Overview
R1a-Y8 is a major downstream branch under R1a-F2935 and represents one of the largest Indo-Aryan paternal radiations in South Asia. The lineage arose during the early Iron Age, likely among early Indo-Aryan populations settling in the northwestern regions of the subcontinent. Its rapid growth indicates strong demographic expansions during periods marked by the formation of regional chiefdoms, agricultural intensification and early urban developments. Y8 diversified across the Indo-Gangetic plain, contributing to multiple linguistic and cultural communities. Its lineages appear among groups historically associated with Vedic traditions, as well as later Indo-Aryan kingdoms. Y8 further experienced expansions during medieval periods, contributing to the paternal landscape of a wide variety of North Indian, Pakistani and Nepali populations. The lineage is especially tied to mountainous and submontane populations of northern Pakistan and northern India, where it forms deep paternal layers with significant historical continuity.