The Vedic civilization is the Indo-Aryan culture associated with the Vedas. Vedic Period started around 5000 BC at the cradle of the seven rivers of Northern India. Vedic Civilization is based on proof provided by hundreds of archaeological sites that have been found around the dried up Saraswati River. The Vedic Period is based on the religious book, the Rig Veda which describes creation of mankind happening from Lake Manas, or Mansarovar. From this lake, stems five of the world's largest rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Indus, the Sutlej, and the Saraswati. Based on vedic text, Saraswati was the widest of the rivers, and flowed down through Western India into the Arabian Sea, in the river delta in the present state of Gujarat. The Vedic Civilization grew up within the banks of the Saraswati, and the Rig Veda describes the mighty river, as 10 kms wide in certain areas, and forming pools of water that created shallow islands where farming can be done based on the fertile soil. Since the Saraswati River dried up around 1900 BC, this marked the end of the early Vedic period.
The Vedic period was ruled by indigenous people that called themselves Aryans, who were people who resided in the present day area of Punjab. The Aryans developed an advanced society, that conducted farming along the river plains, and developed the present day religion of Hinduism based on gods and godesses that reside in Mt. Kailash in present-day Tibet. Aryans were light-skinned people of Northern India, who over the years integrated with darker skinned people residing in the rest of the Indian sub-continent. Aryans within the Vedic Civilization had developed a highly structured political society that differentiated people based on their caste. The four main castes were created along racial lines, and ensured that the high caste Brahmins were light-skinned, while the Shudras were the dark-skinned farm workers.
The Vedic period was known for two of present-day India's most famous epics, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. Mahabharata describes the great war that took place on the banks of the Saraswati River, in the present-day town of Kurukshetra. Lord Arjuna was asked to fight by Lord Krishna who was his chariot driver. The thoughts and advice of Lord Krishna forms the basis for Bhagavat Gita, the holy text book for all present day Hindus. The death of Lord Krishna, who is believed to be a deity by Hindus, started the Kali Yuga calendar. Based on this calendar, the death of Lord Krishna took place in 3101 BC. There are many archaelogical and astronomical facts and figures that provide a basis for the Mahabharata war to take place in 3149 B.C. Based on the epic, over 100,000 soldiers fought in the war. This is an amazing revelation, since this means that the Vedic Civilization was not only highly advanced, but also was the world's most populous region of human inhabitation.
The Saraswati River dried up for a period of hundreds of years from 2300 BC to 1800 BC. This caused the Vedic people to migrate westward to the Indus river valley, and begin the Harappan civilization, that is characterized by the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. A large migration took place from the east to the west, from the Indian subcontinent to present day Iran, Middle East and European areas such as Greece. This confirms the large similarities in language between the Vedic language of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin, and the confluence of Indo-European languages.
The Mainstream scholarship acknowledges the Indo-European common language bond and instead believes in the incorrect Aryan Invasion theory which places the Vedic civilization into the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE. Hindu traditions[1] suggest dates as early as the 4th millennium BCE. The use of Vedic Sanskrit continued up to the 6th century BCE, when the culture began to be transformed into classical forms of Hinduism. This time period in the history of India is known as the Vedic period or Vedic age. In its late phase (from ca. 700 BCE), it saw the rise of the Mahajanapadas, and was succeeded by the golden age of Hinduism and classical Sanskrit literature, the Maurya Empire (from ca. 320 BCE) and the Middle kingdoms of India





Overviewve chronological strata:
Indo-Iranian elements, both in language and in content, that are not present in any other Vedic texts. Its creation must have taken place over several centuries, and apart from the youngest books (1 and 10), it must have been essentially complete by 1500 BCE [citation needed]. Archaeologically, this period may correspond with the Gandhara Grave culture, and the successors of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), Cemetery H cultures of the Punjab and the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (OCP) further east. It is undisputed (but particularly emphasized by Hindu scholars) that there is a strong component of cultural continuity of the indigenous IVC.

Map of early Iron Age Vedic India after Witzel (1989). Realms or tribes are labelled black, Foreign tribes mentioned in early Vedic texts purple, Vedic shakhas in green. Rivers are labelled blue. The Thar desert is marked orange.
2. Mantra language: This period includes both the mantra and prose language of the Atharvaveda (Paippalada and Shaunakiya), the Rigveda Khilani, the Samaveda Samhita (containing some 75 mantras not in the Rigveda), and the mantras of the Yajurveda. These texts are largely derived from the Rigveda, but have undergone certain changes, both by linguistic change and by reinterpretation. Conspicuous changes include change of vishva "all" by sarva, and the spread of the kuru- verbal stem (for Rigvedic krno-). This is the time of the early Iron Age in north-western India, corresponding to the Black and Red Ware (BRW) culture, and the kingdom of the Kurus, dating from ca. the 12th century BCE.
3. Samhita prose: This period marks the beginning of the collection and codification of a Vedic canon. An important linguistic change is the complete loss of the injunctive, of the subjunctive, and of the aorist. The commentary part of the Yajurveda (MS, KS) belongs to this period. Archaeologically, the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) culture from ca. 900 BCE corresponds, and the shift of the political center from the Kurus to the Pancalas at the Ganges.
4. Brahmana prose: The Brahmanas proper of the four Vedas belong to this period, as well as the oldest of the Upanishads (BAU, ChU, JUB).
5. Sutra language: This is the last stratum of Vedic Sanskrit leading up to 500 BCE, comprising the bulk of the Shrauta and Grhya Sutras, and some Upanishads (E.g. KathU, MaitrU. Younger Upanishads are post-Vedic). Videha as a third political center is established.
6. Epic and Paninian Sanskrit: The language of the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, and the Classical Sanskrit described by Panini is considered post-Vedic, and belongs to the time after 500 BCE. Archaeologically, the rapid spread of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP) over all of northern India corresponds to this period. The Vedanta, the Buddha, and the Pali Prakrit dialect of Buddhist scripture belong to this period.
Historical records set in only after the end of the Vedic period, and remain scarce throughout the Indian Middle Ages. The end of Vedic India is marked by linguistic, cultural and political changes. The grammar of Panini marks a final apex in the codification of sacred texts, and at the same time the beginning of Classical Sanskrit. The invasion of Darius I of the Indus valley in the late 6th century BC marks the beginning of outside influence, continued in the kingdoms of the Indo Greeks, new waves of immigration from 150 BCE (Abhira, Shaka), and ultimately the medieval Islamic Sultans. The most important historical source of the geography of post-Vedic India is the 2nd century Greek historian Arrian.
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Rigvedic period
See also Rigvedic tribes
The origin of the Vedic civilization and its relation to the Indus Valley civilization and related cultures and an Indo-Aryan migration and the Gandhara Grave culture remains controversial and politically charged in Indian society; see the Aryan Invasion Theory for details. The Rigveda is primarily a collection of religious hymns, and allusions to, but not explanation of, various myths and stories, mainly in the younger books 1 and 10. The oldest hymns, probably in books 2–7, although some people hold book 9, the Soma Mandala, to be even more ancient, contain many elements inherited from pre-Vedic, common Indo-Iranian society. Therefore, it is difficult to define the precise beginning of the "Rigvedic period", as it emerges seamlessly from the era preceding it. Also, due to the nomadic nature of the society described, it cannot be localized, and in its earliest phase describes tribes that were essentially on the move.
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Political organization
The grama (village), vis and jana were political units of the early Vedic Aryans. A vish was probably a subdivision of a jana, and a grama was probably a smaller unit than the other two. The leader of a grama was called gramani and that of a vish was called vishpati. Another unit was the gana whose head was a jyeshta (elder).
The rashtra (state) was governed by a rajan (king). The king is often referred to as gopa (protector) and samrat (supreme ruler). He governed the people with their consent and approval. It is possible that he was sometimes elected. The sabha and samiti were popular councils.
The main duty of the king was to protect the tribe. He was aided by two functionaries, the purohita (chaplain) and the senani (army chief; sena: army). The former not only gave advice to the ruler but also practiced spells and charms for success in war. Soldiers on foot (patti) and on chariots (rathins), armed with bow and arrow were common. The king employed spasa (spies) and dutas (messengers). He often got a ceremonial gift, bali, from the people.
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Society and economy
Rig Vedic society was characterized by a nomadic lifestyle, with cattle rearing being the chief occupation. Cattle and cows were held in high esteem and frequently appear in Rigvedic hymns; goddesses were often compared to cows, and gods to bulls. Agriculture grew more prominent with time as the community settled down. Money was unknown, and bartering with cattle and other valuables replaced financial commerce.
Families were patrilineal, and people prayed for abundance of sons. Society was strictly organized in a system of caste. The four major varnas were Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Those who are outside these caste structure are known as adivasis.
The food of the Rigvedic Aryans consisted of parched grain and cakes, milk and milk products, and various fruits and vegetables. Consumption of meat was also common, at least among the upper classes. The Rigveda contains many references to animal sacrifice and meat offered to the gods.
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Vedic Religion
Main article: historical Vedic religion.
Texts considered to date to the Vedic period are mainly the four Vedas, but the Brahmanas, and some of the older Upanishads are also considered Vedic. The Vedas record the liturgy connected with the rituals and sacrifices performed by the purohitas.
The rishis, the composers of the hymns of the Rigveda, were considered divinely inspired seers (or rather "hearers", shrauta means "what is heard").
The mode of worship was performance of sacrifices and chanting of verses (see Vedic chant). The priests helped the common man in performing rituals. People prayed for abundance of children, cattle and wealth.
The main deities of the Vedic pantheon were Indra, Agni (fire), and Soma. Other deities were Varuna, Surya (the Sun), Mitra, Vayu (the wind). Goddesses included Ushas (the dawn), Prithvi (the Earth) and Aditi. Rivers, especially Sarasvati, were also considered goddesses. Deities were not viewed as all-powerful. The relationship between the devotee and the deity was one of transaction, with Agni (the sacrificial fire) taking the role of messenger between the two. Strong traces of a common Indo-Iranian religion remain visible, especially in the Soma cult and the fire worship also preserved in Zoroastrianism. The Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) has parallels in the 2nd millennium BC Andronovo culture, in India allegedly continued until the 4th century AD. Vegetarianism, the practice now thought by many to be so characteristic of Hinduism, arose only in late or post-Vedic times, possibly already at the time of Panini: The root-compound goghan "slaying cattle", in RV 7.56.17 used parallel to nrhan "slaying men" in reference to the referring to the weapon vadha of the Maruts,
17c aaré gohaá nRhaá vadháH vaH astu "far be your cow-slaying, men-slaying weapon!"
in Panini is taught to refer to a "receiver of a cow" exclusively; this change occurred parallel to the rise of, and possibly under the influence of, Buddhism, which began as a reform-movement of the Vedic religion. In Rig-Veda, Upanishads and later texts, the cow is often described as aditi and aghnya (that which should not be killed).[1]
Vedic religion evolved into the Hindu paths of Yoga and Vedanta, a religious path considering itself the 'essence' of the Vedas. The Vedic pantheon was interpreted as a unitary view of the universe with God seen as immanent and transcendent in the forms of Ishvara and Brahman, projected into various deities in the human mind. These lines of thought, as well as the Rig-Veda and other vedas, Brahmanas, early Upanishads and most ritualistic practices are fully present in modern Hinduism as well. The ritualistic traditions of Vedic religion are most faithfully preserved in the conservative Shrauta tradition.
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The later Vedic period
The transition from the early to the later Vedic period was marked by the emergence of agriculture as the dominant economic activity and a corresponding decline in the significance of cattle rearing. Several changes went hand in hand with this. For instance, several large kingdoms arose because of the increasing importance of land and its protection. The late Vedic period from ca. 500 BC more or less seamlessly blends into the period of the Middle kingdoms of India known from historical sources.
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Kingdoms
16 mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) are referred to in some of the literature. By this time the Aryan tribes had spread from their original home in the west to much of the east and the south. The power of the king greatly increased. Rulers gave themselves titles like ekarat (the one ruler), sarvabhumi (ruler of all the earth) and chakravartin (protector of land). The kings performed sacrifices like rajasuya, (royal consecration) vajapeya (drink of strength) and ashvamedha (horse sacrifice). The coronation ceremony was a major social occasion. Several functionaries came into being in addition to the purohita and the senani of earlier times. The participation of the people in the activities of the government decreased.
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Society
The concept of varna and th
e rules of marriage became more rigid, but not yet watertight. The status of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas increased greatly. The Brahmins propagated specialization of an extreme order. Functioning as an intellectual bureaucracy, they also restricted social mobility, as in fields of science, war, literature, religion and the environment. The proper enunciation of verses was considered essential for prosperity and success in war and harvests. Kshatriyas amassed wealth, and commissioned the performance of sacrifices. Kshatriyas administered the state, maintained society and the economy of a kingdom. They also functioned to maintain law and order. They presided over an assembled court of intellectuals and warriors. They distributed the finances of their treasuries, with respect to acts and deeds. They also maintained budgets of the kingdom with the assistance of ministers.
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Notes
^ themselves dateable to the early centuries CE, with scholars like Aryabhata (5th c.)
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References
Bokonyi, S. 1997b. "Horse Remains from the Prehistoric Site of Surkotada, Kutch, Late 3rd Millennium BC.", South Asian Studies 13: 297-307.(Showing Vedic Culture in 3rd millennium)
Kocchar, Rajesh, The Vedic people: their history and geography, Hyderabad: Orient Longmans (1999).
Lal, B.B. 2005. The Homeland of the Aryans. Evidence of Rigvedic Flora and Fauna & Archaeology, New Delhi, Aryan Books International.(Showing Vedic Culture in 3rd millennium)
R.C. Majumdar and others. An Advanced History of India, MacMillan, 1967.
Michael Witzel, Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, 1989, 97–265.
Michael Witzel, The Pleiades and the Bears viewed from inside the Vedic texts, EVJS Vol. 5 (1999), issue 2 (December) [2].