Letter 29 | Aryans Come to India (In English) | Letters from a Father to his Daughter

In this letter, Nehru describes the arrival of the Aryans in India and the resulting cultural changes. He explains that before the Aryans came, India had an ancient civilization, much like Egypt, and was inhabited by the Dravidians, whose descendants now live in South India.

The Aryans, a strong, nomadic people from Central Asia, migrated in large numbers due to a shortage of food. They spread to Persia, Greece, and eventually arrived in India, entering through the northwest near Kashmir. 

The Aryans gradually pushed the Dravidians south, with most of the Aryan settlement remaining in the northern regions like Afghanistan, Punjab, and later the Ganga and Jamuna plains, which they called "Aryavarta." 

Nehru also mentions ancient Sanskrit texts like the Vedas, Puranas, and epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which provide insights into the Aryans' way of life and how they expanded across India. The Aryans primarily settled near rivers, establishing cities like Kashi (Benares) and Prayagaraj.