List of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes

This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indian religions.

From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent – Indus Valley (roughly today's Pakistani Punjab and Sindh), Western India, Northern India, Central India, Eastern India and also in areas of the southern part like Sri Lanka and the Maldives through and after a complex process of migration, assimilation of other peoples and language shift.

[1][2][3] (पञ्च जना – Páñca Jánāḥ / Pancha-janah) The pancha Jana are five tribes inexplicitly listed together during the (Āryāvarta of this time, c. 1700–1500 BCE, roughly corresponds with the Punjab and closer regions) (see the map of Early Vedic Period) After roughly 1700 BCE Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes were swiftly expanding through ancient northern India, therefore the number of peoples, tribes and clans was increasing (as well as the number of Indo-Aryan language speakers) and Āryāvarta was becoming a very large area (see the map on the right side).

From roughly 1100 to 500 BCE Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes expanded even further throughout ancient northern India (see the map 6).

According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalinga janapada originally comprised the area covered by the Puri and Ganjam districts.

Map 1: Indo-European migrations as described in The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony [ 1 ]
Map 2: Sintashta-Petrovka culture ( red ), its expansion into the Andronovo culture ( orange ) during the 2nd millennium BC , showing the overlap with the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex ( chartreuse green ) in the south and also with the Afanasievo culture in the east. The location of the earliest chariots is shown in magenta . Several scholars associate Proto-Indo-Iranians with Sintashta-Petrovka culture . [ 2 ] These scholars also may associate some mentions in the Avesta (sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism ), like the Airyanəm Vaēǰō – " Aryans ' Expanse", as distant memories that were retained by oral tradition of this old land of origin. [ 1 ] There are also mentions of Āryāvarta – " Aryans Abode" (in sacred Hindu scriptures such as Dharmashastras and Sutras ), the Hindu counterpart of Airyanəm Vaēǰō , although it refers to Northern India and they are later.
Map 3: The extent of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), according to the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture . The BMAC culture and peoples influenced migrating Indo-Iranians that came from the north.
Map 4: The approximate extent of the Vedic period Āryāvarta is highlighted in pale yellow
Map 5: This detailed map shows the locations of kingdoms and republics mentioned in the Indian epics or Bharata Khanda .
Map 6: Early Vedic Culture (1700–1100 BCE) and location of early Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes
Map 7: Late Vedic era map showing the boundaries of Āryāvarta with Janapadas in northern India. Beginning of Iron Age kingdoms in India— Kuru , Panchala , Kosala , Videha .
Map 8: Mahajanapadas roughly in 500 BCE.
Map 9: Ancient regions of Iranian Plateau and part of South Central Asia showing ancient Iranian peoples and tribes; this map also shows ancient peoples of the Indus Valley in Northwest Ancient India .