The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c16.s1.59

c16.s1.59

The Grey ware with its affinities to that from Shah Tepe (Iran) might suggest the first wave of the Aryans who settled for a longer time in the Sarasvati valley. It is reported by Lal that there are slight differences between the Grey ware of Gangetic basin and the Bikaner region in forms and patterns. This fact, if true, will be very significant. In that case the 2nd wave will be represented by the Londo, Jiwanri etc., with affinities to Sialk cemetery B. The battle of the Ten Kings after all represents this struggle for power, resulting in a south-eastward deflection of the other Aryan wave. Grierson described the relation between the Inner and Outer bands in this way : Round the Midland or Madhya desa, "on three sides—west, south and east—lay a country inhabited in vedic times, by other Indo-Aryan tribes. This tract included the modern Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, Rajaputana and the country to the Oudh and Bihar. Over this band were scattered different tribes, each with its own dialect ; but it is important to note that a comparison of the modern vernaculars shows that these outer dialects were all more closely related to each other than any of them was to the languages of the midland".¹ In making this suggestion, I know the limitations of our knowledge and the state of our studies. It is very easy to slip from a legitimate inference into the realms of speculation. I submit that my speculation is as valid as any and plead for further examination of this hypothesis.