Vedic roots of Indian civilization Emigration of some Vedic people from Sarasvati river basin to western Asia ca. 2nd millennium BCE – BB Lal

“This book also contains a lot of new material, particularly that countering a strange twist given by certain scholars, namely that if there was no ‘Aryan Invasion’, the Aryans must have still come from outside-from the Bactria Margiana Archaeological Complex of Central Asia. Further, there is a chapter which opens up a new vista, namely that of ‘Emigration’ of a section of the Vedic people themselves to western Asia in the second millennium BCE (Lal 2009, p. viii).”

“But altogether, none of the aforesaid motifs or objects ever cross the Indus, entering the region occupied by the Vedic Aryans, as clearly specified in the Rigvedic hymns, 10.75. 5-6 (see pp. 115 and 126). Then where is the case for the supposed BMAC immigration into Vedic India (Lal 2009, p. 112).”

“Some time in the second millennium BCE the Vedic Indians themselves ventured to emigrate westwards. This is vouchsafed by many a document unearthed in ancient Turkey, particularly by the well know treaty between a Mitanni king named Matiwaza and a Hittite king Suppiluliuma, dated to the 14th century BCE. They invoke as witnesses the Vedic gods (sic) Indra, Mitra, Nasatyas and Varuna (Lal 2009, p. 140).”

“The most ancient religious text of the Parsis, viz. the Avesta, also affirms this emigration. On linguistic grounds the Avesta is a younger sister of the Vedas, but it portrays a picture of some of religious dissent from the elder. In it is also mentioned the land of Hapta Hendu, which is none other than the Sapta Sindhu of the Rigveda. (It is well known that the ‘s’ of Vedic Sanskrit changes to ‘h’ of the Avestan language) (Lal 2009, p. 140).”

“Last but not the least comes the affirmative statement by a Vedic text itself, namely the Baudhayana Srautasutra, which clearly refers to the emigration of section of the Vedic people westwards-to Gandhara (modern Kandahar Province of Afghanistan), Parsu (Persia) and further west to Aratta (modern Ararat), bordering on Turkey where the aforementioned inscription mentioning Vedic deities has been found (Fig. 6.2) (Lal 2009, p. 140).”

(Read on, excerpts from Chapters six and seven: http://www.scribd.com)