Social Diversity of India & Peopling

India is known for its vast human diversity, consisting of more than four and a half thousand anthropologically well-defined populations. Each population differs in terms of language, culture, physical features and, most importantly, genetic architecture. The size of populations varies from a few hundred to millions. Based on the social structure, Indians are classified into various caste, tribe and religious groups. These social classifications are very rigid and have remained undisturbed by emerging urbanisation and cultural changes. The variable social customs, strict endogamy marriage practices, long-term isolation and evolutionary forces have added immensely to the diversification of the Indian populations.

Peopling

WHO ARE we? Where did we come from? When did we get here? How many communities are we? How are we all related? These questions have been asked by many groups of people, in many places and at different times. 

The peopling of India refers to the migration of Humans and Humanoids into India. Evidence of humanoid population in India may stretch as far back as 1,500,000 years before today.

Modern humans settled India in multiple waves of migrations, over tens of millennia. The first migrants came with the Southern Coastal dispersal, ca. 60,000 years ago, whereafter complex migrations within south and southeast Asia took place. With the onset of farming the population of India changed significantly by the migration of Dravidians , Indo-European, Austro asiatic, Indo Aryan Tibeto-Burmese. In past 2000 years of history Yunani, Turkish, Mughal, British, Fransis , Purtgalis came to India and they changed culture of Indians a lot. 

The diversity in India is the result of migration from thousands of years.