Mat Symbol

‘Mat’ symbol indicates the word ‘invitation’ to the Yajna ceremony.

Abstract

Some ideograms in Indus seal inscriptions indicate a mat. The mat logo indicates the seat offered to the gods in the Yajna. More Pithrus had been invited to the Yajna than the ‘devatas’ in Indus valley seal inscriptions. This act of importance given to pithrus confirms my main theory that Indus excavation sites Mohenjo Daro and Harappa were necropolises and not metropolises as popularly imagined so far.

This mat made of ‘Kusa’ grass is available in Amazon.in for sale, which shows the continuity and importance of Kusa mat from Indus valley times to present-day India.

Variants of mat logo

The above-given picture shows the variants of mat symbol, and these variants are as per the book of Iravatham Mahadevan. (1)

The above-given seal inscription shows the mat symbol preceded by the Pithru symbol (Fish). Majority of the seal inscriptions invite the Pithrus for Yajna, not gods.

invitation to gods in Vedic Yajna

Indologist Jan Gonda has identified 16 steps that are common in all varieties of puja: (2). The first step is ‘Avahana’ (“invocation”). The deity is invited to the ceremony. And the second step is the ‘Asana’ The god is offered a seat.

The website “Sanskrit magazine.com” further confirms that the Kusa grass (Darbha) is used as a seat for the priest as well as gods in Vedic Yajna. (3)

Statistical analysis

This mat symbol occurs 89 times Indus seal inscriptions as per the data compiled by Mahadevan and Sundar. (1) (4) This high frequency shows the importance of this logo in Indus seal inscriptions.

Indus symbol triplet	Frequency of occurrence
	24

The above-given triplet of symbols occurs 24 times as per the data of Mahadevan and Sundar. This is the only combination, which occurs in a significant number. Other combinations do occur with gods logo but in minuscule number. This data shows that ‘Pithrus’ (Manes/Ancestors) were the main invitees in Yajnas conducted in Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. This fact confirms my main theory that Indus excavation sites were necropolises and not metropolises as imagined so far. (5)

Acknowledgements

1. All pictures of Indus seals are taken from the book of Sue Sullivan (6)

2. All logos are taken from the research papers of Iravatham Mahadevan, Asko Parpola (7) and Sundar

Bibliography

1. Mahadevan.I. The Indus script -Text, Concordance and Tables. http://www.rmrl.in. [Online] http://www.rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/5a.pdf.

2. Fuller, C. J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India (PDF). Princeton, NJ: Fuller, C. J. (2004), The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India (PDF), Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press., 2004. ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.

3. Sanskritimagazine.com. Significance-of-darbha-or-kusha-grass. Sanskritimagazine.com. [Online] https://www.sanskritimagazine.com/indian-religions/hinduism/significance-of-darbha-or-kusha-grass/.

4. Sundar. -The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context.pdf. http://45.113.136.87/wp-content/uploads/. [Online] http://45.113.136.87/wp-content/uploads/43-The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context.pdf.

5. Jeyakumar(Necropolis-theory). Necropolis_theory_on_Indus_Valley_Civilization. www.academia.edu. [Online] 2009. https://www.academia.edu/7773502/Necropolis_theory_on_Indus_Valley_Civilization.

6. Sullivan, Sue. Indus script dictionary. 2011.

7. Parpola, Asko. Deciphering the Indus Script. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2000.