The peopling of India is a complex process shaped by a combination of migration, settlement patterns, cultural assimilation, and environmental factors over thousands of years. India’s population is one of the oldest in the world, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Paleolithic period. Early settlers were primarily hunter-gatherers, gradually giving rise to agricultural communities with the advent of the Neolithic revolution around 7000 BCE. These early communities settled near river valleys such as the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, where fertile soils and reliable water sources supported cultivation. Over time, these settlements grew into complex societies, laying the foundation for permanent habitation and urbanization. Migration has played a central role in the peopling of India. Waves of Indo-Aryan migrations around 1500 BCE contributed to the spread of language, culture, and social structures in northern India. Similarly, Dravidian communities primarily settled in southern India, developing distinct linguistic and cultural identities. Coastal regions and trade routes facilitated the influx of traders, invaders, and settlers from regions such as Central Asia, the Middle