Re-emergence of Indus Valley Civilization

Re-emergence of Indus Valley civilization ideas

Abstract

At the beginning of excavations at Indus Valley, the historians felt that IVC was a vanished civilization. Later, after many years, it gradually appeared that many IVC features are still being practised in modern India. This article is to bring out those facts to understand better our present-day Indian culture.

Figure 1 Wall Fresco of Minoan civilization showing a bullfight

Picture courtesy -Wikipedia.

Bullfighting

The above-given illustration is the bull-leaping scene from Knossos, Crete; it is similar to the second illustration (figure-2) of an Indus seal depiction. The fundamental theme is the same in both pictures. The basic idea has likely emerged somewhere between these two regions Greece and Indian Sub-continent. Over a period, both these diverged forms got evolved into slightly varying forms. Now, analyzing the purpose of this picture is essential. It is a kind of symbolism, which has been ritualized so that the next generation will remember. Unfortunately, we remember and carry out the ritual part of it without understanding the meaning behind the bullfight ritual.

Figure 2 Bullfight seal of IVC

The seal found at Mohenjo-Daro, now in Pakistan, shows a bullfighting scene. There was indeed bull-baiting practice and ritual in the Indus period, and the remnant is still surviving in Tamil Nadu. But, what for this seal has been prepared? It is not merely a kind of sport, which has been glorified. Some of them will say it was a sort of ritual slaughter of youth by a bull. But, I have a different opinion on the purpose of this seal. In my view, it is a kind of sky map, which depicts the constellations around the Aquarius constellation. Our ancient priests had developed small stories for all the constellations because it was bread and butter for them, making a calendar and predicting the sun’s movement.

Further note that the sun is in the Aquarius constellation when it turns towards the north (Uttarayan) (summer solstice) and falls in the month of December-January. The relevance of this observation is that bullfighting season also falls in this January month. The point is that the ancient people celebrated this bullfighting occasion to remember the season and the calendar event of the sun turning around. The turning around of the sun is an important event because it brings in a change in season and reminds the common person the agricultural activities that should be carried out in this season.

Andis Kaulins says that this scene of Bull/Buffalo trampling victims indicates the Aquarius constellation and Capricorns constellation on the occasion of the solar eclipse around the year 3000 BC. The solar eclipse is not relevant here in our present study, but identifying bull/buffalo with the Aquarius constellation is thought-provoking.

Figure 3 Bullfight seal of Egypt

Picture courtesy – (1)

The origin of this concept is the same in both civilizations (Egypt and Indus). Compare this above picture of the bull trampling figure of Narmer Palette with the Buffalo fighting scene of the Indus seal. It looks like that this sport of “Bullfighting” could have originated in the Middle East (Sumeria and Turkey) and later could have spread in three directions. There is a possibility that the ‘bullfighting idea’ could have migrated to Greece, Egypt and India along with the migration of early farmers.

Figure 4: Sky map showing Aquarius constellation and surrounding constellations

Picture courtesy – Wikipedia

See the corresponding constellations in the sky map. The star constellations perfectly tally with various figures shown in the Indus seal and Narmer Palette and Minoan illustration at Knossos.

Now, coming to the relevance of this practice, it can be seen that this sport is held during Pongal time, which coincides with the “Maghar-Shankaranthi festival” (Sun Entering Aquarius constellation and crocodile constellation). This movement of sun turn indicates the turning of the sun towards Northern Journey (Uttarayanam).

This northward movement of the sun results in warming of the northern hemisphere and also signals harvesting season. Knowledge of change in season is an absolute requirement for farmers; without that knowledge, the farmers will perish. Our ancient priests had reminded the ordinary people of the seasons through various festivals. These months also would have been named after these events or the constellations in which the sun enters. (We do not have any information, how the Indus people called their months). In my opinion, all mythological stories lead to sun movement into different star constellations; this was a critical study to make the ancient calendar.

(Bull is worshipped in the form of Nandi in India even today)

The worship of the Sacred Bull was widely prevalent throughout the ancient world. The most typical case with the Western world is the biblical episode of the idol of the Golden Calf. The Golden Calf made by the Hebrew people in the wilderness of Sinai was rejected and destroyed by Moses. (Book of Exodus) Marduk is the “The bull of Utu”. Shiva’s steed is Nandi, the Bull. The sacred bull survives in the constellation Taurus. (2)

Some animal rights activists want to ban the “Jalli Kattu” (Bull baiting– not fighting) practice in Tamil Nadu. They should remember that it is an ancient practice, which had been the cultural symbol of Tamil people from time immemorial. This sport shows the connection between ancient Tamils and ancient Mediterranean cultures.

Yogi Seal: Orion and surrounding constellations.

Yogi seal

The god shown in the seal is “Proto-Shiva“. He wears the buffalo horns as his headgear, which is the distinctive emblem of Yama. He is also known as Mrigashira (Pasupathi) (Orion), and the lunar constellation is named after him. If you take a close look at that constellation in the sky map, the position of the tiger is tallying precisely the way it is represented in the seal. Other animals depicted in the seal had to be visualized with difficulty, but all the animals are surrounding him, as illustrated in the seal.

Even minor points of the constellations are also represented naturally in the seal. For example, there is a sign of a man standing near the back of a tiger; in fact, there is a small constellation called puppies (modern name) (i.e. Little dog). This puppies constellation gives an appearance of a little man standing on the back of the tiger as depicted in the seal. This little man symbol brings to my mind the idea of “God Ayyappan“. Note that the Yogi sitting position of “proto-Shiva” is similar to the sitting posture of God Brahma/Ayyappan. Then refer to the story of Ayyappan; he was sent into the forest by the stepmother and came out of the woods riding a tiger. This story exactly tallies with the scene depicted in the seal. This story is evidence of the re-emergence theory of Indus ideas.

Proto-Shiva had been depicted with four faces because he could see everything going on in this world because of his topmost position in the sky. He was the god of moral value and punisher of immoral people because he could watch all actions of people day and night on earth because of his position in high observation point in heaven and all-seeing four/three heads. He can be identified with latter-day Shamash (Sumeria) and Brahma (of India). However, Brahma is not famous in present-day India because he is an ancient time god and has been replaced by many other new upcoming gods.

The conclusion about this god depicted in this seal is that he may not be proto-Shiva. Still, he has all the characteristics of Lord Mrighashira (Lord of Animals)/ Dakshinamurthi/ Kalan/ Brahma/Ayyappan. It looks like Brahma was the god of the ancient Indus people and was overthrown by Shiva worshippers. Note the latter-day mythological stories Brahma has always given the rakshasa boons, and Shiva and Vishnu only help Devas overcome those boons and Asuras. That also explains the absence of Brahma temples in India. The Shiva worship has eclipsed the Brahma worship. All these gods reappear in modern-day Hindu culture. Hence, it can be confidently said that old ideas of Indus civilization did not wither away, it only reappeared in modified forms.

Asherah pole

This Indus seal depicts a pole of Ficus religiosa (Pipal Tree), on which some cloth is tied around. The fabric material winding up the tree’s trunk is something like a woman tying a sari. This pole is identified with the goddess Inanna and thereby the Auriga constellation. Overall this seal depicts the beginning of the year as well as planting season.

An Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honour the Ugaritic mother-goddess Asherah. This worship looks like the cult of Inanna (Mother goddess- Kali) by a priest in the goat seal. The constellation Auriga seems to be a major one and is shown as the tree of heaven. Most likely, the religious idea is that Inanna lives within that tree.

This constellation was most probably visible at the time of the heliacal rising of the rainy season at some point; it may not be relevant now. That tree is symbolically planted during the marriage ceremony of the agricultural communities even now in India. This tradition shows the importance of this constellation because it signalled the arrival of the monsoon season and starting the farm season, which is very important in the life of any farming community.

There is a second possibility; this pipal tree could have indicated the god Rudra because the pipal tree is associated with god Rudra. Read my article,’ Rudra was the most important god of IVC’, for more information. (3)

Some of the IVC ideas which reappear later in modern India

1. Indus people worshipped the mother goddess, which reappeared in the form of various mother goddesses. Examples are Kali/Durga/ Parvathi/ Mariamman and numerous other mother goddess temples which dot rural India.
2. They worshipped some form of father God (Yogi seal), which reappears in the forms of Brahma/ Dakshinamurthi/Ayyappan, as discussed above. (4)
3. They were familiar with some Yoga and meditation. One notable point is the sitting position of this god. He is sitting in a Yogi position, which reappears in later day icons of Hindu god as well as Hindu meditative practice. This yogi god is not violent but meditative and god of teaching. These concepts reappear like Brahma/Ayyappan/ Dakshinamurthi. All three are considered as knowledgeable and reversed as gurus.
4. They believed in some tree spirit worship, which continues as on today, in the form of worship of Pipal tree / Shami tree/ Neem tree / Vilvum tree and other trees.
5. Bull sacrifice/worship was the central component of Indus civilization, which continues in the form of ‘Nandi worship’ in Shiva temple as of today.
6. Indus people might have believed in magic rituals, charms, amulets, and spirits that continue today.
7. The Indus archaeologists assume that the Indus people might have followed the burning of the body as their cremation practice. But, there is no proper evidence for such an assumption. But, my opinion is that the Indus people followed the burial of the dead as their custom, which survives even today in remote corners of Tamil Nadu. It is a notable feature that the burning practice had reached all towns and villages, but burial customs survives in remote corners of Tamil Nadu. Especially remote areas in foothills and adjoining forest areas, and southernmost parts of Tamil Nadu.
8. Finally, some archaeologists believe that the modern-day temple ponds are a continuation of the idea of the great bath at Mohenjo-Daro. My opinion differs on this issue. The great bath was not meant for a bath but merely an area assigned for ritual activity, most probably for the sacrifice of a bull (refer to the article on Necropolis Theory for more information) (5)

1. Kaulins, Anis. Narmer palette. ancientworldblog.blogspot.com/p/. [Online] http://ancientworldblog.blogspot.com/p/about.html.

2. wikipedia(Nandi). Nandi_(bull). wikipedia.org. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandi_(bull).

3. Jeyakumar(Rudra). Rudra was the most important god of Indus Valley Civilization. www.academia.edu. [Online] https://www.academia.edu/43654003/Rudra_was_the_most_important_god_of_Indus_Valley_Civilization.

4. Jeyakumar(Ayyappan). Ayyappan_and_Ayyanar -difference explained. Academia.edu. [Online] 2018. https://www.academia.edu/31640471/Difference_between_Ayyappan_and_Ayyanar.

5. Jeyakumar(Necropolis). Necropolis theory on Indus Valley Civilization. Academia.edu. [Online] 2009. https://www.academia.edu/7773502/Necropolis_theory_on_Indus_Valley_Civilization.