Y-DNA genetic evidence reveals several different ancient origins in the Brahmin population.
The ancient geographical origins of Brahmins-a prominent ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent-have remained controversial for a long time. This study employed the AMOVA (analysis of molecular variance) test to evaluate genetic affinities of this group with thirty populations of Central Asia and Europe. A domestic comparison was performed with fifty non-Brahmin groups in India. The results showed that Brahmins had genetic affinities with several foreign populations and also shared their genetic heritage with several domestic non-Brahmin groups. The study identified the deep ancient origins of Brahmins by tracing their Y-chromosome haplogroups and genetic markers on the Y-DNA phylogenetic tree. It was confirmed that the progenitors of this group emerged from at least 12 different geographic regions of the world. The study concluded that about 83% of the Brahmins in the dataset belonged to four major haplogroups, of which two emerged from Central Asia, one from the Fertile Crescent, and one was of an indigenous Indian origin.
['Mahal|David G|DG|http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8277-5931']
D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y D005006:Ethnicity D005828:Genetics, Population D015894:Genome, Human D006239:Haplotypes D049690:History, Ancient D049691:History, Medieval D063426:Human Migration D006801:Humans D007194:India D008297:Male D010802:Phylogeny D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Y-DNA Brahmin India Y-chromosome Haplogroup Haplotype