that the "Aryans gradually integrated with the Dravidian population over time" ( Harris, 2007). As David Frawley states in The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India,