A group of people living in the north-west.
Explanation
The Rigveda, the earliest Vedic text, mentions various tribes (janas) that inhabited the Sapta Sindhu region (land of seven rivers) in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. These tribes formed the basis of the early Vedic polity.Detailed Analysis:
- The term 'Bharatas' in the Rigveda refers to a prominent group of people or tribe living in the north-west region.
- They are central to the Rigvedic narrative, particularly in the context of the Battle of Ten Kings (Dasarajna War), where the Bharata chief Sudas defeated a confederacy of ten tribes on the banks of the river Parushni (Ravi).
- The Bharatas were not a dynasty of the Gangetic plain during the Rigvedic period; the shift to the Gangetic plain occurred in the Later Vedic period when the Bharatas merged with the Purus to form the Kuru tribe.
- They were a political and social unit (tribe), not specifically a community of merchants (often referred to as Panis) or a clan of priests.
Key Takeaway: The Bharatas were a dominant Rigvedic tribe located in the north-west (Sapta Sindhu region), and their name eventually lent itself to the country, Bharatvarsha.