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Book No. – 16 (Ancient History)
Book Name – A History of South India (K.A. Nilakanta Sastri)
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The Dawn of History: Aryanization
Chapter – 4
History of the South of India begins similarly to the North with the arrival of the Aryans.
The progress of aryanization in the South is reflected in literature and legend.
Before 600 B.C., works in the North had little knowledge of the South, but acquaintance grew over time.
Legends of Agastya in the epics and Puranas preserve the memory of the cultural movement in the South.
A later cycle of legends focuses on Parasurama, especially in accounting for the peculiarities of Kerala and its institutions.
The Vindhya range was the southern limit of Aryan land, as Manu describes Aryavarta as between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas.
Pariyatra, a northern portion of the Vindhya range, is mentioned due to its role in the range of communication for the rivers Chambal and Betva.
A Rig-Veda hymn mentions an Aryan expelled southward (dakshinapoda), highlighting the early Aryan contact with the South.
The Aitareya Brahmana mentions Vidarbha (modern Berar) and its king Bhima, as well as the Dasyus, like the Andbras, Pundras, Sabaras, Pulindas, and Mútibas.