IAS Prelims: General Studies (Ancient Indian History) - Vedic Period 1500 BC to 600 BC

Ancient Indian History

Sources: The sources of ancient Indian history are multifaceted varying from literature to coins and inscriptions to archaeological remains.


http://www.iasplanner.com/civilservices/images/ancient-history.png Vedic Period (1500 BC to 600 BC)

Information of the vedic period comes from vedic- literature. The scholars have divided the vedic period into the early vedic period and the later period. The only source of information which belongs to the early vedic is the Rig Veda. All the other components of the vedic literature belong to the vedic period. The vedic literature consists of the Samhitas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. There are also six vedangas and four Upa- Vedas . The samhitas are collections of hymns sung in the praise of various gods.

They are four in number:

  1. Rig Veda
  2. Sama Veda
  3. Yajur Veda
  4. Atharva Veda

Rig Veda: The word ‘Veda’ comes from the root ‘vid’, i.e. to know. It is specifically applied to a branch of literature considered to be ‘Sruti’ i.e. sacred knowledge or divine revelation. The Rig veda literally means veda of praise. It is purely a religious work and most of the hymns are all invocations of the gods. Rig veda is divided into 10 books or mandalas. The oldest hymns are contained in the mandals II to VII which are known as’ family books’ on account of their compositions of different families of sagas. Rig veda consists of 1028 hymns. The composition of the Rig veda began by 1500 BC and ended by 1000 BC.

Sama Veda: It’s name is derived from saman, song or melody. It consists of hymns taken from the ring veda and set to tune for the purposes of singing. It is called the ‘book of chants’ and the origins of india music are traced to it.

Yajur Veda: It is the veda of formulae consisting of various mantras for the purpose of recitation and rules to be observed at the time of sacrifice. The two royal ceremonies of ‘Rajasuya and vajpeya’ are mentioned for the first time in the veda.

Atharva Veda: It was compiled by Artharva sage, a non-Aryan. It is the veda of formulae, charms and spells to ward off evils and diseases. It throws light on the beliefs and practices of the non-Aryans. It also has the origin of India medicine . It is considered to be the most useful veda since it contains information of diverse nature about agriculture, cattle rearing, industry and is nearer to the common people and is filed with many non-Aryan words.


Brahmanas: The Brahmanas are prose commentaries on the four Vedas. The subject matter is ritual. They deal with the science of sacrifice. It provides us information not only about sacrifices and ceremonies But also theology, philosophy, manners and customs of the later Vedic period.

Aranyakas: These are forest books which were composed in the forest and were meant for study in the forest. They deal with mysticism and symbolism of sacrifice and priestly philosophy.

Upanishads: The word upanishad means to be seated at the feet of the guru to receive the teaching. There are a total of 108 upanishads of which are 12 are considered to be ‘Shruti’ or of divine revelation. The Upanishads are philosophical texts most of which seem to have been written by Kshatriyas.

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