What was the period and spread of Vedic civilization?

Approximately 1500 BCE is identified as the period of the arrival of the Aryans in India and also the beginning of the Vedic period in India. The entire Vedic period can be divided into two periods –

1. Early Vedic Period (Rigvedic period): Lasted from 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE.
2. Later Vedic Period: Lasted from 1000 BCE to 600 BCE

The Rigveda or Early Vedic period repeatedly mentions the Sapta Sindhu region with the settlement of the Aryans. These are –

1. Indus
2. Vitasta (Jhelum)
3. Asikani or Chenab
4. Purunni (Irrawaddy or Ravi)
5. Bipasha (Beas)
6. Shutudri or Shatshu (Sutlej)
7. Saraswati (now extinct).

The Later Vedic period moved towards the east up to eastern Uttar Pradesh (Kosala) and north Bihar (Videha).

Thus, from the northwest region of the Indian subcontinent to the Ganges Plain, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and northern Bihar, the entire Vedic civilization expanded.