Overview
Haplogroup R2a-Y132823 represents a downstream lineage of R2a that emerged during the mid Holocene as population densities increased across the Indian subcontinent. Whereas some R2a branches show connections to early Neolithic farmer populations, Y132823 appears more closely tied to the transitional period from late Neolithic to early Bronze Age cultural systems. Its distribution aligns with zones that experienced early copper metallurgy, complex village networks and intensifying local trade. The internal structure of Y132823 shows multiple microbranches that each correspond to geographically focused demographic histories. Some appear strongly tied to peninsular India, particularly regions associated with early Dravidian speaking populations. Others show links to the central Indian highlands or to the Himalayan piedmont. These patterns indicate that Y132823 was part of several distinct regional expansions rather than a single sweeping migration. Modern occurrences of Y132823 show a wide but shallow distribution across India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This spread likely reflects repeated localized expansions over several millennia rather than a single demographic pulse. Its presence across both Indo Aryan and Dravidian linguistic groups underscores its antiquity and participation in early cultural layers predating major language family differentiation in the subcontinent.