7 Facts About Ancient (Vedic) Indians

As advancements and new research strategies are created, we are adapting and learning more and more about ancient people, their traditions, and lifestyle. The more we find out about their lives the more they stun us, since a portion of things old antecedents did is excessively odd for the most liberal individual today! We live in an age where we think that we give people more liberty and freedom than the people in the old age did! And of course, we know more. (this is what we think) But we are all mistaken. There are several things that may shock you, and many of them came from ancient India.

We should come to the heart of the matter and know a portion of really shocking facts of those times. Having heard them you will never be the same. Ready?

1. Ancient India was not as religious as we thought

In the land that is well-known for religiosity, there were schools of thought around the time of Buddhism’s rise that proclaimed empiricism. These people were called ‘Charvakas’ and they believed in no gods, no souls, no karma and insisted on what we can see through our senses as the only reality there is. They were strict materialists you know!

2. Indians knew about cloning and were using that

In the Mahabharata, Gandhari had 100 sons is pretty well-known. But what’s unknown is the scientific explanation behind her giving birth to a 100 kids. Each Kaurava was created by splitting the single embryo into 100 parts, growing each part in a separate kund (container). This is identical to the cloning process today. Also, the birth of Karna, who was born from the characteristics adopted by the men of his mother’s choice also has a striking resemblance to the present day test tube baby concept. Strange no??

3. Free sex was allowed and was not punished

A man and a woman meeting in ancient India could consent to have sex and this was called the Gandharva Vivah. They would agree on what to do if a woman got pregnant and had an offspring. If it was a male, the women had to inform the man who would have gone in his way to live his own life. A token was given by a man so that the women when she informs he had a son through her could acknowledge and accept his offspring by her. Typically, the token was an ornament maybe a ring. A play ‘Shankutala’ by Kalidas is one such story. You may ask what about daughters? And the answer is no need to let the man know, as only the sons were desired. The misogyny in India began from ancient times, while it is also true that women had a range of freedoms back then. Before the advent of Mughal attacks on the women of the Indian kingdom were not only respected but also prayed to and daughters were considered goddesses, not a burden. However, this changed gradually to where we are today.

4. Love and inter-caste marriages were allowed

Love marriages we fully accepted. The cast earlier was based on occupation and not on the bloodline. Since there were no conditions to fall in love with the guy of the same cast, so, anybody could marry anyone even if the parents opposed. People could marry by talking to the local kings.

5. Sex was not a taboo

India is the land of Kamasutra, also if you visit old temples of ancient India, the engravings on the wall show that sex was seen as an art and not as a disease like most modern Indians depict it to be. No modern temples have the sensual art on the walls.

6. Women were important

The role of women in the Vedic period was better than it is now. *sigh*  Women were treated with respect and dignity. The situation of women worsened when Mughals invaded India and started abducting local women, and since that time women situation has constantly deteriorated in the society. In ancient India, the high-class women had the right to choose their husband through Swayamvar. The princesses used to keep conditions which had to be completed by the suitors. This ensured that the princesses married according to her own wish and not under pressure. Society didn’t try to suppress women sexuality in ancient India as the society tries to do now, no matter if the women were married or not.

7. Transgenders were not prosecuted

Transgenders actually had respectable jobs. They were employed as guards in the palaces and in personal assistance of queens etc. The main point being, today transgenders have no education and job opportunities, so they have to beg or worse, work as a sex worker just to survive. In ancient India, they were much more acceptable in the society.

Bonus:
The ancient Indians were much more realistic than other peoples at that time

They explained the science behind the rather feared eclipses. The other world feared the eclipses and associated all types of paranormal occurrences with the phenomenon, Indians had a very proper and scientific explanation. They also knew that the moon was not self-illuminated. Rig Veda 5.40.5 “O sun when you are blocked by the one whom you gifted your own light (moon) then earth gets scared by sudden darkness”

Do you guys still think that we are better, smarter and more advanced than ancient India, especially the Vedic era?  We challenge you to acquire more knowledge and think again because the more you will think and the more you will know, the more you will realize, foreign attacks and generations of slavery has not made us more advanced but more backward than what we were 3000 years ago!