The Harappan civilization was followed by Vedic or Rig-Vedic culture which was completely opposed to it. The Vedic culture was founded by the Aryans. They were immigrants and arrived in India between 2000 and 1500 BC. The origin of the Aryans is still an unsettled affair. The coming of the Aryans to India was a great event in Indian history. The Aryans were considered to be one of the world's most civilized communities. They were far ahead of other races of their time. The original homeland of Aryans has remained a subject of long and protracted controversy. Regarding the original home of the Aryans the historians have held divergent views.
1. Origin and Settlement of the AryansThis book in original form has been lost. But most passages have been
preserved in form of epitomes and quotations which are found scattered here and
there in the later writings of various Greek and Roman authors such as Strabo,
Arrian and Plinius. Another important source which gives valuable information
on the Mauryan period is the Arthashastra. It is believed to be the work of
Vishnu Gupta Kautilya also known as Chanakya. He was the chief advisor of
Chandragupta Maurya. His book Arthashastra is a standard work on politics and
art of government.
It is considered to be the most valuable work in the
field of secular literature. Mudra Rakshasa is another important work which
throws some light on Chandragupta Maurya's career. It is a drama written by
Vaisakha Dutta in the Gupta period. The author collected all the information
available to him in the 5th century AD. This drama gives the detail of the
revolution by which Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the Nandas. It also mentioned
that Chandragupta belonged to a low caste