Āryāvarta (Sanskrit: आर्यावर्त, lit. "Land of the Aryans",[a][web 1][web 2] Sanskrit pronunciation: [aːrjaːˈʋərtə]) is a term for the northern Indian subcontinent along with some other parts in the ancient Hindu texts such as Dharmashastras and Sutras, referring to the area of the Indian subcontinent settled by Indo-Aryan tribes and where Indo-Aryan religion and rituals predominated. The limits of Āryāvarta extended over time, as reflected in the various sources, as the influence of the Brahmanical ideology spread eastwards in post-Vedic times.[3][4]
The approximate extent of Āryāvarta during the late Vedic period (ca. 1100-500 BCE). Aryavarta was limited to northwest India and the western Ganges plain, while Greater Magadha in the east was habitated by non-Vedic Indo-Aryans, who gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism.[1][2]Cemetery H, Late Harappan, OCP, Copper Hoard and Painted Grey ware sites
Course of the Ganges river; Ganges-Yamuna doab western part of the green area.The Ganges-Yamuna doab.
The Baudhayana Dharmasutra (BDS) 1.1.2.10 (perhaps compiled in the 8th to 6th centuries BCE) declares that Āryāvarta is the land that lies west of Kālakavana, east of Adarsana, south of the Himalayas and north of the Vindhyas, but in BDS 1.1.2.11 Āryāvarta is confined to the doab of the Ganges-Yamuna. BDS 1.1.2.13-15 considers people from beyond this area as of mixed origin, and hence not worthy of emulation by the Aryans. Some sutras recommend expiatory acts for those who have crossed the boundaries of Aryavarta. Baudhayana Srautasutra recommends this for those who have crossed the boundaries of Aryavarta and ventured into far away places.[5]
The Vasistha Dharma Sutra (oldest sutras ca. 500–300 BCE) I.8-9 and 12-13 locates the Āryāvarta to the east of the disappearance of the Sarasvati River in the desert, to the west of the Kālakavana, to the north of the Pariyatra Mountains and the Vindhya Range and to the south of the Himalayas.[6]
Patanjali's Mahābhāṣya (mid 2nd century BCE) defines Āryāvarta like the Vasistha Dharmasutra.[citation needed] According to Bronkhost, he "situates it essentially in the Ganges plan, between the Thar desert in the west and the confluence of the rivers Ganges (Ganga) and Jumna (Yamuna) in the east."[3]
The Manava Dharmasastra (ca.150-250 CE) gives aryavarta as stretching from the eastern to the western seas, reflecting the growing sphere of influence of the Brahmanical ideology.[3]
Loss of northwest India
The post-Vedic period of the Second Urbanisation saw a decline of Brahmanism.[9][10] With the growth of cities, which threatened the income and patronage of the rural Brahmins; the rise of Buddhism; and the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great (327-325 BCE), the rise of the Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE), and the Saka invasions and rule of northwestern India (2nd c. BC - 4th c. CE), Brahmanism faced a grave threat to its existence.[11]
The decline of Brahmanism was overcome by providing new services[12] and incorporating the non-Vedic Indo-Aryan religious heritage of the eastern Ganges plain and local religious traditions, giving rise to the Hindu synthesis.[11]
Other regional designations
These texts also identify other parts of the Indian subcontinent with specific designations. The Manusmṛti mentions Brahmavarta as the region between the rivers Saraswati and Drishadwati in north-western India. The text defines the area as the place where the "good" people are born, with "goodness" being dependent on location rather than behaviour.[13] The precise location and size of the region has been the subject of academic uncertainty.[14] Some scholars, such as the archaeologists Bridget and Raymond Allchin, believe the term Brahmavarta to be synonymous with the Aryavarta region.[15]
^The Sanskrit word ā́rya (आर्य) was originally a cultural term designating those who spoke Vedic Sanskrit and adhered to Vedic cultural norms (including religious rituals and poetry), in contrast to an outsider, or an-ā́rya ('non-Arya').By the time of the Buddha (5th–4th century BCE), it took the meaning of 'noble'.
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 70.
^Michael Cook (2014), Ancient Religions, Modern Politics: The Islamic Case in Comparative Perspective, Princeton University Press, p.68: "Aryavarta [...] is defined by Manu as extending from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhyas of Central India in the south and from the sea in the west to the sea in the east."
^Killingley, Dermot (2007). "Mlecchas, Yavanas and Heathens: Interacting Xenologies in Early Nineteenth-Century Calcutta". In Franco, Eli; Preisendanz, Karin (eds.). Beyond Orientalism: The Work of Wilhelm Halbfass and Its Impact on Indian and Cross-cultural Studies. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 125. ISBN978-8-12083-110-0.
^Scharfe, Hartmut (1989). The State in Indian Tradition. BRILL. p. 12. ISBN900-4-09060-6.
^Mukhopadhyay, Mihir Mohan (1984). Sculptures of Ganga-Yamuna Valley. Abhinav Publications. p. 5. ISBN9788170171898.
^Singh, Pitam (2003). Women Legislators in Indian Politics. Concept Publishing Company. p. 62. ISBN9788180690198.
^André Wink (2002). Al-Hind: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th-11th centuries. BRILL. p. 284. ISBN978-0-391-04173-8.
Sources
Printed sources
Bronkhorst, Johannes (2007). Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India. BRILL. ISBN9789004157194.
Bronkhorst, Johannes (2011), Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism, BRILL
Bronkhorst, Johannes (2015), "The historiography of Brahmanism", in Otto; Rau; Rupke (eds.), History and Religion:Narrating a Religious Past, Walter deGruyter
Bronkhorst, Johannes (2016), How the Brahmains Won, BRILL
Bronkhorst, Johannes (2017), "Brahmanism: Its place in ancient Indian society", Contributions to Indian Sociology, 51 (3): 361–369, doi:10.1177/0069966717717587, S2CID 220050987
Michaels, Axel (2004). Hinduism. Past and present. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Samuel, Geoffrey (2010). The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century. Cambridge University Press.
Web-sources
^Aryavarta, Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary (1899)
^Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1957). "Revised and Enlarged Edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary". Retrieved 1 November 2018.
Further reading
Kane, Pandurang Vaman (1962). History of Dharmaśāstra: (ancient and mediaeval religious and civil law in India). Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
Neelis, Jason (19 November 2010). Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia. BRILL. ISBN978-90-04-18159-5.
July 21, 2023
Āryāvarta, confused, with, aryabhata, sanskrit, आर, वर, land, aryans, sanskrit, pronunciation, aːrjaːˈʋərtə, term, northern, indian, subcontinent, along, with, some, other, parts, ancient, hindu, texts, such, dharmashastras, sutras, referring, area, indian, su. Not to be confused with Aryabhata Aryavarta Sanskrit आर य वर त lit Land of the Aryans a web 1 web 2 Sanskrit pronunciation aːrjaːˈʋerte is a term for the northern Indian subcontinent along with some other parts in the ancient Hindu texts such as Dharmashastras and Sutras referring to the area of the Indian subcontinent settled by Indo Aryan tribes and where Indo Aryan religion and rituals predominated The limits of Aryavarta extended over time as reflected in the various sources as the influence of the Brahmanical ideology spread eastwards in post Vedic times 3 4 The approximate extent of Aryavarta during the late Vedic period ca 1100 500 BCE Aryavarta was limited to northwest India and the western Ganges plain while Greater Magadha in the east was habitated by non Vedic Indo Aryans who gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism 1 2 Cemetery H Late Harappan OCP Copper Hoard and Painted Grey ware sites Contents 1 Geographical boundaries 1 1 Ganges Yamuna doab 1 2 From sea to sea 1 3 Loss of northwest India 2 Other regional designations 3 Rulers 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Sources 8 Further readingGeographical boundaries EditGanges Yamuna doab Edit Course of the Ganges river Ganges Yamuna doab western part of the green area The Ganges Yamuna doab The Baudhayana Dharmasutra BDS 1 1 2 10 perhaps compiled in the 8th to 6th centuries BCE declares that Aryavarta is the land that lies west of Kalakavana east of Adarsana south of the Himalayas and north of the Vindhyas but in BDS 1 1 2 11 Aryavarta is confined to the doab of the Ganges Yamuna BDS 1 1 2 13 15 considers people from beyond this area as of mixed origin and hence not worthy of emulation by the Aryans Some sutras recommend expiatory acts for those who have crossed the boundaries of Aryavarta Baudhayana Srautasutra recommends this for those who have crossed the boundaries of Aryavarta and ventured into far away places 5 The Vasistha Dharma Sutra oldest sutras ca 500 300 BCE I 8 9 and 12 13 locates the Aryavarta to the east of the disappearance of the Sarasvati River in the desert to the west of the Kalakavana to the north of the Pariyatra Mountains and the Vindhya Range and to the south of the Himalayas 6 Patanjali s Mahabhaṣya mid 2nd century BCE defines Aryavarta like the Vasistha Dharmasutra citation needed According to Bronkhost he situates it essentially in the Ganges plan between the Thar desert in the west and the confluence of the rivers Ganges Ganga and Jumna Yamuna in the east 3 From sea to sea Edit See also Sanskritisation and Hindu synthesis The Manusmṛti dated between 2nd cent BCE to 3rd cent CE 2 22 gives the name to the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges from the Eastern Sea Bay of Bengal to the Western Sea Arabian Sea 7 8 The Manava Dharmasastra ca 150 250 CE gives aryavarta as stretching from the eastern to the western seas reflecting the growing sphere of influence of the Brahmanical ideology 3 Loss of northwest India Edit The post Vedic period of the Second Urbanisation saw a decline of Brahmanism 9 10 With the growth of cities which threatened the income and patronage of the rural Brahmins the rise of Buddhism and the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great 327 325 BCE the rise of the Mauryan Empire 322 185 BCE and the Saka invasions and rule of northwestern India 2nd c BC 4th c CE Brahmanism faced a grave threat to its existence 11 The decline of Brahmanism was overcome by providing new services 12 and incorporating the non Vedic Indo Aryan religious heritage of the eastern Ganges plain and local religious traditions giving rise to the Hindu synthesis 11 Other regional designations EditThese texts also identify other parts of the Indian subcontinent with specific designations The Manusmṛti mentions Brahmavarta as the region between the rivers Saraswati and Drishadwati in north western India The text defines the area as the place where the good people are born with goodness being dependent on location rather than behaviour 13 The precise location and size of the region has been the subject of academic uncertainty 14 Some scholars such as the archaeologists Bridget and Raymond Allchin believe the term Brahmavarta to be synonymous with the Aryavarta region 15 Madhyadesa extended from the upper reaches of the Ganga and the Yamuna to the confluence of the two rivers at Prayaga and was the region where during the time of the Mahajanapadas the Kurus and the Panchalas existed The entire region is considered sacred in the Hindu mythology as gods and heroes mentioned in the two epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata lived here 16 17 Rulers EditThe Gurjara Pratihara king in the tenth century was titled the Maharajadhiraja of Aryavarta 18 See also EditNames of India Indo Aryan migrations Bharata Khanda Airyanem Vaejah its Zoroastrian counterpart History of IndiaNotes Edit The Sanskrit word a rya आर य was originally a cultural term designating those who spoke Vedic Sanskrit and adhered to Vedic cultural norms including religious rituals and poetry in contrast to an outsider or an a rya non Arya By the time of the Buddha 5th 4th century BCE it took the meaning of noble References Edit Bronkhorst 2007 Samuel 2010 a b c Bronkhorst 2011 p 4 Scharfe Hartmut 1989 Handbuch der Orientalistik Indien BRILL p 12 ISBN 9004090606 Agarwal Vishal Is there Vedic evidence for the Indo Aryan Immigration to India Neelis 2010 p 194 Gopal Madan 1990 K S Gautam ed India through the ages Publication Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Government of India p 70 Michael Cook 2014 Ancient Religions Modern Politics The Islamic Case in Comparative Perspective Princeton University Press p 68 Aryavarta is defined by Manu as extending from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhyas of Central India in the south and from the sea in the west to the sea in the east Michaels 2004 p 37 39 Bronkhorst 2017 p 363 a b Bronkhorst 2016 p 9 10 Bronkhorst 2015 p 2 Killingley Dermot 2007 Mlecchas Yavanas and Heathens Interacting Xenologies in Early Nineteenth Century Calcutta In Franco Eli Preisendanz Karin eds Beyond Orientalism The Work of Wilhelm Halbfass and Its Impact on Indian and Cross cultural Studies Motilal Banarsidass p 125 ISBN 978 8 12083 110 0 Scharfe Hartmut 1989 The State in Indian Tradition BRILL p 12 ISBN 900 4 09060 6 Allchin Bridget Allchin Raymond 1982 The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan Cambridge University Press p 250 ISBN 978 0 52128 550 6 Mukhopadhyay Mihir Mohan 1984 Sculptures of Ganga Yamuna Valley Abhinav Publications p 5 ISBN 9788170171898 Singh Pitam 2003 Women Legislators in Indian Politics Concept Publishing Company p 62 ISBN 9788180690198 Andre Wink 2002 Al Hind Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam 7th 11th centuries BRILL p 284 ISBN 978 0 391 04173 8 Sources EditPrinted sourcesBronkhorst Johannes 2007 Greater Magadha Studies in the Culture of Early India BRILL ISBN 9789004157194 Bronkhorst Johannes 2011 Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism BRILL Bronkhorst Johannes 2015 The historiography of Brahmanism in Otto Rau Rupke eds History and Religion Narrating a Religious Past Walter deGruyter Bronkhorst Johannes 2016 How the Brahmains Won BRILL Bronkhorst Johannes 2017 Brahmanism Its place in ancient Indian society Contributions to Indian Sociology 51 3 361 369 doi 10 1177 0069966717717587 S2CID 220050987 Michaels Axel 2004 Hinduism Past and present Princeton New Jersey Princeton University Press Samuel Geoffrey 2010 The Origins of Yoga and Tantra Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century Cambridge University Press Web sources Aryavarta Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary 1899 Apte Vaman Shivaram 1957 Revised and Enlarged Edition of Prin V S Apte s The Practical Sanskrit English Dictionary Retrieved 1 November 2018 Further reading EditKane Pandurang Vaman 1962 History of Dharmasastra ancient and mediaeval religious and civil law in India Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Neelis Jason 19 November 2010 Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia BRILL ISBN 978 90 04 18159 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aryavarta amp oldid 1165197916, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
