India

India (the Republic of India) is a country in South Asia with a population of 1.295 billion (2014 estimate). The formation of modern India is an outcome of hundreds of wars and invasions during the ancient, medieval, and modern periods, as categorized by periodization. Military history makes reference to wars in the Vedic and post-Vedic periods, which date back several millennia. The earliest written references to wars in India are found in Vedas (the scriptures and texts of Hinduism) and other associated texts, such as Ramayana and Mahabharata (ca. 1100–500 BCE). These Rigvedic tribes of Indo-Aryans migrated from Eurasia and settled in ancient India after conquering the native Dravidians of the Indus River Valley in Pakistan. These early warriors used bronze weapons, spoke-wheeled chariots, and ...