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# Beginnings of the Indian Historical Tradition ## Earliest 'Histories': The Vedic Danastutis * Some of the earliest examples of recording of events that were regarded as significant can be found in the Rigveda (c. 2nd millennium BCE). * These include verses that were identified as danastutis (mea...

# Beginnings of the Indian Historical Tradition ## Earliest 'Histories': The Vedic Danastutis * Some of the earliest examples of recording of events that were regarded as significant can be found in the Rigveda (c. 2nd millennium BCE). * These include verses that were identified as danastutis (meaning 'in praise of gifts'). * They were composed by priests who received the gifts, and usually mention the name of the donor. * Generally, the recipient acknowledges the gifts he receives and prays for the well-being of the donor. ## Gathas and Narasamsis * The oral tradition of history in India includes the gatha and the narasamsi that are praises celebrating men. * Gathas were eulogies bestowed upon heroes or chieftains who protected the cattle from raids. * The early portions of Rigveda contains Indra-Gathas in which God Indra came to be associated as a hero. * Narasamsis were also praises on heroes who protected the jana from raids. * Generally after a raid, the wealth confiscated would be distributed among the members of a clan that included chariots, cattle and horses. ## Akhyanas and Itivrtta * In the later Vedic Age and after, other forms of quasi-historical compositions developed that can be considered as a mix of myth, legend and history. * The Akhyanas, which simply meant historical narrative, were the cycles of stories commemorating rajas and heroes recited at the time of the yajnas (sacrificial rituals). * The Akhyanas served as a base for information pertaining to the lineages of heroes who performed heroic deeds. * At times, the gatha and narasamsi were welded together and absorbed by the akhyana * Itivrtta meaning occurrence or event, denotes traditional account of men and things of past times. ## Vamsa and the Suta Magadha Tradition * Royal genealogies and the line of priestly succession forms another class of ancient lore called Vamsa. * There existed a class of important court officials in the later Vedic Age (c. 1000-600 BCE) known as the sutas and magadhas, whose special duty was to compose, collect and preserve vamsa. * The sutas are often regarded as bards who used to sing the stories of the heroes and always moved from one place to another. * The compiled and systematized genealogy of all the known lineages and dynasties upto the 1st millennium CE developed into the vamsanucharita. * The Vamsanucharita meticulously preserved the events connected with those in authority in the past. * It was the material out of which the political parts of the Puranas were constructed at a later date.