Aryan
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Aryan, or Arya, is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood in contrast to nearby outsiders, whom they designated as non-Aryan. In ancient India, the
One of the earliest epigraphically attested reference to the word arya occurs in the 6th-century BCE Behistun inscription, which describes itself as having been composed "in arya [language or script]" (§ 70). As is also the case for all other Old Iranian language usage, the arya of the inscription does not signify anything but "Iranian".
Full figure of Darius trampling rival Gaumata
Head of Darius with crenellated crown
Arthur de Gobineau (1816–1882)
Sanskrit
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Sanskrit is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the
Bhagavad Gita 19th century Illustrated Sanskrit Chapter 1.20.21
Sanskrit College 1999 stamp of India
Rigveda (padapatha) manuscript in Devanagari, early 19th century. The red horizontal and vertical lines mark low and high pitch changes for chanting.
A 17th-century birch bark manuscript of Pāṇini's grammar treatise from Kashmir