(Thapar, p 18-19) If there was only focus on historical texts, there would most likely be a biased point of view. That is why we must bring in texts of all types, both literary and historical, in order to get a more accurate portrayal of the history of South Asia. "Evidence from contemporary inscriptions and coins became increasingly important" (Thapar, p 19) because the coins held a different perspective, and thus helped give a wider picture and better understanding of Indian history. .
Literary texts give information regarding to history, such as geographical clues and cultural traditions. The Rig Veda is considered the earliest piece of literary work in India. It was filled with hymns for the Aryan gods, and although suggested little about historical events, provided evidence about the life of Aryans. Based off this literature, the Aryan lifestyle has been reconstructed from it. (Thapar, p 31) The Rig Veda makes references to a variety of rivers - evidence of where the Aryans whereabouts at that time. Although the Rig Veda is considered a literary text, it can still be seen from a historical perspective because it gives clues to what Indian life was like in the past. It provides information regarding the whereabouts of Aryans as well as the rights, rules and ceremonies that Aryan people believed and participated in. .
The Upanishads texts were created in order to further develop spiritual knowledge. It contained mystical and philosophical ideas. The Upanishads is the end of the Vedic texts, and has been considered to contain the essence of the Vedas (Upanishad, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads). I believe both the Rig Veda and the Upanishads texts can be considered history because they both contain beliefs held by the people during their time period. They contain important information that is needed in order to understand the Indian people better. For example, we learn of the now much-used divine word "om" in the Upanishads.
