Aryan invasion debate

[Bharat Gupt]

Some observations:
In the heat of debate it is all the more necessary to keep some facts of  ancient and
medieval times history.

1. The total  physical number of soldiers in the armies of Scythians, Parthians, Huns,
Greeks, Turks, Afghans, Lodis, Moghuls etc., could never have been so large that it
could have visibly altered the racial make up of North India. These were ruling elites
that seized power and defeated the ruling elite of the natives. They were not so
large in numbers that they literaly pushed the darker inhabitants into woods and
southern regions. During the course of time they simply got drowned into the mixed
racial pool. They could not have reinforced the supposed xanthodermia of the ruling
classes as postulated by Mr. Abbas.

2. There were extremely few women (only of the families of monarchs or generals) that
came with the armies. Those of the invaders that stayed behind married here.

3. Ancient literature does not indicate fairness of skin as a mark of beauty. Shyama,
tanvangee, varaarohaa, anavadyaa etc., the epithets for a woman of distinction do not
indicate preference for xanthodermia. IT is medieval literature that indicates a
preference for fair women. The Natyasastra prescribes that king should be shown as
gaura, padma and shyaama (chapter 21). The regional complexions as described in the
Natyasastra  are exactly the same as of today. If NS is taken as some evidence then
there is no change in two thousand years !
(continued)
Bharat Gupt
Associate Prof. Delhi Univ.