Environmental History of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Environmental history is one of the basic prerequisite to understand the environmental studies. Many distinguished historians and authors have tried to write their viewpoints about the historical perspective of enviroment in India. Indian subcontinent is looked in its entirety because of its natural boundary of Himalays in the North and Sea shores in the South.

Such a strategic location is rarely found elsewhere and this has blessed Indian subcontinent to evolve very differently. Indus valley civilization marks the beginning of the environment history where people got displaced due to shifting rivers and drying water resources. Ganga valley provided shelter to the Aryans from Central Asia whereas Dravids migrated and settled to far south.

With various clashes of clans residing in Central Asia, a branch speaking Devnagri or language of the Gods evolved into Sanskrit speaking Vedic civilization. With its mystical means of transmitting unwritten knowledge, Vedic culture preserved its knowledge but lost its past because no monuments could be found related to Vedas. Late Vedic period saw the emergence of Budhhism and Jainsim which did not last long and slowly modified Vedic culture known as Brahminical culture came to flourish.

This culture coopted many things from Buddhism and Jainism and influenced the belief system of forest dwellers in South India, Deccan and Dravid. With downfall of Vedic counties or Mahajanapads and attack from different rulers of Central Asia, ethnic diversity increased in India. Portuguese sailor Vaso-da-Gama first landed in India and later Portuguese merchants brought with them many exotic species like potato and tomato in India.