Thus the geographical boundary of the Vedic Aryans was limited to an area extending from Oxus in Afghanistan to the Gangetic valley. The bulk of the Rigvedic hymns were composed on the banks of Satpa Sindhus.
The hymns to the us have been inspired by the glorious dawn of the Punjab. Though the Aryan bands had advanced towards the Gangetic doab, it was still an unfamiliar land.
The ‘Sapta Saindhava’ country of the Rigvedic period was bounded by the Himalayas and Tibet in the east, Turkistan in the north, Afghanistan in the West and the Aravalis in the South. The vast doab of the Ganga and the mountains of the Vindhyas were the barriers not easy to cross in those days.
It was thus evident that the Sapta Sindhu (or Jambudvipa), as described above, was considered a country by itself and the rest of India was quite unknown and unconnected with it.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
However, before the close of the later-Vedic period, the Aryans had penetrated the great plains of the Yamuna, the Ganga and the Sadanira (The Rapti or the Gandaka). A few Aryan bands penetrated into the Vindhyan forest as well. The centre of this new world was the “firm middle country” (dhruva madhyama des) stretching from the Saraswati to the Gangetic doab.
It was from this region that Brahmanical civilization spread to the outer regions, to the land of Kosalas and the Kashis, the Videhas, Vidarbhas, Angas, Magadhas, Pundras, Pulindas, Savaras and the Andhras. The Kuru kingdom had its capital at Asandivat whereas Panchalas had their capital at Kampilya.
The Kuru kingdom was formed by the amalgamation of Purus and the Bharatas, while the Panchalas sprang from the Rigvedic tribe known as Krivis, with who were associated the Srinjayas and the Turvasas.