Ancient India Geography

The topography of India is very diverse constituting of various geographical features. This makes the geography of ancient India very unique due to the fact that people used to live in extremes. The geographical terrains were varied, ranging from rivers, to plains to mountainous terrains. Though extreme terrains, they provided the perfect cradle for civilization to develop in ancient India. The establishment of many small villages took place on the fertile river plains where agriculture was easier to practice.

The evidence of ancient Indian geography is found in the Holy Scriptures. The sacred chants and hymns in the Vedas praise the River Sindhu, which was a mighty river in the north of India. It is said that this river was the mightiest of all; though there are mention of rivers like Ganges, Yamuna, Saraswati, Satluj, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, etc. These rivers were the base for ideal flood plains and became among the first sites for civilization to flourish.

Though the topography was extreme and was prone to unwarned climatic changes like floods, thunderstorms, etc. they helped greatly in the growth and expansion of civilization. The mountains provided the much needed protection from foreign invaders, the rivers made transportation and navigation possible, the plains made agriculture possible, and so on. The geography ancient India was definitely an integral part in helping the development and growth of human settlements and start of one of the earliest civilizations.