Bharatas (Vedic tribe)

Bharatas
EthnicityIndo-Aryan
LocationNorthern Indian subcontinent
Parent tribePuru (originally)
BranchesTr̥tsu. Sr̥ñjaya
LanguageVedic Sanskrit
ReligionHistorical Vedic religion

The Bharatas were an early Vedic tribe that existed in the latter half of the second millennium B.C.E. The earliest mentioned location of the Bharatas was on the Sarasvatī River. Led by the tribal king Divodāsa, the Bharatas moved through the Hindu Kush mountains and defeated Śambara. Divodāsa's descendant, Sudās, won the Battle of the Ten Kings against a Pūru-led coalition, after which the initial compilation of hymns of the R̥gveda was carried out. After the battle, the Bharatas and other Pūru clans eventually formed the Kuru kingdom, which was the first attested state in Indian history.