It would surprise many to learn that the word “Aryan” is of Sanskrit origin and means “the noble ones.” It originally applied to the group that migrated to the Indus Valley in the second millennium from the region now known as Iran. The largest migratory waves of Aryans came into India between 1750 and 1200 B.C.E. It is hard to know whether the Aryans invaded and conquered the Indian culture or whether the pre-Aryan culture was already in decline.

“Aryan” conjures up images of blue-eyed, blond-haired males for the modern reader, due to Adolf Hitler calling people of this description his “master race.” According to the Nazis, people fitting this physical description were historically superior; by contrast, Semitic Jews and Africans were deemed inferior, despite the lack of any historical or scientific evidence to support this view.

But Hitler didn't coin the term “Aryan,” even in the modern era. It was current in the nineteenth century, applying at that time to a family of languages. Thereafter, it often appeared as an adjective to describe biological or racial units, but it has also been used to describe North Indians, Asians (at least from the west), and Europeans.

Little is known for sure of the Aryans, but references in the Vedic texts themselves suggests that the Aryans were nomadic herders, shepherding flocks. They were tribal and led by chieftains called rajas.By the sixth century B.C.E. they had settled in cities in the Indus valley and begun to build minor kingdoms.

In time, Aryan society was divided into three classes, or varnas. Sitting atop this pecking order were the Brahmins, a priestly set held in high regard for their knowledge. After the priests came the esteemed Kshatriyas, the chieftains and their loyal warriors. Commoners and merchants, known as Vaishyas, were subservient to the two classes above them. The Shudras, consisting of conquered pre-Aryans, were the fourth group. The Shudras did not enjoy full membership in society, since they were servants to the Aryans. These divisions originating with the Aryans would cut across Indian society for centuries to come.