'No base for Aryan migration theory in archaeological evidence'

 Head of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Y Sudershan Rao on Friday questioned the Aryan Migration theory, saying it has no base in archaeological or literary evidence.

The ICHR chief also spoke about growing “intolerance” in academic institutions and said he sees no point in why academics clings to the theory of Aryan migration into the Indian subcontinent.

Rao was addressing students in a conference on the Aryan immigration theory organised by Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Sanskrit Department.

Calling the existence of Aryans a myth, he said, “It is about moderation. From Aryan invasion theory, it was moderated into a migration theory, then that migration came in phases. But these are our conjectures, we don’t have any archaeological or literary evidence. Why we still cling to such theories, I don’t know.”

“From the puranas, particularly from the epics: Ramayana, Mahabharata. We take Ramayana, the culture seems to have come from Ram, the rishis, the sages…all they say have come from devbhumi, called Himalayas, down to the genetic plain and later historically we can say it has spread to south. Augustia rishi took it to the south. All this is in puranas but present studies show that our culture has come from the North West,” he added.

Rao argued that the Indo-Aryan migration theory is a “European-imposed” narrative. “Why should we run to have some theory? It’s their question, they have to solve it. We are not laying any defence for that,” he told students. 

The Indo-Aryan migration theory explains the introduction of the Indo-Aryan languages in the Indian subcontinent by proposing a migration from the Bactra Margiana culture (present-day northern Afghanistan) into the northern Indian subcontinent (modern day India, Nepal and Afghanistan).

“Wrong history is being taught in our textbook for far too long. We have literary, geographical, archaeological proof to say that migrations happened from India. It is time the theory is debunked,” said Ramesh Bhardwaj, Head of Sanskrit Department, Delhi University.

He lamented the increasing intolerance within academia, saying, “It is very unfortunate. Academicians should be open to teaching different things. It’s not happening anywhere in the world, only in India.