The History and Culture of the Indian People v1.c19.s1.1

v1.c19.s1.1

Although it is difficult to arrive at any definite conclusion regarding the original home of the Indo-Aryans, we are in a somewhat better position in respect of their early settlements in northern India and gradual expansion over the whole of this area. For here the evidence of Vedic literature comes to our aid, and fortunately the earliest part of it, the hymns of the *Ṛigveda*, contain abundant geographical data. It is a reasonable presumption that the geographical names which figure prominently or frequently in these hymns indicate regions which were familiar to their authors, and were scenes of the early activities of the Aryans. Names less prominent or frequent might be either outside settlements of the Aryans or the border regions inhabited by non-Aryans. It must be remembered, however, that the *Ṛigveda* is not a geographical manual and its various recensions have not come down to us in a complete form. It would, therefore, be unsafe and hazardous to draw any inference from the silence of the *Ṛigveda*. The non-mention of any locality in the hymns cannot be construed as evidence, one way or the other, unless, of course, it can be proved to be of such importance as to be inexplicable except on the hypothesis of want of knowledge.