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Exploring India

The Aryans Arrive

The Aryans Explore The Aryans were divided into various independent tribes, ruled by chiefs called rajas and by two councils—the sabha and the sarniti. The tribes gradually expanded their territories and began to trade, bartering for goods with cows and gold. With trade came increased prosperity. There were many conflicts between the tribes as they jostled for power. One famous battle, called the Battle of the Ten Kings, saw the victory of the Bharata tribe over an alliance often rival tribes. The modern name for India, Bharat, comes from this By the sixth century bce , the tribes had grown into small kingdoms and republics, and the center of Aryan power had moved to the Ganges Valley. The rulers of the sixteen most powerful states—the mahajanapadas— struggled for control of the region. The kingdom of Magadha emerged as the victor. It controlled the valley and the main trade routes along the River Ganges for several centuries. tribe. The famous Aryan epic, Mahabharata, is the story of rival cousins and their battles.

F rom their arrival in India in about 1500 bce , the Aryans spread southeast through the Indus Valley and down into the Ganges Valley (above). T he sixteen states of Aryan India in the sixth century bce (above right). T he foothills of the Hindu Kush Mountains to the northwest of India, which now lie in modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I n about 1500 bce , groups of Indo- Europeans traveled from Iran to northwest India. They became known as Aryans. They spread through the Indus Valley, then moved eastwards towards the Ganges Valley. The early Aryans roamed from place to place, searching out pasture for their herds of cattle. Gradually, they became more settled and formed themselves into small villages which grew into towns as the Aryans began to farm and develop their trading activities. The time of the Aryans is called the Vedic age.

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