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Lasting from 1750 BCE to 600 BCE, the vedic age began with the Aryan Invasion and decline of the Harappan Civilization. It forms an important part of ancient history. This new society was a rural one primarily relying on cattle. The philosophy, religion, society and social customs of Hindus which form the major population of India have their main source in the Vedic literature texts. It is divided into Early Vedic Age (1500 BC to 1000BC) and later vedic age (from 1000BC to 500BC).
The Vedas are a collection of ancient sacred texts composed in Sanskrit. There are four Vedas:
The primary deities of the early Vedic period are Indra (God of rain), Agni (God of fire), Varuna ( god of cosmic order and water). The primary deities of the late Vedic period are Prajapati (creator God), Vishnu, Rudra (the storm God).
During the Early Vedic Period, women enjoyed a relatively high status. However, in the Later Vedic Period, the status of women declined as society became more patriarchal, and their roles became more confined to the domestic sphere.
The great Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation declined as Aryans invaded India from the north west passages through Afghanistan. Thus began the Vedic age. This is called the Aryan Invasion Theory. When Aryans moved in Indian Subcontinent they came into conflict with people whom they referred to as Dasyus or Dasas. The Vedic people (Aryans) distinguished themselves from the non-Aryan people. These social divisions are considered to have arisen towards the end of the early Vedic period. Various professional groups such as warriors, priests, cattle-keepers, farmers, barbers are also mentioned. Thus, various varnas emerged: Brahmans from the mouth, Kshatriyas from the arms, Vaishyas from the thigh and the Sudra from the feet of the Purusha.
It is believed that the Vedic Civilization is a mixture of Indo-Aryans and Harappans. Much is known about this culture through the Vedas which were seminal texts of the time and also the source of much of Hindu religious practiced today. Various mention political and social life of the time. They speak about the armies and various battles fought among Aryans and natives.
Battle of ten kings (‘Dasrajanah’) happened between the Bharata clan and ten chiefs. The battle took place on the banks of the river Paurushni, identified with the river Ravi. In this battle, Sudas won and he became important leading to the dominance of Bharata clan. The Purus were one of the defeated clans. The Purus and Bharatas formed an alliance and later they formed Kuru clan. Kurus along with Panchalas established control over the Upper Ganga Valley leading to the Later Vedic Age from 1000 to 500 BCE.
Archaeological Sources: We get an elaborate picture of the vedic civilization from pottery and archaeological sites.
Aryans lived in the Sapta Sindhu area i.e. the land of seven rivers. These rivers are the Indus, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, and Saraswati. Rig Vedic literary sources mention many rivers, mountains and the ocean. In them, the Himalaya is called Himvant and the Hindu Kush mountains are called Munjavanta. 40 different rivers are mentioned such as Jamuna, ghaggar, ganga, saraswati, brahmaputra, etc giving us an idea of the spread of the Vedic Civilization.
Early Vedic Society | Later Vedic Society | |
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Political |
Decentralised System of Assemblies
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Strong Kingdoms
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Economy |
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Religion | Naturalistic (nature) and polytheistic (worship of more than one God), the main God was Indra, other Gods include Agni, Surya, Varuna, Sindhu, etc. Some reference of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is also found. |
Referred to as the Brahmanical age as Brahmanas emerged as a distinct body of learned men who performed the complicated ceremonies of the yajnas.
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Position of Women | They enjoyed freedom and they were allowed to participate in the political process. Widow remarriage was prevalent. | The status of women was reduced and birth of a daughter was regarded as unlucky (mentioned in the Aitareya Upanishad). Women were no longer allowed to attend the Sabha and they were excluded from inheritance rights. |
The term Veda comes from the root ‘vid’ (‘to know’) which means ‘knowledge’.
Vedic knowledge gave insights into scientific, spiritual and psychological behaviour in the modern age. Thus, it is very important that people of the modern age should utilise the values of ancient Vedic sources to deal with spiritual and emotional loss and help build a balanced life.
After the decline of the urban Indus Valley Civilization a new rural settlement began in the Early Vedic Age. Later as trade developed towns began to rise. Vedic Culture forms the base of the Hindu religion and the oldest texts of Hinduism can be traced from this period such as the Rig Veda, Upanishads, etc. The codification of laws and the system of establishing a powerful kingdom with a standing army was for the first time introduced during this period.
As the Vedic Age went into decline, the Aryan Society gave way to urban settlements and laid the foundation of the Mahajanapadas. The Mahajanapada era was also called the Second Urbanization, after the Harappan Civilization being the first
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