This thread is to discuss the Myths and Facts about Indian history which keeps circulating again and again.
One exmaple of fiction created is like this
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gupta empire was predominantly a northern-India entity. The mauryan empire was a lot bigger but at no point did it hold complete sway over modern-day India. During Asoka's reign, the empire reached its zenith and contracted soo after. At its zenith, the extreme south remained "free" of Mauryan rule. Some historians have claimed that there was an arrangement of suzerainty over these kingdoms. Its possible...but if you look at the Mauryan empire as a stable governed entity, the south remained out of that forced union - primarily by resisting it succesfully. <b>The reason why Tamil and Telugu flourished as literary rivals of Sanskrit was likely because of this (?)</b>
The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago..
Actually, the first inputs occurred during the time of the Bactrian Greek outposts, some via inter-marriage during the Buddhist era, and some via migration of the Gandhara populace towards India during the Islamic invasion.
Smaller contributions - especially in the Deccan region - came from Roman and Arab trading outposts, the Jewish refugees, and the Portuguese.
The final contribution, of course, came from the British and the French.
Generations of attempt at maintaining "bloodline purity" kept the dominant and recessive alleles in Chromosome 15 and Chromosome 19 ( B-1 and G-1 variants ) in proper proportions, and you see the subsections of the population with blue-gray and green eyes, - mostly in Pakistan/Afghanistan and in the Konkan/Malabar western coastal areas.
No surprises there.
Lastly, the Mauryan empire used Prakrit, Pali and Sanskrit. Most of the offcial edicts that we find preserved are in pali and prakrit. Sanskrit, it appears was largely the domain of Brahmins - used in religious rites rather than governance. <b>Sanskrit flourished during Gupta period but like I mentioned earlier, the south was not part of Gupta empire.</b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->What a throw away crappy statement again a stupid generalization what was I wrong in? Post proof not how you understand it kind of lazy cop out.
Oh bosss you cant even read a map.. Show me where it says the Mauryan kingdom did not reach the deccan and stay there. Hell there influence was up to Sri Lanka.
the edicts were in Pali because that was the lingua franca; Sanskrit was the coordinating language between noblemen priests etc.
Brahmana's were also ministers in addition to priests.
Tamil could have flourished even if the land was under Mauyran control. Remember Indians were not blood thirsty savages and killing destroying local civilian culture was no no.
You have read everything the other way around.
The Gupta empire claimed suzerainty but not necessarily by force over much of south. That has often been the model of Indian empires (large or small) coordination for administration rather than rigid central control.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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Another one about grey eyes myth
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Re. the idea/statement: "Varna/Jati was fluid but the brits created the caste system in its rigid format".
The population of the Indian sub-continent was (and remains) genetically segregated along the lines of caste/Varna/Jati - whatever the accurate term and concept may be. The word "caste" may not be an accurate translation of varna/jati and British can certainly be accused of using the existing segregation to their extreme advantage but its vacuous to claim that british created the caste system. The divisions within Hindu society that, in its extreme form, were displayed along the lines of of untouchability existed long before the arrival of british. Such divisions invariably led to a society that was quite keen on preserving blood lines - a thesis that is reasonably well-supported by genetic analysis of representative Indian population in India.
About eye color, the gene OCA2 on chromosome 15 exhibits a high frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) - leading to a spectrum of eye colors. The small Indian population with blue/green eyes, very likely received a genetic input from a population distinct from the early inhabitants of the sub-continent who appeared to have migrated along the coast from Africa. The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago. The simplest possible explanation is presence of british population in the area during that time. One would have to analyze Y-chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA for a more accurate theory to explain the eye color. For the longest time I thought that Aishwariya Rai wore contact lenses - it turns out thats not true.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago..
Actually, the first inputs occurred during the time of the Bactrian Greek outposts, some via inter-marriage during the Buddhist era, and some via migration of the Gandhara populace towards India during the Islamic invasion.
Smaller contributions - especially in the Deccan region - came from Roman and Arab trading outposts, the Jewish refugees, and the Portuguese.
The final contribution, of course, came from the British and the French.
Generations of attempt at maintaining "bloodline purity" kept the dominant and recessive alleles in Chromosome 15 and Chromosome 19 ( B-1 and G-1 variants ) in proper proportions, and you see the subsections of the population with blue-gray and green eyes, - mostly in Pakistan/Afghanistan and in the Konkan/Malabar western coastal areas.
No surprises there.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
One exmaple of fiction created is like this
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gupta empire was predominantly a northern-India entity. The mauryan empire was a lot bigger but at no point did it hold complete sway over modern-day India. During Asoka's reign, the empire reached its zenith and contracted soo after. At its zenith, the extreme south remained "free" of Mauryan rule. Some historians have claimed that there was an arrangement of suzerainty over these kingdoms. Its possible...but if you look at the Mauryan empire as a stable governed entity, the south remained out of that forced union - primarily by resisting it succesfully. <b>The reason why Tamil and Telugu flourished as literary rivals of Sanskrit was likely because of this (?)</b>
The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago..
Actually, the first inputs occurred during the time of the Bactrian Greek outposts, some via inter-marriage during the Buddhist era, and some via migration of the Gandhara populace towards India during the Islamic invasion.
Smaller contributions - especially in the Deccan region - came from Roman and Arab trading outposts, the Jewish refugees, and the Portuguese.
The final contribution, of course, came from the British and the French.
Generations of attempt at maintaining "bloodline purity" kept the dominant and recessive alleles in Chromosome 15 and Chromosome 19 ( B-1 and G-1 variants ) in proper proportions, and you see the subsections of the population with blue-gray and green eyes, - mostly in Pakistan/Afghanistan and in the Konkan/Malabar western coastal areas.
No surprises there.
Lastly, the Mauryan empire used Prakrit, Pali and Sanskrit. Most of the offcial edicts that we find preserved are in pali and prakrit. Sanskrit, it appears was largely the domain of Brahmins - used in religious rites rather than governance. <b>Sanskrit flourished during Gupta period but like I mentioned earlier, the south was not part of Gupta empire.</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->What a throw away crappy statement again a stupid generalization what was I wrong in? Post proof not how you understand it kind of lazy cop out.
Oh bosss you cant even read a map.. Show me where it says the Mauryan kingdom did not reach the deccan and stay there. Hell there influence was up to Sri Lanka.
the edicts were in Pali because that was the lingua franca; Sanskrit was the coordinating language between noblemen priests etc.
Brahmana's were also ministers in addition to priests.
Tamil could have flourished even if the land was under Mauyran control. Remember Indians were not blood thirsty savages and killing destroying local civilian culture was no no.
You have read everything the other way around.
The Gupta empire claimed suzerainty but not necessarily by force over much of south. That has often been the model of Indian empires (large or small) coordination for administration rather than rigid central control.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
------------------
Another one about grey eyes myth
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Re. the idea/statement: "Varna/Jati was fluid but the brits created the caste system in its rigid format".
The population of the Indian sub-continent was (and remains) genetically segregated along the lines of caste/Varna/Jati - whatever the accurate term and concept may be. The word "caste" may not be an accurate translation of varna/jati and British can certainly be accused of using the existing segregation to their extreme advantage but its vacuous to claim that british created the caste system. The divisions within Hindu society that, in its extreme form, were displayed along the lines of of untouchability existed long before the arrival of british. Such divisions invariably led to a society that was quite keen on preserving blood lines - a thesis that is reasonably well-supported by genetic analysis of representative Indian population in India.
About eye color, the gene OCA2 on chromosome 15 exhibits a high frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) - leading to a spectrum of eye colors. The small Indian population with blue/green eyes, very likely received a genetic input from a population distinct from the early inhabitants of the sub-continent who appeared to have migrated along the coast from Africa. The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago. The simplest possible explanation is presence of british population in the area during that time. One would have to analyze Y-chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA for a more accurate theory to explain the eye color. For the longest time I thought that Aishwariya Rai wore contact lenses - it turns out thats not true.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The input may have occured as recently as a few hundred years ago..
Actually, the first inputs occurred during the time of the Bactrian Greek outposts, some via inter-marriage during the Buddhist era, and some via migration of the Gandhara populace towards India during the Islamic invasion.
Smaller contributions - especially in the Deccan region - came from Roman and Arab trading outposts, the Jewish refugees, and the Portuguese.
The final contribution, of course, came from the British and the French.
Generations of attempt at maintaining "bloodline purity" kept the dominant and recessive alleles in Chromosome 15 and Chromosome 19 ( B-1 and G-1 variants ) in proper proportions, and you see the subsections of the population with blue-gray and green eyes, - mostly in Pakistan/Afghanistan and in the Konkan/Malabar western coastal areas.
No surprises there.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->