Period of the earliest Vedic composition in the Sapta Sindhu region. The Pūru and Bharata clans, among other lineages, inhabit the Punjab. King Divodāsa (grandfather of Sudās) campaigns against Śambara.
King Sudās replaces Viśvāmitra Gāthina with Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi as purohita. This transition sets the stage for the confederacy's formation.
The central event: the Dāśarājñá fought on the Paruṣṇī (Ravi) river. Includes confederacy formation, the main engagement with the river-flood event, and the defeat of Bheda at the Yamunā.
The Bharatas occupy former Pūru territory centered around the Sarasvatī river. King Sudās performs the Aśvamedha and distributes lands.
The compilation and arrangement of the Rigveda hymns into ten maṇḍalas, likely under the early Kuru kings.
The Bharata and Pūru tribes merge to form the Kuru kingdom, the first state-level society in the Indian subcontinent. Centered in Kurukṣetra.
The Kuru kingdom expands, joined by the Pañcālas. Composition of the major Brāhmaṇas and early Upaniṣads. Center of Vedic culture shifts east into the Gaṅgā-Yamunā Doab.
Lineages from the Dāśarājñá-era develop into the kingdoms of the itihāsas: Kuru → Mahābhārata world, Ikṣvāku → Rāmāyaṇa, Yadu → Yādava dynasty.
The Pūru and Bharata clans, among other Indo-Aryan lineages, inhabit the Sapta Sindhu region. The Bharata king Divodāsa (grandfather of Sudās) campaigns against Śambara and other enemies. The Tṛtsu emerge as the ruling sub-clan among the Bharatas. Viśvāmitra Gāthina serves as purohita to the Bharatas.
King Sudās replaces Viśvāmitra Gāthina with Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi as his purohita (chief priest). This change may have triggered resentment from Viśvāmitra, who some scholars propose forged the confederacy against Sudās in retaliation. The exact circumstances of the transition are not stated in the Rigveda and remain debated.
A confederacy of ten (or more) kings and tribes forms against King Sudās of the Bharatas. The coalition includes the Pūrus, Yadus, Turvaśas, Anus, Druhyus, Alinas, Pakthas, Bhalānas, Śivas, and Viṣāṇins. The confederacy is described in RV 7.18 with some enemies named individually. The exact motivations are unclear: Witzel (1995) suggests intra-tribal resentment or intrigues of the ousted Viśvāmitra; Chakravarti argues it was over control of rivers for irrigation.
King Sudās, with Viśvāmitra Gāthina as his purohita, crosses the Vipāś (modern Beas) and Śutudrī (modern Sutlej) rivers. This campaign moves the Bharatas eastward. The Kīkaṭas (possibly of the Magadha region) are among the enemies encountered. Viśvāmitra aids Sudās in crossing these rivers (RV 3.33). This campaign is recorded in Mandala 3, composed by Viśvāmitra.
The principal battle of the Dāśarājñá takes place on the banks of the Paruṣṇī river (modern Ravi). Sudās and the Tṛtsu-Bharatas face the confederacy. The battle turns decisively when the confederacy's attempt to breach dykes on the river backfires, causing a flood that sweeps away much of the coalition force. Sudās' victory is attributed to Indra, whose blessings are secured by Vasiṣṭha's poetry. Among those killed or defeated: Śimyu, Kavi Cāyamāna (possibly the confederacy leader), Purodātā Turvaśa, Kavaṣa, the Vaikarṇas, and the Pūrus. The Anus and Druhyus flee. Six thousand six hundred sixty-six warriors are reported killed (RV 7.18.14). The victory secures Bharata dominance over the Punjab.
Following the Paruṣṇī victory, Sudās battles and defeats Bheda along the Yamunā river. Bheda's allies include the Ajas, Śighras, and Yakṣus (possibly a pun on Yadus). These tribes are defeated and pay tribute to Sudās. This engagement extends Bharata control eastward to the Yamunā. Vasiṣṭha's role as purohita is again highlighted during this campaign.
After the Dāśarājñá, the Bharatas occupy former Pūru territory in western Punjab centered around the Sarasvatī river. King Sudās celebrates with an Aśvamedha (horse sacrifice), establishing a realm free from enemies in the north, east, and west. He distributes the conquered lands and resources among his allies. Sudās is lauded for his generosity (RV 7.18.22–24). The Rigveda does not record Sudās' immediate successors, but the Bharatas continue as the dominant power, eventually forming the nucleus of the Kuru kingdom.
The Bharata and Pūru tribes merge to form the Kuru kingdom, the first attested state-level society in the Indian subcontinent. The Kuru polity emerges in the Kurukṣetra region (modern Haryana) under kings Parīkṣit and Janamejaya. The Rigveda is codified during this period (c. 1200–1000 BCE per Witzel). The Kuru kingdom introduces new śrauta rituals, social stratification, and becomes the heartland of Brahminical culture.
From the Kuru lineage spring the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas of the Mahābhārata. Other Vedic lineages (Ikṣvāku/Sūryavaṁśa, Yadu/Yādava, Anu and Druhyu traditions) develop into later Indian dynasties. The Purāṇas and itihāsas trace these lineages continuously from Dāśarājñá-era figures to historical dynasties.