A groundbreaking genetic study published in the Central India Anthropological Record has provided the first detailed genomic mapping of populations from the Malwa Plateau dating back to 1800 BCE. The research suggests that during the decline of the Mature Harappan phase, these Chalcolithic communities experienced a significant genetic influx from Western Steppe pastoralist groups earlier than previously estimated.
By analyzing skeletal remains from multiple sites in Madhya Pradesh, researchers found distinct markers indicating a complex mix of local South Asian hunter-gatherer lineages and migrant DNA. This discovery reshapes our understanding of the transitional period between the Indus Valley Civilization and the early Vedic era, suggesting a much more fluid movement of peoples across the Indian subcontinent during the second millennium BCE.