Aryan Books

THE HOMELAND OF THE ARYANS : Evidence of Rigvedic Flora & Fauna and Archaeology

By :- B.B. Lal

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Type: English

Pages: xx+126

ISBN-13: 978-81-7305-283-5

Place: New Delhi

Edition: 1st

Publisher: ARYAN BOOKS INTERNATIONAL

Size: 19cm x 22cm

Product Year: 2005

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For well over seven decades two theories have been building over vision of India?s past, viz. that: (i) there was an ?Aryan Invasion? of India; and (ii) the invaders destroyed the Harppan Civilzation which became extinct. Although in his book, The Sarasvati Flows On, the present author completely demolished these theories there are still a few scholars who cling to them. Resurrecting the ?Aryan Invasion/Migration theory a stalwart writes: ?One thing seems certain; the speakers of Vedic Sanskrit? came from elsewhere. This conclusion comes from Indo-European words fir trees which are species such as birch, Scotch pine, Linden, alder and oak. These are plants from a temperate environment and the fact that their names are shared among the early languages of the family suggests a homeland in this environment.? Let it be squarely stated that the earliest book of the Aryans, viz. the Rigveda, does not mention any of the species of cold-climate trees enumerated above. On the other hand, all the trees mentioned in the Rigveda, such as the Asvattha (Ficus religiosa L.), Khadira (Acacia catechu Wild.), Nyagrodha (Ficus beughaleusis L.), do not belong to cold climate but to a tropical one. Likewise, the Rigvedic fauna comprising such species as the lion, elephant, peacock, also belongs to a tropical climate. Further. During the Rigvedic period the Sarasvati was a mighty river, but it dried up by the time of the Panchavimsa Brahmana. The evidence of archaeology, hydrology and radiocarbon dates shows that the Sarasvati dried up around 2000 BC. All this proves that the Rigveda antedated that magic figure. Again, the Rigvedic geography covers the area from the Ganga-Yamuna on the east to the west of the Indus. Likewise, the archaeological evidence shows that prior to 2000 BC it was the Harappan Civilization that flourished in this very region. Thus, the textual and archaeological data combine to establish a perfect spatial-cum-chronological oneness between the Rigvedic and Harappan cultures. And since, as demonstrated in this book, the Harappan were ?the sons of the soil?, it squarely follows that Rigvedic people were indigenous.

Preface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations I. Introduction II. The Flora III The Fauna IV. The Bearing of the Foregoing Data on ?THE Aryan Homeland? Debate V. The Homeland of Indo-European Languages and Culture: Some Thoughts VI. Should One Give Up All Ethics for Promoting One?s Theory? Appendices 1. Wood-charcoal from Some Harappan Sites in Haryana and Panjab 2. The Asva (Horse) 3. The Vrisabha (Bos indicus) Bibliography Index

A world-renowned archaeologist, Prof. B.B. Lal was the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1968 to 1972. In the latter year, when he was only 51, he took voluntary retirement to pursue his research programmes independently. First he joined Jiwaji University, Gwalior, as a Professor and later the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, of which he was also the Director. Professor Lal?s excavations cover a very wide range ? from palaeolithic times to early historical. At Kalibangan, Rajasthan, he unearthed a prosperous city of the Indus Civilization. The excavations at Hastinapura, Indraprastha, etc. have established that there was a kernel of truth in the Mahabharata, even though the epic is full of interpolations. Likewise, his excavations at Ayodhya, Sringaverapura, etc. have indicated that the Ramayana too has a basis in history. In 1961 he conducted excavations in Egypt also, which threw valuable light on Egyptian prehistory. His publications include over 150 seminal research papers, published in scientific journals, both in India and abroad: USA, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Japan, etc. Amongst his latest books are: The Earliest Civilization of South Asia (1997); India?1947-97: New Light on the Indus Civilization (1998); The Sarasvati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture (2002); and Excavations at Kalibangan: The early Harappans (2003) under joint-authorship. In 1994, Professor Lal was awarded D. Litt. (Honoris causa) by Institute of Archaeology, St. Petersburg, Russia. The same year he was elected President of World Archaeological Congress. He has been Chairman and member of several committees of UNESCO. At home, in 1982 Mithila Visvavidyalaya honoured him with the title of Mahamahopadhyaya. In 1991 three distinctions were conferred on him, respectively by the Indian Science Congress, Indian Archaeological Society and Asiatic Society, Bombay. In recognition of his multi-faceted contribution to archaeology,<

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