{"id":9635,"date":"2018-03-28T10:11:20","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T04:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=9635"},"modified":"2018-03-28T10:11:20","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T04:41:20","slug":"the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology-indian-interestindiafacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=9635","title":{"rendered":"The Aryan Invasion Myth: How 21st Century Science Debunks 19th Century Indology : Indian Interest\/Indiafacts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ui-caption ui-xs-clamp2 postMetaInline\">Indian Civilizationist. Neither Secular nor Socialist.<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-caption postMetaInline js-testPostMetaInlineSupplemental\"><time datetime=\"2017-05-14T13:57:33.000Z\">May 14, 2017<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"postArticle-content js-postField js-notesSource js-trackedPost\" data-scroll=\"native\" data-post-id=\"74aaacee8be3\" data-source=\"post_page\" data-tracking-context=\"postPage\" data-collection-id=\"ea3cbb5d82a4\">\n<section class=\"section section--body section--first\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn\">\n<figure id=\"ed0c\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter graf--leading\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/2000\/1*rAQbQjoCxjSLHSTXB1KbqQ.png\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"1*rAQbQjoCxjSLHSTXB1KbqQ.png\" data-width=\"1349\" data-height=\"683\" data-action-value=\"1*rAQbQjoCxjSLHSTXB1KbqQ.png\" data-is-featured=\"true\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<h1 id=\"6b14\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--figure graf--title\">The Aryan Invasion Myth: How 21st Century Science Debunks 19th Century\u00a0Indology<\/h1>\n<p id=\"1f06\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) needs no introduction. It is the bedrock upon which Indian history has been written. Its central thesis has three main components:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"d70b\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\">India\u2019s original inhabitants were \u201cdark-skinned\u201d Dravidians, who built a <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/io9.gizmodo.com\/a-civilization-without-war-1595540812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/io9.gizmodo.com\/a-civilization-without-war-1595540812\">peaceful<\/a>, highly developed, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-3791308\/The-forgotten-utopia-Indus-people-lived-700-years-without-war-weapons-inequality.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-3791308\/The-forgotten-utopia-Indus-people-lived-700-years-without-war-weapons-inequality.html\">near-utopian<\/a> urban civilization in western India and present-day Pakistan: the so-called Harappan or Indus valley civilization.<\/li>\n<li id=\"6800\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">India was invaded and conquered from the West by a nomadic people called the Indo-Aryans around 1500 BCE. These Indo-Aryans were of European origin (hence white-skinned), and spoke Vedic Sanskrit. They destroyed the indigenous Dravidian civilization, subjugated the natives, and forced them to migrate to India\u2019s South.<\/li>\n<li id=\"7504\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">The Indo-Aryans then composed the Vedas, and imposed Hinduism and the caste system upon the hapless Dravidians and other indigenous peoples of India.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"4fb4\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\">First propounded by <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Max_M%C3%BCller\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Max_M%C3%BCller\">Max M\u00fcller<\/a>, the AIT has been regarded as self-evident since the 19th century. In the late 20th century, it was refined into what is now known as the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indo-Aryan_migration_theory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indo-Aryan_migration_theory\">Indo-Aryan Migration theory (IAMT)<\/a>. According to this model, the Indo-Aryans migrated into India rather than invaded it, which nevertheless had the same effect on the indigenous peoples: their subjugation and the imposition of Indo-Aryan religion (Hinduism) and culture.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"5af4\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">The opposing view: Indigenous Aryans<\/h3>\n<p id=\"7a22\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The opposing view, known variously as the Indigenous Aryans theory (IAT) and the Out of India theory (OIT), rejects the AIT\/IAMT (henceforth AIT). It posits that the Indo-Aryan people and their languages originated in the Indian subcontinent and that the Indus valley civilization (Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization) was the Vedic civilization, not a Dravidian civilization as claimed in the AIT.<\/p>\n<p id=\"59c0\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Proponents of this theory cite archaeological evidence of civilizational and cultural continuity, and Indian literary sources such as the Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana\u200a\u2014\u200awhich contain extensive genealogies of kings that date back thousands of years\u200a\u2014\u200aand which mainstream scholars reject as mythology.<\/p>\n<p id=\"e9d1\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The question of the origin of the Indo-Aryans has become the most controversial, emotive, and polarizing debate in India today. It pits these two diametrically opposing narratives against one another.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"917a\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Scientific inquiry is the only way\u00a0forward<\/h3>\n<p id=\"f710\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The scientific method requires researchers to take a theory seriously until it can be irrefutably demonstrated to be false using systematic observations, carefully controlled and replicable tests and experiments, scientific techniques, the application of logic, and hard evidence. Science is not concerned with narratives, ideologies, beliefs, dogma, or opinions. Science deals in empirical or measurable evidence and in hard facts. Conclusions are drawn based on scientific evidence, and can change in the face of new evidence.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3725\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">While India\u2019s history textbooks continue to teach antiquated and unscientific 19th century concepts and ideas well into the 21st century, the world has moved on.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0f0a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The interrelated fields of population genetics, comparative genetics, archaeogenetics, genomics, and genotyping have made it possible to gain an unprecedented insight into the nature of human genetic diversity. These are rapidly evolving disciplines which, in the coming years and decades, will revolutionize our understanding of how our species evolved. These advances in genetics, as well as new archaeological investigations, have brought forth new evidence and presented us with new facts.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9040\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">What is the new evidence? What new facts have emerged? Let us find out.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"ec60\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">How old is the Indian civilization? Archaeological evidence<\/h3>\n<p id=\"8068\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">Radiocarbon dating has demonstrated that <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bhirrana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bhirrana\">Bhirrana<\/a>, a site on the banks of the now-defunct Sarasvati river, existed in the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/no-evidence-for-warfare-or-invasion-aryan-migration-too-is-a-myth-b-b-lal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/no-evidence-for-warfare-or-invasion-aryan-migration-too-is-a-myth-b-b-lal\/\">6th millennium BCE<\/a> (8,000 years before present). A <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/srep26555\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/srep26555\">more recent study<\/a> proves that Bhirrana and other settlements in the Sarasvati valley are <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">at least 9,500 years old<\/span>, and possibly older <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[1]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[1]\">[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"b7ce\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*WGhtHK054KzahB8E.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*WGhtHK054KzahB8E.\" data-width=\"500\" data-height=\"353\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Bhirrana, the oldest known Harappan site, is at least 9,500 years\u00a0old.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"d347\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Sarkar et al\u2019s study found that the Sarasvati was a mighty river along which Indian civilization\u2019s earliest settlements were founded. It states that the monsoon declined monotonically after 5,000 BCE, gradually weakening the Sarasvati, which is known to have eventually dried out to a large extent around 1,500 BCE. The Harappan civilization thus gradually deurbanized due to declining monsoons, rather than collapsed abruptly. Smaller settlements continued, and eventually dispersed toward the Himalayan foothills, the Ganga-Yamuna plain, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4526\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">These results were obtained by studying just one site on the Sarasvati\u2019s dry paleo-channel. More than 500 such sites are known to exist along the ancient river\u2019s course, and there may be many more. Investigating more sites will give a better idea of the age of the civilization and possibly demonstrate that it is even older.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"9182\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*f_dlGhUo9q7N0vRk.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*f_dlGhUo9q7N0vRk.\" data-width=\"1400\" data-height=\"1050\" data-action-value=\"0*f_dlGhUo9q7N0vRk.\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">The seasonal, intermittent Ghaggar-Hakra river is what is left of the once-mighty Sarasvati.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"9d08\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--figure\">Dating the Rig Veda using Sarkar et al\u2019s\u00a0study<\/h3>\n<p id=\"d74a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The Sarasvati is extensively mentioned in the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rigveda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rigveda\">Rig Veda<\/a>, India\u2019s foundational literary text. It is referred to as \u201cgreatest of rivers\u201d, \u201cglorious\u201d, \u201cloudly roaring\u201d, and \u201cmother of floods\u201d. This clearly refers to a mighty river in its prime, not one in decline.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7d77\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This falsifies the AIT account that the Rig Veda was composed after a purported Aryan invasion\/migration circa 1,500 BCE, and indicates that <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">it was composed closer to 5,000 BCE when the river was last in its prime<\/span> per the results of Sarkar et al\u2019s study. This raises serious questions about the AIT\u2019s validity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"01ae\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">India\u2019s \u201cmainstream\u201d historians dismiss the Rig Veda as mythology. This is a naive and subjective assumption that betrays an unscholarly bias on their part. <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">If the Rig Veda is mythology, then so are <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herodotus#Reliability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herodotus#Reliability\">Herodotus<\/a>\u2018 fanciful and inaccurate <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Histories_%28Herodotus%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Histories_(Herodotus)\">Histories<\/a><\/span>. Herodotus, however, continues to be cited as a reliable historian. This smacks of double standards. The Rig Veda is certainly less fanciful than Herodotus\u2019 Histories. Moreover, it is a veritable treasure that gives us the earliest literary insight into human society and thought. As such, it must be taken seriously.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"46b7\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Archaeology demonstrates Indian civilization\u2019s continuity<\/h3>\n<p id=\"12a3\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The renowned archaeologist <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/B._B._Lal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/B._B._Lal\">Professor B. B. Lal<\/a>, whose distinguished career spanned more than half a century, refutes the AIT, based on his extensive archaeological discoveries and research. He asserts that there is no evidence for warfare or invasion, and that the theory of Aryan migration too <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/no-evidence-for-warfare-or-invasion-aryan-migration-too-is-a-myth-b-b-lal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/no-evidence-for-warfare-or-invasion-aryan-migration-too-is-a-myth-b-b-lal\/\">is a myth<\/a>. He further states that <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">\u201cVedic\u201d and \u201cHarappan\u201d are respectively literary and material facets <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/vedic-and-harappan-are-respectively-literary-and-material-facets-of-same-civilization-b-b-lal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/vedic-and-harappan-are-respectively-literary-and-material-facets-of-same-civilization-b-b-lal\/\">of the same civilization<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5d80\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">In his book \u201cThe Rigvedic People: Invaders? Immigrants? or Indigenous?\u201d, Professor Lal gives extensive archaeological evidence that many of the traditions and customs prevalent in the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization continue to exist in modern India <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[2]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[2]\">[2]<\/a>. He demonstrates that Yoga, the Shiva-linga-cum-yoni, the use of vermilion (sindura) in married women\u2019s hair partition, the use of spiralled bangles among women in Haryana and Rajasthan, the folk tale of the thirsty crow, the Namaste greeting, Lord Shiva\u2019s trident, and many other aspects of contemporary Hinduism and Indian culture originated in the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization. Similar evidence is provided in Michel Danino\u2019s seminal work \u201cThe Lost River: On The Trail of the Sarasvati\u201d <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[3]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[3]\">[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"75e7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This refutes the theory that the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization was destroyed and supplanted with a \u201cforeign\u201d Hindu culture and civilization, and proves that modern India is a continuation of that ancient civilization. <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dcpune.ac.in\/profile\/Prof%20V%20S%20Shinde.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.dcpune.ac.in\/profile\/Prof%20V%20S%20Shinde.pdf\">Dr. Vasant Shinde<\/a>, another internationally renowned archaeologist, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/chandigarh\/Descendants-of-Harappans-still-living-in-Rakhigarhi\/articleshow\/53609286.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/chandigarh\/Descendants-of-Harappans-still-living-in-Rakhigarhi\/articleshow\/53609286.cms\">concurs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"2d91\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*htDysIJNr4vRDmH7.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*htDysIJNr4vRDmH7.\" data-width=\"414\" data-height=\"260\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Nausharo, Baluchistan: Female figurines with vermilion at the parting of the hair, c. 2800\u00a0BCE.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"b0c7\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--figure\">Genetic evidence demolishes the\u00a0AIT<\/h3>\n<p id=\"3329\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The science of genetics has revolutionized the study of ancient history and given researchers an unprecedented ability of uncover details of humanity\u2019s past. India has lagged behind in genetic research, and the government of India has in the past <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/gnxp\/2013\/08\/what-the-harappa-ancestry-project-has-resolved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/gnxp\/2013\/08\/what-the-harappa-ancestry-project-has-resolved\/\">prohibited foreign researchers<\/a> from collecting genetic samples of Indians. This restriction has been removed of late, and, as a consequence, a new picture of Indian history is emerging.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0a5b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Consider the following:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"0c4d\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1380230\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1380230\/\">This research paper<\/a> demonstrates the absence of any significant outside genetic influence in India for the past 10,000\u201315,000 years <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[4]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[4]\">[4]<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li id=\"d850\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2987245\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2987245\/\">This research paper<\/a> excludes any significant patrilineal gene flow from East Europe to Asia, including India, at least since the mid-Holocene period (7,000 to 5,000 years ago) <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[5]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[5]\">[5]<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li id=\"0314\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3514343\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3514343\/\">This research paper<\/a> rejects the possibility of an Aryan invasion\/migration and concludes that Indian populations are genetically unique and harbor the second highest genetic diversity after Africans <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[6]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[6]\">[6]<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"320e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\">These three research papers demolish the AIT. They conclusively and irrefutably prove that there was no Aryan invasion circa 1500 BCE. This is just the beginning of the revelations.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"c809\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">The family that conquered the world\u00a0\u2026 originated in\u00a0India<\/h3>\n<p id=\"2a5f\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">In genetic terminology, a \u201chaplogroup\u201d is a group of individuals that share a common ancestor with a particular genetic mutation. A haplogroup pertains to a single line of descent which typically dates back several thousand years. In other words, a haplogroup is a large, extended family or clan, all of whose members have a shared ancestry. There are two types of haplogroups: Y-chromosome (patrilineal) haplogroups, and mtDNA (matrilineal) haplogroups. Haplogroups are identified by letters of the alphabet (A, B, C, etc.) and sub-groups are denoted by letters and numbers (A1, A1a, etc.).<\/p>\n<p id=\"62fc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The Y-chromosomal (patrilineal) haplogroup R1a1a (also known as R-M17) is the world\u2019s most successful extended family. Its members number in the high hundreds of millions, possibly over a billion. It is widespread across Eurasia, with high concentrations in Russia, Poland and Ukraine, as well as in the Indian subcontinent and the Tuva region of Russia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"02e5\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">R1a1a is closely associated with the spread of Indo-European languages across Eurasia. In India, R1a1a is identified as the haplogroup that represents the Indo-Aryan people. It records an uninterrupted lineage of males, from father to son, all of whom have descended from one common male ancestor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"2647\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*FQaxE2n1lWUcvbmj.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*FQaxE2n1lWUcvbmj.\" data-width=\"1338\" data-height=\"864\" data-action-value=\"0*FQaxE2n1lWUcvbmj.\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Distribution of haplogroup R1a1a (purple) in\u00a0Eurasia.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"785e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/jhg\/journal\/v54\/n1\/full\/jhg20082a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/jhg\/journal\/v54\/n1\/full\/jhg20082a.html\">This research paper<\/a> demonstrates that the R1a1* haplogroup, which is found throughout Eurasia, originated in India <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\">[7]<\/a>. Here, the * refers to all subgroups of the parent haplogroup R1a1.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5208\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*omz3nEI-U2tzqcXy.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*omz3nEI-U2tzqcXy.\" data-width=\"882\" data-height=\"617\" data-action-value=\"0*omz3nEI-U2tzqcXy.\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">The R1a* haplogroup which originated in India is at least 18,000 years old\u00a0<\/strong><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">[7]<\/strong><\/a><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"58f7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.omicsonline.org\/open-access\/the-major-ychromosome-haplotype-xi--haplogroup-r1a-in-eurasia-2161-1041-1000150.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.omicsonline.org\/open-access\/the-major-ychromosome-haplotype-xi--haplogroup-r1a-in-eurasia-2161-1041-1000150.pdf\">This more recent study<\/a> published in 2015 confirms and refines the results of <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\">[7]<\/a>, demonstrating that the oldest examples of the haplogroup R1a are found in the Indian subcontinent and are approximately 15,450 years old <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\">[8]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5d6b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This is a momentous discovery. It proves that:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"cd17\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\">The R1a haplogroup originated in India.<\/li>\n<li id=\"69b5\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">The Indo-Aryan people have lived in India for at least 15,450 years, which invalidates the theory that the Indo-Aryans invaded India 3,500 years ago.<\/li>\n<li id=\"f260\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">The hundreds of millions of members (possibly over a billion) of the R1a family living across the world today\u200a\u2014\u200aa very large fraction of humanity\u200a\u2014\u200a<span class=\"markup--quote markup--li-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">are all descended from one single male ancestor who lived in India at least 15,450 years ago<\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"1e4a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\">This discovery demonstrates the close genetic (and hence linguistic and cultural) affinity of Indians with the Russian and Polish people, the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vikings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vikings\">Vikings<\/a> and <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Normans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Normans\">Normans<\/a>, and with the ancient <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scythians\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scythians\">Scythians<\/a> and <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tocharians\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tocharians\">Tocharians<\/a>, among many others.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f445\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This is irrefutable scientific proof that not only did the Indo-Aryan people originate in India over 15,450 years ago, but also that they expanded out of India and settled lands far to the west in Europe. It thoroughly invalidates the AIT.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"f8b4\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Contextualizing contradictory genetic\u00a0studies<\/h3>\n<p id=\"e736\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">While I have presented several research papers that invalidate the AIT, I would be remiss if I did not mention here that some other genetic studies claim that the AIT is correct. How does one interpret this?<\/p>\n<p id=\"8a1b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The answer is simple: None of these other studies has been able to disprove the results of <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\">[7]<\/a> and <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\">[8]<\/a>, namely, that the oldest examples of the haplogroup R1a are found in the Indian subcontinent and are at least 15,450 years old. None of them has been able to find older examples of R1a anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ca8d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">As long as the results of <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[7]\">[7]<\/a> and <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[8]\">[8]<\/a> stand, the AIT remains invalidated.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"50fb\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">The myth of the Aryan-Dravidian divide and the \u201chigh caste\u201d-\u201clow caste\u201d\u00a0divide<\/h3>\n<p id=\"96c7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The supposed Aryan-Dravidian divide <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/Aryan-Dravidian-divide-a-myth-Study\/articleshow\/5053274.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/Aryan-Dravidian-divide-a-myth-Study\/articleshow\/5053274.cms\">is a myth<\/a>. <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/2009\/090922\/full\/news.2009.935.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/2009\/090922\/full\/news.2009.935.html\">This Nature report<\/a>, which cites three genetic studies, demonstrates that most Indians are genetically alike, belying the hypothesis of an Aryan-Dravidian dichotomy <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[9]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[9]\">[9]<\/a>. <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/opinion\/interviews\/all-indians-have-the-same-genes-kumarasamy-thangaraj\/articleshow\/11324640.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/opinion\/interviews\/all-indians-have-the-same-genes-kumarasamy-thangaraj\/articleshow\/11324640.cms\">Other studies<\/a> have also demonstrated that people in north India are no different from those in the south and that all share the same genetic lineage.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b60a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The R1a1a haplogroup is found in high frequencies in north Indians as well as south Indians, in tribal communities, and in \u201clow castes\u201d as well as in \u201chigh castes\u201d.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6719\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Claims that the Dravidians belong to a separate, non-Hindu civilization are also discredited by ancient Tamil Sangam literature, which dates back to c. 300 BCE. The Mahabharata is mentioned in the oldest Tamil Sangam literature. The Vedas and the Ramayana are also mentioned in Sangam literature. Sangam literature mentions the whole of India, starting from lands to \u201cthe north of the Himalayas\u201d, which contradicts the claim that the Dravidians were confined to the south of India.<\/p>\n<p id=\"641c\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The above evidence, taken together, demonstrates the genetic and cultural continuity of India from the north to the south, and proves that the artificial concepts of the \u201cAryan-Dravidian divide\u201d and the \u201chigh caste\u201d-\u201clow caste\u201d divide have no basis in fact.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"05e2\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Literary Evidence for Westward Indo-Aryan expansion<\/h3>\n<p id=\"d8dc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">Consider the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/ignca.nic.in\/km_35_38.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/ignca.nic.in\/km_35_38.htm\">Baudhayana Shrauta Sutra<\/a>, a Vedic text. Baudhayana Shrauta Sutra 18:44 records:<\/p>\n<p id=\"1e62\" class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p\">\u201cAmavasu migrated westward. His people are Gandhari, Parsu and Aratta.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"6615\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This refers to a Vedic king called Amavasu, whose people are the Gandhari (Gandhara\u200a\u2014\u200aAfghanistan), the Parsu (Persians) and the Aratta, who are tentatively identified as living in the vicinity of Mt. Ararat which is located in Turkey (eastern Anatolia) and Armenia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"0eac\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*WUDA6jdy1ZqQlErc.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*WUDA6jdy1ZqQlErc.\" data-width=\"557\" data-height=\"635\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Baudhayana Shrauta Sutra\u00a018:44.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"45ea\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Afghanistan (Gandhara) was historically part of the Indian civilization until the Islamic invasions. The name \u201cPersia\u201d comes from the ancient Parshva people (an Aryan clan). The word \u201cParshva\u201d is derived from the Sanskrit\/Avestan (Old Persian) word \u201cParshu\u201d, which means \u201cbattle-axe\u201d. There are clear linguistic and cultural similarities between India and Persia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3429\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*tV7bm3V3F8u7q0Lc.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*tV7bm3V3F8u7q0Lc.\" data-width=\"395\" data-height=\"221\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">The original, non-Hellenized names of ancient Persian kings, Achaemenid Dynasty (c. 550\u2013330\u00a0BCE).<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"7584\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">The traditional Armenian name for Mt. Ararat is Masis. It is named after the legendary Armenian king Amasya. The name \u201cAmasya\u201d is linguistically related to the name \u201cAmavasu\u201d of the Indian king recorded in the Baudhayana Shrauta Sutra. This establishes literary evidence for the westward expansion of Indo-Aryans, via Afghanistan, to Persia, Armenia and Anatolia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7623\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The German Indologist M. Witzel and the Marxist historian Romila Thapar have in the past misinterpreted this passage to mean that Amavasu migrated eastward, which caused <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baudhayana_Shrauta_Sutra#BSS_18:44_controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baudhayana_Shrauta_Sutra#BSS_18:44_controversy\">a heated controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"ea60\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Archaeological Evidence for Westward Indo-Aryan expansion<\/h3>\n<p id=\"5ebb\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The ancient kingdom of <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mitanni\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mitanni\">Mitanni<\/a>, located in present-day Syria and Anatolia, had an Indo-Aryan, <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">Sanskrit-speaking ruling class<\/span>. Mitanni kings had Indo-Aryan names.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"ff26\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*pxm4baMkPkNFJnWr.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*pxm4baMkPkNFJnWr.\" data-width=\"750\" data-height=\"600\" data-action-value=\"0*pxm4baMkPkNFJnWr.\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">The Mitanni kingdom, located in present-day Syria and Anatolia.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"2ebd\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">The oldest recorded (Vedic) Sanskrit words are found in a horse training manual by a Mitanni horse master named <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kikkuli\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kikkuli\">Kikkuli<\/a>. Although the text is written in the Hittite language, it appears that Kikkuli was not familiar enough with that language to use technical terms, which made it necessary for him to use the terminology of his own language (Vedic Sanskrit) instead.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"25d9\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*PzL0HWWkYVJePe_r.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*PzL0HWWkYVJePe_r.\" data-width=\"605\" data-height=\"505\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Horse master Kikkuli\u2019s horse training manual, notable for its Vedic Sanskrit terminology.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"d483\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Inscribed clay tablets discovered in Bo\u011fazkale, Anatolia (Turkey), record a royal treaty &amp; <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">invoke the Vedic gods Indra, Mitra, Nasatya &amp; Varuna as witnesses<\/span>. The Bo\u011fazkale clay tablets are dated to c. 1380 BCE. This is around the same time as Kikkuli\u2019s horse training manual.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"e4ed\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*-qIFwndgblC43LSI.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*-qIFwndgblC43LSI.\" data-width=\"602\" data-height=\"404\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Hittite capital city Hattusa, near Bo\u011fazkale, where the clay tablets were\u00a0found.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"fdd7\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--figure\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*G-5_VYM35nQGRy0j.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*G-5_VYM35nQGRy0j.\" data-width=\"375\" data-height=\"500\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Mitanni king Tushratta (Sanskrit: \u0926\u0936\u0930\u0925, DashaRatha)\u2019s letter to Pharaoh Amenhotep III of\u00a0Egypt.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"da45\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">The Mitanni belonged to the Indian-origin haplogroup R1a1a. This is clear evidence of a large-scale westward expansion of Sanskrit-speaking Indo-Aryans, and their presence as the ruling aristocracy in lands thousands of kilometers west of India. This quashes the asinine claim that the first speakers of Sanskrit were <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/scroll.in\/article\/737715\/fact-check-india-wasnt-the-first-place-sanskrit-was-recorded-it-was-syria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/scroll.in\/article\/737715\/fact-check-india-wasnt-the-first-place-sanskrit-was-recorded-it-was-syria\">Syrians<\/a>, a claim that would be laughable were it not portrayed as serious journalism in a mainstream publication.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3d43\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Genetic Evidence for Westward Indo-Aryan expansion<\/h3>\n<p id=\"9f4d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2015\/03\/150303-human-dna-europe-language-archaeology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2015\/03\/150303-human-dna-europe-language-archaeology\/\">Recent DNA evidence<\/a> shows that Europe experienced a massive population influx <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v522\/n7555\/full\/nature14317.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v522\/n7555\/full\/nature14317.html\">from the east<\/a>, beginning around 4,500 years ago <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[10]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[10]\">[10]<\/a>. Several haplogroups were involved in this demic expansion, including the Indian-origin R1a1a. This was almost a total replacement event, which indicates that Indo-Aryans, among others, expanded westward into Europe and to a large extent replaced indigenous European males and their Y-chromosome strata.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8b6a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This indicates military expansion. Conquest.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ee87\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This genetic evidence indicates that several Y-chromosomal (patrilineal) lineages, one of which was the Indian-origin R1a1a, gave rise to the modern European population. Out of these lineages, R1a1a is the most widespread and numerous.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"f991\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">The children of Goddess\u00a0Danu<\/h3>\n<p id=\"7f24\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The primordial Rig Vedic river goddess <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danu_%28Asura%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danu_(Asura)\">Danu<\/a> is the mother\/progenitor of the <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danava_%28Hinduism%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danava_(Hinduism)\">Danava<\/a> clan of Indo-Aryans. The Danavas revolted against the Devas, and were eventually defeated and banished. As it turns out, that was far from the end of their story.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fd97\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The Avestan (old Iranian) word for \u201criver\u201d is \u201cd\u0101nu\u201d. The Scythian (Saka\/Shaka) &amp; Sarmatian words for \u201criver\u201d are also \u201cd\u0101nu\u201d.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ebce\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Now consider this: linguistically, the names of the European rivers <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danube\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danube\">Danube<\/a>, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dnieper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dnieper\">Dnieper<\/a>, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dniester\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dniester\">Dniester<\/a>, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Don_River_%28Russia%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Don_River_(Russia)\">Don<\/a>, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donets\">Donets<\/a>, Dunajec, Dvina\/Daugava, and Dysna are all derived from the Rig Vedic Sanskrit root word \u201cd\u0101nu\u201d. These rivers flow across eastern &amp; central Europe. These rivers, all named after the Rig Vedic goddess Danu, seem to trace the gradual westward migration through Europe of the Danava clan of Rig Vedic Indo-Aryans.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4842\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">So where did the Danavas eventually end up?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"363b\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/0*qcdCZQbRPw7U2Qqi.\" alt=\"\" data-image-id=\"0*qcdCZQbRPw7U2Qqi.\" data-width=\"425\" data-height=\"600\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--figure-strong\">Danu, mother goddess of the Irish and Celtic\u00a0people.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"1abc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">According to Irish &amp; Celtic mythology, the Irish &amp; Celtic people are descended from a mother goddess\u200a\u2014\u200aa river goddess\u200a\u2014\u200acalled <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danu_%28Irish_goddess%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Danu_(Irish_goddess)\">Danu<\/a>. The ancient (mythological) people of Ireland are called the Tuatha D\u00e9 Danann (Old Irish: \u201cThe peoples of the goddess Danu\u201d).<\/p>\n<p id=\"1b0b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Is there genetic evidence to support this story? As it turns out, there is. The R1a1a haplogroup is rare in Ireland, at 2.5% of the population. This can be explained by the fact that Ireland has suffered many invasions since the Bronze Age, which would have led to the gradual replacement of the R1a1a haplogroup with those of the various invaders. The fact that R1a1a is still present in Ireland proves that people of Indo-Aryan origin settled there in the past.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"98e9\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">What the mountain of new evidence indicates<\/h3>\n<p id=\"e071\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">It is clear that there is layer upon layer of archaeological, literary, linguistic, and, most importantly, genetic evidence that forms a consistent, repeated, and predictable pattern that debunks the AIT and supports the Indigenous Aryans Theory. These layers of evidence, taken together, paint a vast canvas and prove that:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"8fd3\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\">The Indo-Aryan people and languages originated in the Indian subcontinent.<\/li>\n<li id=\"a43e\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--li-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">The Vedic civilization and the Indus valley civilization (Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization) are one and the same<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li id=\"0a96\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">The Rig Veda was composed closer to c. 5,000 BCE when the river Sarasvati was last in its prime, than to c. 1,500 BCE when it dried out. This makes the Rig Veda a strong candidate for being the world\u2019s oldest known literature.<\/li>\n<li id=\"ab77\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">Rather than being a religion of invaders, Hinduism is indigenous to India and has its origins in the very beginning of the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization.<\/li>\n<li id=\"07e5\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">North Indians and South Indians are genetically and culturally alike. The Aryan-Dravidian divide is a myth; it has no basis in fact. The \u201chigh caste\u201d-\u201clow caste\u201d divide also has no basis in fact.<\/li>\n<li id=\"98f8\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">Indian civilization is a continuous, unbroken tradition that dates back to the very beginning of the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization, at least 9,500 years before present. This makes India not only the world\u2019s oldest civilization, older than Mesopotamia and Egypt, but also the world\u2019s oldest continuously existing civilization. This makes India the true Cradle of Civilization.<\/li>\n<li id=\"2aa6\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--li-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">Indo-Aryans carrying R1a1a lineages expanded westward thousands of years ago, conquering and populating territories as far west as Europe. They were the most successful conquerors in human history<\/span>. Their descendants are the Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, etc.), the Scandinavians, and many others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"9c3d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\">In other words, the new evidence comprehensively debunks the 19th century\u2019s colonial Aryan Invasion Theory and its late 20th century refinement, the Indo-Aryan Migration theory.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"bc9f\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">Will the new evidence set the controversy to\u00a0rest?<\/h3>\n<p id=\"210d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">The question of the origin of the Indo-Aryans concerns the very idea of India.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f938\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The mainstream AIT\/IAMT narrative, which portrays Indo-Aryan (Hindu) culture as hegemonic, racist, intolerant, rapacious, and inegalitarian, imposes an Indian version of \u201cwhite guilt\u201d on persons of Indo-Aryan ancestry, and engenders deep resentment and a desire to right historical wrongs among persons of Dravidian and \u201cDalit\u201d ancestry\u200a\u2014\u200awhich manifests itself in various forms such as separatism and rejection of Hinduism and Indian culture, among others.<\/p>\n<p id=\"44c0\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This makes the AIT a powerful political tool which dovetails perfectly with the leftist, \u201csecular\u201d, and \u201cliberal\u201d political narrative, as well as with the agendas of Dravidian nationalists, Dalit supremacists, missionaries, separatists, and other <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Breaking_India\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Breaking_India\">Breaking India<\/a> forces, internal as well as external. As such, it has long been used to neatly divide India into dichotomous categories such as North and South Indians, Aryans and Dravidians, the fair skinned and the dark skinned, \u201chigh castes\u201d and \u201cDalits\u201d, the privileged and the oppressed.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bb1e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">It is difficult to overstate how much the AIT has strengthened the leftist narrative. The left\/secular\/liberal ecosystem derives much of its strength and power from its decades-old stranglehold on Indian academia, especially in the humanities (but also in other fields). Leftist academics staff or control most of India\u2019s humanities departments. Leftist historians and academics monopolize academic discourse in India and marginalize dissenting voices. The leftist clique has ensured that every school, college, and university textbook teaches the AIT.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fe57\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">India\u2019s education system discourages students from asking questions and thinking on their own. This conditioning makes them accept the leftist narrative without question. As a consequence, several generations of Indians have grown up and spent their lives hating, or, at the very least, feeling ashamed of their culture and heritage.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6893\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The AIT gives leftist academics the ideal rationale for denigrating Indian culture, exhorting \u201clower caste\u201d students to reject Hinduism and rebel against \u201cthe establishment\u201d, encouraging female students to reject Hinduism for being supposedly \u201cpatriarchal\u201d and \u201cmisogynistic\u201d, calling into question India\u2019s right to exist as a nation, and supporting anti-national and separatist movements, all on academic and scholarly grounds. This is the modus operandi by which several generations of unquestioning and impressionable students have been indoctrinated and recruited into the leftist movement.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b273\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The AIT also gives India\u2019s \u201cliberals\u201d and secularists the perfect justification for promoting hatred and intolerance toward Indian culture while at the same time claiming to be liberal and progressive.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0db7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The AIT is thus the academic premise underpinning the entire spectrum of methods the various \u201cBreaking India\u201d forces employ to attack India\u2019s culture and undermine India\u2019s integrity. It is their trump card. <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">Take it away, and they have nothing else left.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"1341\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">It is therefore vitally important for them that this theory remains the dominant narrative in India. This is the reason why, instead of investigating the Indigenous Aryans Theory (IAT) using all means available, India\u2019s leftist historians and academics have for decades dismissed it out of hand as \u201c<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hindutva\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hindutva\">Hindutva<\/a>\u201d. This is why they decry any attempt to alter the status quo (such as modernizing history textbooks) as \u201cfascism\u201d and \u201chistorical revisionism\u201d, and why they have marginalized scholars such as the distinguished professor B. B. Lal, whose immense body of work has never been allowed to make it to Indian textbooks.<\/p>\n<p id=\"74d4\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">They will not be swayed by the mountain of new evidence that proves there was no Aryan invasion of India. The truth does not matter to an ideologue. Leftist academics are political activists first and foremost. Being a lecturer, a professor, or a head of department is merely a means to an end for them, the end being: to mold the opinions and political leanings of future generations of Indians, to indoctrinate them into the leftist ideology, to recruit new followers, and to champion the leftist agenda at all times.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b951\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">I therefore expect India\u2019s \u201ceminent\u201d leftist historians to either ignore the results of the research papers and studies cited herein (as they have largely done thus far), or to respond with <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">cherry-picked data and flawed logic<\/span> as has long been their wont.<\/p>\n<p id=\"79d1\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Some attempts to raise questions about the validity of genetic studies have already been made. Consider this <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4413229\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4413229\/\">opinion piece<\/a>, wherein Romila Thapar declaims that genetics and DNA analysis are \u201cnot of much help to social historians\u201d as, according to her, \u201cAryan is a social construct and therefore genetic information is unlikely to be useful unless the parameters defining the groups for analysis undergo some rethinking\u201d <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[11]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[11]\">[11]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8e6a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Her Eminence could not be more wrong. The term \u201c<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aryan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aryan\">Arya<\/a>\u201d (which is anglicized to \u201cAryan\u201d) is an ethnic self-designation, not a \u201csocial construct\u201d. It is one that both the ancient Indians and Persians used for themselves. Ethnicities are ideally suited for genetic investigation. If there is any confusion about the meaning of this term, it is because ideologues like Thapar have used their academic positions to systematically obfuscate its real meaning and give it political and ideological color.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bafb\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This article <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[11]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/indianinterest.com\/indology\/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology\/#[11]\">[11]<\/a> is typical of India\u2019s leftist academics: <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">devoid of original research, based on other people\u2019s work, presents a subjective opinion rather than hard results, and uses far-fetched and convoluted logic to make biased and untenable arguments that are unsupported by scientific evidence<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a281\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Expect more of the same. And expect the left\/secular\/liberal ecosystem, especially the mainstream media (which, ironically, espouses fringe views), to keep championing the AIT and the leftist narrative.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"dc2f\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">The way forward: India must take ownership of\u00a0research<\/h3>\n<p id=\"046e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">It is well-established that India\u2019s population is genetically unique and harbors the second highest genetic diversity after that of Africa. Research into India\u2019s genetics has not been given much importance and is still in its infancy. Much of it is authored by foreign authors and conducted from outside India. This must change. India must take ownership of the research into its past, the same way China has done for itself. In order to achieve this, India must do the following.<\/p>\n<p id=\"18cb\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">First<\/strong>, India must conceive and launch a large-scale project whose objectives are:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"6378\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\">To establish a detailed catalog of the genetic variation in India\u2019s population.<\/li>\n<li id=\"7c0e\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">To correlate Indian genetics with those in other regions of Eurasia.<\/li>\n<li id=\"8055\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\">To map migration patterns in and out of India.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"2297\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\">To do this, India needs to develop world-class genetics research groups and establish state-of-the-art genetic testing laboratories. At present, Indian researchers have to send genetic material abroad for testing.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fa2b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Second<\/strong>, the DNA of skeletons found in Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization sites such as Rakhigarhi must be analyzed in order to determine their ancestry and genetics. Although there is undeniable evidence that the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization is the same as the Vedic civilization, its genetics are the one missing piece of the puzzle. <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">If the R1a1a haplogroup is detected in these skeletons, it will end the debate over the civilization\u2019s origins and language, once and for all<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9af7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">DNA from four such skeletons <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/recliner\/in-search-of-the-harappan-dna\/40501\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/recliner\/in-search-of-the-harappan-dna\/40501\/1\">was extracted in 2015<\/a> and the material was sent to South Korea for DNA testing. The results were expected to be published in 2016, but have not yet seen the light of day. Research such as this must be prioritized and fast-tracked.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fa25\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Third<\/strong>, the well-known technique of <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Forensic_facial_reconstruction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Forensic_facial_reconstruction\">forensic facial reconstruction<\/a> should be employed to recreate the faces of individuals whose skeletons have been found in various Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization sites, so that we may learn what our ancestors looked like. Many of these skeletons are kept in various museums throughout the country. Forensic facial reconstruction is a routine, straightforward and inexpensive technique which has existed for decades, and which was recently employed to reconstruct the face of Richard III of England. It is inexplicable that the ASI has not done this yet.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8dd6\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Fourth<\/strong>, <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">Indian textbooks must be modernized<\/span>. They must be expunged of the blatant leftist slant that has plagued them for decades. <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">History textbooks especially need to be decontaminated<\/span>. Education must based upon hard facts and scientific evidence; it must not be allowed to be used as a political tool.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d1a3\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Finally, Fifth<\/strong>, <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">the leftist choke-hold on Indian academia must end<\/span>. The leftist clique has succeeded in propagandizing generations of otherwise intelligent Indians, conditioning them to unquestioningly buy into their fringe narrative. Its institutionalized sophistry has indoctrinated countless students into supporting Pakistan\u2019s stand on Kashmir and China\u2019s stand on Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh, championing separatist and anarchist movements, and questioning India\u2019s right to exist as a nation.<\/p>\n<p id=\"680d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Education and academia must deal in knowledge, not narratives. Knowledge must remain pure, it must not be allowed to be influenced by ideology and politics. This requires large-scale systemic reforms, which is a topic for another article.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"e268\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--p\">In Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p id=\"f8c3\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">There is now a mountain of scientific evidence that proves that the Aryan Invasion Theory is a myth. It is fiction. <span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">It belongs in the Big League of unscientific theories (which some still believe in), alongside creationism, anti-evolutionism, the myth of Noah\u2019s ark, and flat earth theory<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"208e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The evidence shows that India is much more than a nation. It is the world\u2019s oldest civilization.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a26d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">India wasn\u2019t born in 1947. Our great civilization was born at least nine and a half millennia ago according to archaeological evidence, and fifteen and a half millennia ago according to genetic evidence. The records of our great ancestors\u2019 deeds are lost, destroyed in the fires and the depredations of the past millennium. The least we can do to honor our ancestors is to strive to rediscover the truth about them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4080\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Who were the first Indians? When did they first arrive in India? Where from? What were their lives like? What was their society like? How did ancient Indian civilization evolve? What knowledge did they possess? What kind of science did they have? What discoveries did they make? What technologies did they develop? How did they build the largest ancient urban civilization the world has ever seen? What did they call their great cities? What language did they speak? Did they really develop a <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg23130910-200-indus-the-only-great-civilisation-ever-to-survive-without-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg23130910-200-indus-the-only-great-civilisation-ever-to-survive-without-war\/\">proto-democracy<\/a> thousands of years before the Greeks? What kind of future did they envisage for India? What lessons can we learn from them?<\/p>\n<p id=\"b230\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">These are the questions our \u201ceminent\u201d historians have not deigned to ask for the past seven decades. These are the answers we must seek, in order to rediscover our roots and understand who we really are.<\/p>\n<p id=\"633e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">The truth is out there. Its clues lie buried under our footsteps, scattered in our languages and our literature, and hidden deep in our DNA. Science is the key. We now possess the know-how and the technology to investigate and unravel the mystery. It is time to utilize it.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d427\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5441db74a487\">India\u2019s rediscovery of its past has only begun<\/span>. Exciting times are ahead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Civilizationist. Neither Secular nor Socialist. May 14, 2017 The Aryan Invasion Myth: How 21st&#8230; <a class=\"meta-more\" href=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=9635\">more <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,23,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-2","category-itihaas","category-sanskriti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9637,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635\/revisions\/9637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}