title: Genetic Affinity of the Bhil, Kol and Gond Mentioned in Epic Ramayana.
abstract: Kol, Bhil and Gond are some of the ancient tribal populations known from the Ramayana, one of the Great epics of India. Though there have been studies about their affinity based on classical and haploid genetic markers, the molecular insights of their relationship with other tribal and caste populations of extant India is expected to give more clarity about the the question of continuity vs. discontinuity. In this study, we scanned >97,000 of single nucleotide polymorphisms among three major ancient tribes mentioned in Ramayana, namely Bhil, Kol and Gond. The results obtained were then compared at inter and intra population levels with neighboring and other world populations. Using various statistical methods, our analysis suggested that the genetic architecture of these tribes (Kol and Gond) was largely similar to their surrounding tribal and caste populations, while Bhil showed closer affinity with Dravidian and Austroasiatic (Munda) speaking tribes. The haplotype based analysis revealed a massive amount of genome sharing among Bhil, Kol, Gond and with other ethnic groups of South Asian descent. On the basis of genetic component sharing among different populations, we anticipate their primary founding over the indigenous Ancestral South Indian (ASI) component has prevailed in the genepool over the last several thousand years.
authors.affiliation: Estonian Biocentre, Riia23, Tartu 51010, Estonia.
authors.forename: Gyaneshwer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chaubey
authors.affiliation: 5 Ror Colony, Behind Sector 7, Karnal, Haryana132001, India.
authors.forename: Anurag
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kadian
authors.affiliation: Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas, I-SERVE Delhi Chapter, C-6 / 302, Clarion the Legend, Gurgaon 122011, India.
authors.forename: Saroj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bala
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, North Campus, Delhi 110007, India.
authors.forename: Vadlamudi Raghavendra
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D058974:Phylogeography; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*