A tribe that reached India from the north west during the vedic times. Information about them is derived from the Rigveda. They domesticated many animals but were unfamiliar with the elephant. In the vedas, Indra uses a horse and not an elephant, though later the Airavata is identified as his mount. There were farmers, traders, carpenters, blacksmiths among them and there were expert physicians as well. Its arguable whether they were seafarers.

They were meat eaters and preferred rice. Their society was on four levels – grama, vishaya, jana and rashtra. The Rajabhiseka Mandala 10 Anuvaka 12 Sukta 22 describes the process of selection of kings. The vedas mention several famous kings –  Divodasa, Sudasa, Ambarish, Nahusha, Pururavas. The purohits used to be their main advisors. Vishwamitra and Vasishta were prominent in this regard.

A lot of details are available about family structure. A father had the right to even sell his own children. They could deny their children the right to family property. Vishwamitra had banished the 50 sons who had disregarded him. Dowry was common in marriages. As per Mandala 10 Anuvaka 3 Sukta 11, after marriage the bride is supposed to go to her husband’s house. Polygamy was not uncommon. Mandala 10 has a mantra that helps a wife get her husband’s attention away from other wives. This was devised by Indra’s wife Indrani. remarriage of widows was also not uncommon.

As per the Rigveda, wars were a regular phenomenon. It talks about a community besieged by strong enemies. The Rigveda is also a chronicle of Aryan history. It shows their journey from the banks of the Kubha (Kabul) river to that of the Yamuna river. It was on the latter that the first mantras were written. When they reached the banks of the Ganges, the Rigveda ends. Crossing each of the big five rivers were seen as major landmarks by the sages. They were astonished to see the vast Indus, and this is captured in the vedas. When they crossed it, they had to face the Dasyus. The Dasyus were more advanced as per the Rigveda.

The king of the dasyus was Shambara, and he ruled over a 100 cities. Their fortresses were very strong. They have been named Ashwamayi, Aayasi, Shatabhuji etc. The Aryans’ chief enemy were the merchant classes in these cities. Many Dasyu kings have been named in the vedas – Dhuni, Chumuri, Vipru, Varchis, Shambara were regarded as warriors. In Dasyu society the Shimyu, Keekatha, Shigru and Yakshu were the most important classes. The vedas describe them as having blunt noses and being dark skinned. They are believed to be the Dravidians. They didn’t believe in sacrifices and didn’t worship gods like Indra. The Aryans may have absorbed lingapuja, shivapuja and devipuja from them.

By the time, The Aryans conquered dasyus and reached the Yamuna, they had changed. They lived in cordial relations with those to the east of the Ganges. The Bharatas had set up a kingdom in the fertile areas between Ganga and Yamuna. They tried to prevent the Aryans living in the area around the five big rivers from encroaching beyond the Shatadri (Sutlej). It was as part of this that the massive war named Dasharajna happened. The Bharatas were then led by Sudasa, and they were fighting fellow Aryans. Sudasa’s allies also included other Aryans. This led to the end of the Aryan wars. It is assumed that the ones who lived on the banks of the Yamuna mixed with the local population and gave rise to the Hindu culture.

The Rigveda then talk about asking for help from enemies that included other Aryas and Dasyus. From then, the Hindu pantheon includes gods were not worshiped by the Aryans.