A groundbreaking paleogenomic study published in Nature Heritage has provided the first full-genome sequence of a 12,000-year-old inhabitant of the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Central India. The analysis reveals a surprising genetic continuity between these Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and the modern indigenous tribal communities living in the Narmada Valley today.
The research refutes theories of total population replacement in the region, suggesting instead that the Sanatan ancestral lineages have remained rooted in the Indian landscape for over 100 centuries. This study provides a scientific foundation for the deep historical claims of indigenous heritage in the heart of India.