tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38743001250155547772024-03-19T01:47:21.433-07:00Vedic Cafe Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-27810182176204255262024-03-07T01:46:00.000-08:002024-03-17T00:00:35.667-07:00LAKE ROTORUA AND THE SANSKRIT SOURCE OF MAORI NAMES<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is a Maori legend. In that story the inhabitants of a village called Tuporo discover that amongst the pilgrims from their village, only those who took a route from Tuporo to the sacred Rotorua past the lakes of Tarawera and Rotomahana survived in their pilgrimage. Other who had taken a different path perished. A team of villagers is set up to investigate the matter. They succeed in establishing the identity and the dwelling of the culprit, a monster by the name Hotupuku who lived in Kapenga. The subject of interest here are the names that occur in this legend as well as place names that occur on the present map of Rotorua region. All of them have Indic-Sanskritic origins.<br /><br />The Rotorua region is connected with many other fascinating legends. Local tribes have kept their history and culture alive by passing on these legends orally from one generation to the other. These legends are the equivalent of the Puranic tales of India and their similarity indicates that the Maoris in all probability did arrive from India into the Polynesians triangle and then in New Zealand and gradually settled around the great lakes and waterbodies there.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Lake Rotomahana:</span> We find that the Maori word for lake is 'roto'. It famously appears in the name Rotorua, but it is the name Rotomahana that helps us decode the etymology of the word <i>roto</i>. In the name Rotomahana, the word '<i>mahana</i>' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">महान</span>) exists in its original Sanskrit form and means great or large or sacred. One may also arrive at the etymology of Maori 'roto', from Sanskrit '<span style="color: #ffa400;">srota</span>', meaning a water source, or a spring or a lake. Rotomahana, more correctly <i>Srotamahana </i> therefore means 'great lake' or the 'sacred lake'.</span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Maori dictionary gives the meaning of 'mahana' as 'cordial' or 'warm, but that is a slight deviation from its original Sanskrit meaning of great, and refers to the respect or reverence or hospitality offered to that which is recognized as great. The Maori word for respect is <i>maanaki</i>, which is derived </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">from Sanskrit <i>maan</i>, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मान</span>) with the same meaning. <br /><br /></span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">However, this interpretation of 'mahana' does differ from the one given by Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter (1829 -1884), the German-Austrian geologist who had surveyed the Rotomahana site in great detail during the Novara expedition that he led. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "warm lake" for Rotomahana, following Hochstetter's translation when the surrounds of the lake had become world famous following its first European written description in 1843.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsW1bY__pVhRJb0NUYVsCZHvpRpHz6wnmFG3GchueM7h8NqF8ETwnyTBveMfLN8wsuEuwBfjJBS6Kiczi7jUHXuVPxbArtFDDHnqnHWFD0E-mi8_r1A20tE5NJTmm93BiD2xIIbakf2-Vy0nF2QHK7XLNKhWvxvD2-Fdv6vff7t8RhLJIF5zPzgub4DU/s640/Lake_Rotorua.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsW1bY__pVhRJb0NUYVsCZHvpRpHz6wnmFG3GchueM7h8NqF8ETwnyTBveMfLN8wsuEuwBfjJBS6Kiczi7jUHXuVPxbArtFDDHnqnHWFD0E-mi8_r1A20tE5NJTmm93BiD2xIIbakf2-Vy0nF2QHK7XLNKhWvxvD2-Fdv6vff7t8RhLJIF5zPzgub4DU/w640-h426/Lake_Rotorua.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Rotorua seems to be derived from <br />Sanskrit <i>srota </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">स्रोत</span>) meaning 'source of water'<br />and <i>rta </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋत</span>) or 'divine truth'.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b></div><div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Lake Rotorua</span>: About the suffix 'rua' in the name Rotorua, it is said that it stands for 'two' in the Maori language. It appears to be a distortion of the Sanskrit 'dvi' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">द्वि</span>) with the same meaning of 'two'. But since Rotorua is a sacred site one may look at two other Maori words which may be the source of 'rua' in the word Rotorua. One is 'wairua' which means 'spiritualism' and 'essence'. The other is 'tua' which means 'transcend'. These two words do more justice to the essence of the name Rotorua rather than the commonly accepted interpretation of 'Lake number two'. Of the two meanings, 'wairu' is more appropriate because 'wai' is Maori for 'water', and appears in the names of many water bodies, especially those that were heled sacred by the Maoris-such as Rtomahana. Also, 'ru' seems to have an association with the Rigvedic 'rta' </span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">(<span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋत</span>) meaning '</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>divine truth' and might be derived from it.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mt. Terawera</span>: Then there is Mt. Terawera located 24 kilometres southeast of Rotorua on the banks of a lake by the same name. </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>Tara </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">तर</span>) is a Sanskrit root word that means swim as well as tide. When extended to <i>tarala</i> (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तरल</span>), it takes the meaning of fluid. V</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>ari </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारि</span>) means water as mentioned above and river or mist. In Maori, water is <i>wai </i>though for some reason in the name Tarawera, the original Sanskritic <i>vari </i>or <i>vara </i>form is retained.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><span><span style="color: #ffa400;">Tuporo</span>: As for the name Tupora, the suffix in the name Tuporo is certainly a variation of the Sanskrit <i>pura </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">पुर</span>) meaning place, for Edward Tregear tells us in his book 'The Aryan Maori' that the syllable <i>pa </i>means settlement in Maori. The 'tapu' suffix in the </span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">name Tikatapu stands for 'sacred area' in Maori. Here, we can easily see that Sanskrit <i>dvipa </i>meaning island changes to <i>tapu </i>in Maori, just as it does in many Sanskrit derived languages like Hindi, where dvipa and tape both mean 'island'. As t and d are considered interchangeable sounds according to Grimm's Law of Sound Shift, it easy to understand how dvipa changes to tapu or how the Sanskrit 'danta' or Latin 'dente' change to 'teeth' in English.<br /><br />In his article 'The impact of Languages and the Coalescence of the Fragments: A preliminary study in the affinities of the Maori language' published in the J</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ournal of the Polynesian Society dated June 1946, author A.A. Lind had collated a list of Sanskrit and Maori words to show their similarity.</span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Sanskrit: kanik, very small.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">kanehe, a trifle, anything small;<br /><br />Sanskrit: kapa to shake, tremble</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: to throb, palpitate</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Sanskrit: sound</b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: ku sound ku to make a low inarticulate sound<br /><br />Sanskrit: kora bud, korak - bud, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the fibres of the<br />stalk of a lotus.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: korare: (noun) </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">greens, leaves of edible vegetables, (verb)- to pluck </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Sanskrit: mana to respect, revere, worship<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">manasa- mental, the mind, manawa- heart, breath<br />the seat and. mind. spirit, faculty of reasoning and feeling.<br /><br />Sanskrit: muha, muhu to be foolish, </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">muhu - stupid, untaught<br />be incapable of discrimination, to be bereft of sense and wisdom<br /><br />Sanskrit: nakh, naksh - to go, to move,<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">naki- glide with an even motion to approach.<br /><br />Sanskrit: pa air, wind. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: pa - to blow as the wind<br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: pawak-fire or its deified personificatiin</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: pau- consumed, exhausted</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">pawa- smoke, pahunu-to burn, fire</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Sanskrit: purana-tales of past days; purakau-an old man, legend<br />puratan-ancient<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: puraku-an old man, a legend.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrt: pura, puri- to satisfy, fill. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: purena-to be brimful, run over</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: puta-pure, purified, cleansed, etc.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, puta -</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">perform ceremonial cleansing </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">from tapu </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">puta-to come, come forth, come out, appear, come into sight; to be born; Maria, puta, put.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit, ra: fire, heat, warmth, burning, scorching, love, desire, speed</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, ra: the sun </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> rar: expose to the heat of </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">fire, dry, scorch.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit, rewa, reva: to go, to move, to flow as a</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">river.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, rewa: to melt, be or become liquid, get under<br />way.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sans</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">krit: roma-water, a hole.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: roma-current, stream, flood, channel<br /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: taka, taki- to bind.<br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, taka- to fasten a fish-hook to a line, thread by</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">which the hook is fastened to the line<br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: tu to injure, hurt, kill, become full.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Maori: tu to fight with, to engage, be ignited, vehement, energetic, persistent.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: phana or fana-to go, causal form to cause to go.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: whana to travel, to come, to go </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit, wan?water, a cascade or fountain; wan?a<br />heavy sea, the rolling of water from wind.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, wai - water; moana waiwai?ocean, open sea;<br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit, wara- to desire,</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">covet, ask, obtain.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori, warn?desire; </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit, ware- water, a waterpot<br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maori: wari- watery, applied to potatoes spoiled by<br />frost</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: waha-a bearer, porter, a carrier; wahan- a vehicle or conveyance of any kind</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Maori: waha -</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> to carry on the back, to raise up;</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">wahanga- a load, burden <br /><br /></span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Bibliography:</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20701907?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">The Origin of the Moiri. The Hidden Homeland of the Maori and itsd its Probable Location</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2.<a href="https://archive.org/details/aryanmaori00treg/page/61/mode/1up?q=Kataore">The Aryan Maori : Tregear, Edward, 1846-1931 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />3.<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703041?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGES AND THE COALESCENCE OF THE FRAGMENTS: A preliminary study in the affinities of the Maori language on JSTOR</a><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4. <a href="https://kaitiaki.co.nz/guided-tours/">Mount Tarawera Guided Walk | Kaitiaki Adventures</a></span></b></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-56976386959915463672024-03-02T04:11:00.000-08:002024-03-06T18:59:53.629-08:00LAKE TAUPO, SANSKRIT AND THE MAORI LANGUAGE OF NEW ZEALAND<div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is a Maori proverb or <i>whakatauki </i>as they call it. It says, 'Poipoia te kakano kia puawai' which translates as 'Nourish the flower and it will bloom'. Notice how all the words in this Maori saying are Sanskrit in origin. Maori 'poipoi' from Sanskrit <i>poshaka</i>, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पोषक</span>) nourishing. Maori 'kakano' from kana (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कण</span>) grain or <i>kanaka </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">कनक</span>) meaning seed. Puawai meaning flower from Sanskrit (<span style="color: #ffa400;">फुल्ल्</span>) <i>phulla, </i>meaning flower or blossom.</span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Also, notice the word <i>whakatauki </i>itself. It is a variation of two Sanskrit root words <i>vac </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">वाच्</span>) speak and <i>ukti </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">उक्ति</span>) speech in the Maori word <i>whakatauki </i>meaning a saying. The Sanskrit word for a proverb or saying is (<span style="color: #ffa400;">लोकोक्ति</span>).<br /><br /></span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One of the leading scholars of the Maori Language was Adele Schaefer who arrived in New Zealand in 1939 with her husband Felix, an economist, and settled in Wellington. Schafer had a deep interest in myths and legends and studied Maori language, myth and legends. She traced the origins of Ma</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ori, spoken by the aborigines of New Zealand, and other Polynesian languages to Sanskrit citing the authority of many authors who had earlier presented the same view. In her article 'The Relationship between the Maori and Sanskrit languages' she states, "In the nineteenth century a good few writers explored the relationships which exist between the languages and cultures of India and Southeast Asia and those of Polynesia."</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OdzXTZIv79lAJETp6WNiifeh2RtRELf0G6Dr05ZKeJKHYLQoxxuqbnzkfJjJ7PjojSUVL4aI3vNI1pMQoDp-UXzDRVQvlQ1UpNmtAuA0GEUpZ6RiY5XtC6IwxfIROU1PTJ_i7hsR-TbHBSVCULpajzhcgaQ4x2W8b7yi9zpvpRg2o1W88bRncxB_Ixw/s800/Lake_Taupo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="800" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OdzXTZIv79lAJETp6WNiifeh2RtRELf0G6Dr05ZKeJKHYLQoxxuqbnzkfJjJ7PjojSUVL4aI3vNI1pMQoDp-UXzDRVQvlQ1UpNmtAuA0GEUpZ6RiY5XtC6IwxfIROU1PTJ_i7hsR-TbHBSVCULpajzhcgaQ4x2W8b7yi9zpvpRg2o1W88bRncxB_Ixw/w640-h440/Lake_Taupo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span><span style="text-align: left;"><span>The main feeding rivers of Lake Taupo are the Waitahanui,</span></span><span style="text-align: left;"> the Tongariro </span><span style="text-align: left;">and the Tauranga Taupō River. All of these names are Sanskrit in origin, Taupo from <i>tapa </i>(</span><span style="color: #ffa400;">तप</span><span style="text-align: left;">) meaning both ascetic and warm, Tongariro and Tauranga contain the Sanskrit root words <i>jhara </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">झर</span>) watersource, or <i>ghara </i>(</span><span style="color: #ffa400;">घार</span><span style="text-align: left;">) sprinkling and <i>tarang </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">तरन्ग</span>) wave.</span></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many of the writers argued that the original home of the Polynesian people was India, and many of them considered that there was a clear relationship between the Polynesian languages and Sanskrit. One such writer was Edward Tregear who believed that Polynesian and Maori were derived from Sanskrit. He discussed his theory in his book 'The Aryan Maori' which was published in 1885. In 1891, Edward Tregear published his 'Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary' where he quotes parallel words between Maori and other Polynesian languages and parallel words in Sanskrit. He </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">compares Maori words, that occur in some form or the other in Maori languages, its proverbs, as well as its legends with Sanskrit and Indian Puranas to show their similarity. There has been some debate about the etymology of the words in his list but by and large most of them are accepted. Here are a few examples:</span></span></b></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><span style="color: #ffa400;">Sanskrit</span>: Tu, to grow, increase.</span><br /><span><span style="color: #ffa400;">Maori</span>: T'wpu, to grow. </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: dhi, to shine </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Hihi, a ray of the sun.</span></span></b></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Hiko, to begin to shine, </span><span>distant lightning. </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Pa, to protect, a village.</span><br /><span>Maori: Pa, a fortified town</span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: </span><span>Var, Vari water. </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>: Wai water. Awa, a river. Aivha, rain. </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Bhu, to be Pu, a tribe. </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Pu, to blow. Pudiki, to come forth.</span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Vri, to choose </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Whiriwhiri, to select, choose.</span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Ayas, the dawn </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Ao, the dawn. Mareeao, the dawn. </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: raj, to shine </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Ra, the sun, a torch. Rangi, the heavens. </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Agni,the god of fire.</span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Am, fire, sacred</span><br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Sanskrit: Kapila- certain holy persibage</span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Kapira- religious reclus</span><br /><br /></span></b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sanskrit: Pat, to fall</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Patapata, falling in drops.</span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Vash, an opening</span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Waha, the mouth. 'K.mvaha, </span><br /><br /><span>Sanskrit: Rikshi- a priest </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: Ar, </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>riki or Ariki, a noble priest.</span></span></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There has been some debate about the Sanskrit word Rikshi to be equated with <i>rishi </i></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with the meaning sage. However, in Sanskrit the word <i>rakshar </i>(</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋक्षर</span>)</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> means <i>priest </i></b><b>though </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">rishi </i><b>is more common and means sage rather than priest. </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span>Sanskrit: Ma, to measure. </span><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maro, a fathom</span><br /><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Sanskrit: Karali, terrible</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Maori: karari, or ngarari - spined naga</span></span></b></div><div><br /></div></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some authors such as A.A. Lind have criticized Treagear for make these connections and what they term as hurried deductions. For example, Lind states that Treagear had wrongly associated the Sanskrit <i>karali </i>with Maori <i>karari </i>which means a small fish and wuth Ngarara, which means a monster reptile in Maori. However, what we do know that <i>karali </i>is also the word for '</span></span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">barbed fish' in Sanskrit derived languages such as Marathi. <i>K</i></span></span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>arali </i>is also the Sanskrit word for one of the four fangs of a particular snake whose venom is used as</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> an Ayurvedic medicine. It also refers to a particular type of a snake bite where the bite has the look of a cow's horn.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lind was of the view that </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the Maori word <i>ngarara </i>is traceable to the Sanskrit <i>graha</i>. He states, "</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Graha means an alligator, a crocodile; compare with Hindi </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>gharial</i>...". In any case, both Treagera and Lind were of the view that these words have Sanskrit origins.</span></b></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Sanskrit Puranas and Maori fables:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">There are many fables in the Maori tradition that tell us that there was a definite link between ancient India and New Zealand, the new home of the Maoris after they left India. The Maori took with them to their new land the culture, folklore and language from India. S</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ometime in deep antiquity</span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, perhaps with the rise of the Sarasvati civilization or the Indus Valley civilization or the emergence if the Aryans, these aborigines</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> who are often regarded as the descendants o</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">f the Naga race</span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of India, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">were either driven out</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> or chose to leave their homeland.</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Author Edward Tregear was of the opinion that even before the Aryans emerged, India was magnificent owing to the intelligent and skillful aborigines </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">of India who went by the name <i>naga</i>, so called due to their serpent like features. He states in his book Aryan Maoris, "I must impress upon my reader the necessity of remembering that the Aryans, who became the ruling and exclusive people of India, were not the original owners of the soil. The magnificent temples, the great cities, the wonderful systems of religion and philosophy were not the work of the first inhabitants of Hindustan. They were the outcome of that tribal intelligence, that vitality of mind and body, which evolved the art of Greece, the strength of Rome, the commerce of Britain. In the forests of Ceylon, on the hills of Assam, in the recesses of the Himalaya dwell the descendants of those savage people whose ancestors fled before the Aryan tidal wave. These aborigines were called <span style="color: #ffa400;">Nagas</span>, the serpent worshippers— Naga meaning great serpent. Although we seem here to be dealing with fables, it is certain that there was an original race so called".</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The mythological stories of the Maoris reveal to us that many of the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">place names that exist in present day New Zealand have Sanskritic origins. One such area is the volcanic land of Rotorua. There are three legends about the people of Rotorua in antiquity, who were terrorized by three demons, name Hotupuku, Pakehaua and Kataore. The three demons devoured the inhabitants of the villages of Tanhunui, Tuporo and Tikitapu in the district of Taupo.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the first story the inhabitants of Tuporo village realize that amongst the travelers, only those who took a route from Taupo to the sacred Rotorua past the lakes of Tarawera and Rotomahana survived in their pilgrimage. Others who had taken a different path perished. This later helps them establish the identity of the monster of Kapenga and the location of his dwelling. His name was Hotapuku. The villagers then plan an attack, and one day march towards the demon's abode. Crossing the river Waikato, they arrive at the open plain of Kaingaroa, before reaching the dwelling of the demon at Kapenga. They capture him by ropes, kill him, and finally cut him open only to find in his gut their dead who were either swallowed whole or bitten in parts, along with their weapons, ornaments and other valuables.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here is a Sanskrit decode of the names that appear in this legend. The suffix in the name Tupora is certainly pura (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पुर</span>) for Tregear tells us that the syllable <i>pa </i>means settlement in Maori. The 'tapu' suffix in the name Tikatapu stands for 'sacred area' in Maori. Here, the Sanskrit <i>dvipa </i>changes to tapu in Maori, just as it does in many Sanskrit derived languages such as in Hindi, for t and d are interchangeable sounds. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The name Kaingarao, Tregear states is a distortion of Kainagaroa meaning 'eat the long serpent'. The middle syllable <i>naga </i>is Sanskrit in origin, and is the equivalent of serpent. Similarly, Kapenga is a truncated form of Kapenaga, where the word <i>naga </i>appears once again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tregear tells us that the river name Waikato contains the prefix <i>wai </i>meaning water, derived from Sanskrit <i>vari </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारी</span>) with the same meaning. Two lake names occur in the myth of Hotupuku and are called Tarawera and Rotomahana. Tara (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तर</span>) is a root word that means swim and also tide. When extended to 'tarala' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तरल</span>), it takes the meaning of fluid</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">; <i>vari </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारि</span>) means water as mentioned above as well as river or mist. In Maori water is <i>wai </i>though for some reason in this legend the original Sanskritic vari or vara form is retained in the name Tarawera. Mahana is the same as Sanskrit 'mahana' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">महान</span>) implying great or large.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">As for the name Rotomahana, the root word 'ru' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">रु</span>) in Sanskrit and its derivations such as 'roroti' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">रोरोति</span>) have to do with roar or a yell, and hence is linked with demons and volcanoes in the Maori legends. The Rotorua is a volcanic area. In their legends they become the abode of the 'naga' lizards and monsters, such as Hotupuku. Mahana, of course means large as mentioned above</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tregear identifies Hotupuku as the Rig Vedic Vritra. Vritra (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वृत्र</span>), 'enveloper', is a <i>danava </i>or demon in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought. UIn the Puranas Vritra is accused of hoarding the waters and rain and of stealing cows. He is an adversary of the king of </span><b><span><span>the </span><i>devas</i><span>, </span>Indra<span>. A</span></span></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">s a <i>danava</i>, he belongs to the race of the <i>asuras</i>. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (<span style="color: #ffa400;">अहि</span>). He appears as a human-like serpent blocking the course of the Rigvedic rivers, and is slain by </span><b><span>Indra<span> </span></span></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">with his newly forged <i>vajra</i>. Indra appears as Atua in the Maori tradition and is the equivalent of the Norse god Odin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In a second legend another man-eating monster Pakehaua, who dwelt at a place called Te Awahou near a deep pool called Te Warouri, devoured the men of Waikato and Patetere. A team lead by a chief named Pitaka, carried out the mission to capture the demon. As Pitaka dived into the pool with an army of men and their ropes, the rest of the men stood by the shore reciting their charms and spell which softened the spear like crest of the demon, enabling his capture</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">. On being cut skeletons and bones of the dead spilled out of his body</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The chief is called Pitaka, a variation of the Sanskrit pita (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पिता</span>) or father. Waikato contains the Sanskrit <i>vari</i> or water which appears in the Maori language as 'wai' also meaning water. The name Patetare is constituted of two Sanskrit words pat (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पत् </span>)- fall, and tar (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तर</span>)- swim or water. Both the villages, the legends tell us, were situated near waterbodies or lakes. Both the place names, Te Awahou and Te Warouri contain the Maori form of the Sanskrit word 'vari' as Tregear tells us. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>In Maori mythology, T</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>awhirimatea (or </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Tawhiri) is the god of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms, the Sanskrit <i>vari </i>appears as <i>whiri </i>here in the Maori name.Raw appears to be a distortion of <i>deva.</i><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A third monster, called Katatore, a lizard like creature who they said lived both in water on land, dwelt in a cave at Moerangi on the road between Tikitapu and Rotarua. It was captured by rope and killed in a similar fashion. The chief named Tangaroamihi, did not realize that the monster was his own pet who behaved well only in his presence, and was therefore most distraught when he realized that it was his pet that had been killed by the tribe of Ngatitama. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The names Tangaroamihi and Ngatitama both have a Sanskrit connect. Ngatitama is once again derived from the Sanskrit '<i>naga</i>'. Tangaroa was the Maori god of fishes, and has a definite connect to the Sanskrit '<i>taranga</i>' meaning 'wave'. We find an important place in the vicinity of Rotorua, namely Tauranga which means literally "landing place on the sea" from the Māori 'tau", 'to land". The name reflects the city's position on the shores of the harbour. </span><br /><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of the name Katatore -the lizard like monster-one may look at the Sanskrit '<i>kutichar</i>' meaning crocodile or <i>kattaar </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">कट्टार</span>) meaning weapon, though the name 'Katatore' has been associated with the Sanskrit 'graha' which distorts to '<i>ghariyal</i>' in Hindi but keeps the meaning of 'crocodile'. According to the Grimm's Law of sound shift, the letter g and k are interchangeable, so are t and d. Hence, in all likeliness <i>ghariyal </i>distorts to katiyal and then to katatore, but keeps the meaning of crocodile or 'the lizard like monster' from the original Sanskrit 'graha'.<br /></span></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bibliography</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20701907?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">The Origin of the Maori</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. <a href="https://archive.org/details/aryanmaori00treg/page/61/mode/1up?q=Kataore">The Aryan Maori : Tregear, Edward, 1846-1931</a><br />3.<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703041?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">The Impact of Languages and the Coalescence of the Fragments</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-56448185143556303502024-01-15T02:33:00.000-08:002024-01-15T02:42:58.141-08:00JORDAN AND PETRA, THE SANSKRIT SOURCE OF THE NAMES<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In mainline literature it is said that the country Jordan gets its name from the river Jordan. The origin of the name 'Jordan' is traced to the ancient Semitic word 'Arda'. 'Arda' in turn comes from the Hebrew 'Yorad' which is derived from the Aramaic 'Yarden' or 'Jarden' meaning 'downflowing' or 'that which descends'. It is generally believed that the suffix "den" is linked to the Akkadian word </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dannum </i></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">which means "powerful</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>".</b><br /> <br /><b>Let's go a step further and check out the obvious Sanskrit connection to the words mentioned above in the context of the etymology of Jordon. In Sanskrit, the word for 'flowing down' is 'jharat' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">झरत्</span><b>) and the root word is 'jhara' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">झर</span><b>) which means 'sprinkling' or 'waterfall' and is used to describe water bodies or rivers, not only in the Indian subcontinent but around the world. As for the suffix 'den' in the word Jordon, as well as the Akaddian 'dannum' to which the word Jordon is sometimes associated, both of these can be explained by either the Sanskrit 'dhunI' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">धुनी</span>), a word which means river, or by 'dhuni' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">धुनि</span>) which means roaring or shaking. </b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>But this association of the word Jordon to Sanskrit does not occur in isolation. There are many rivers around the world which have names that are cognates of the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">jhara.</i><b> Examples include the Jari of South America, which is the northern tributary of the River Amazon, the River Jara in Melbourne, the Jara River of Romania which is a tributary of the Susita River, or Lake Jara in New Mexico; not to mention the Amazon, whose ancient most known name is Maranon, perhaps a variation of <i>jharadana. There </i>is a valid reason for this argument. Even today some of the tributaries of the Amazon retain names such as Jari, Jurua and Jhavary; and there must have been many more such names in the past. All of these world rivers therefore in all likelihood have the same Sanskritic name source as the river Jordon does.</b><br /><br /><b>Now, let's look at the Jordanian archaeological site of <span style="color: #ffa400;">Petra</span>. Petra is the home of Jordan's most ancient race - the Nabateans, who arrived here in around the 4th century BC. The site however is known to have been inhabited from as early as 9000 BC. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Petra is a city carved in a mountain - its rocks are mostly red or pink in hue. It appears that at the Temple of Petra, the Vedic god Shiva was well known owing to the presence of a carved <i>Shivalinga </i>in a rock wall. This structure is sometimes identified as the Greek 'Omphalos'. Though the Greek word <i>phalos</i> is the same as the Sanskrit <i>linga</i>, the etymology of Om is untraceable in Greek, unlike in Sanskrit where the word </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Om (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ओम</span>) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">represents a sacred sound, syllable, mantra, and an invocation. Its written representation, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ॐ</span>), is one of the most important symbols of Hinduism. It is variously said to be the essence of the supreme Absolute consciousness - defined variously as Atman, Brahman, or the Cosmic World. T</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">he Vedic obelisk or the <i>shivalinga</i> is also associated with the symbol Om, also called Omkara.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9H5ILqz6ReyaSIjWKjzL37qs0mR1PE7-j0j-X5YHEQjsGQNUzyY0rUVMaqpeponJdb12biq1gpwrPR6OLO__k0lu9EZuiIddHWUj4HhriJnTNMiLqNs2N_4t76JBwg7VbO5ZZJ-yocs/s1600/Shivalinga+,+Petra.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9H5ILqz6ReyaSIjWKjzL37qs0mR1PE7-j0j-X5YHEQjsGQNUzyY0rUVMaqpeponJdb12biq1gpwrPR6OLO__k0lu9EZuiIddHWUj4HhriJnTNMiLqNs2N_4t76JBwg7VbO5ZZJ-yocs/s1600/Shivalinga+,+Petra.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="text-align: left;">The Omphalos or Shiva-Linga of <br />Petra Temple, Jordan.</b><br style="text-align: left;" /><b style="text-align: left;">Lord Shiva is a Vedic God. Om is a Vedic symbol.<br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Petra <i>shivalinga </i>is not the only obelisk at Petra. At Jebel al-Madhbah, meaning 'mountain of the altar', there is a large Nabataean ritual site on the summit centered around an altar reached by a rock-cut staircase. This site was first identified by the</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> French Middle East historian Maurice Sartre who had observed that beneath the peak of Mt. Madbah were two gigantic sacred stones. Around it, were cisterns fed by rainwater. Though this altar is often believed to have been a sacrificial altar, it is likely that this too was used for <i>shivalinga </i>worship, as cisterns with water are an integral part of the ritual involved with <i>shivalinga </i>worship. This idea is not in any way far-fetched, for in neighboring Saudi Arabia, in the pre-Islamic Era, obelisks were widely worshipped and were known as Al Acara. For more on <i>shivalinga </i>worship in Saudi Arabia click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2021/05/stone-worship-in-arabia-and.html">here.</a></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eiRqDhNmHVvs4Yi0gKIQzXeDW2v1RLiwImhnlDpxtSPm6a5kTEaJdAzlrKF4kfSlV3U27jIOeiv28ZD5pMNUje-Ib_abRYMs9fLjtC1Txhy1XiZzvvDTM0-2iZohLtDY_KkyscLYYaIFHTZZkNMFYqOu6w0l08ud-5WV5NK8EKre3iOjgPf7sx_GJ3Y/s2365/_Obelisks_%20on%20Jabal%20al-Madhbah,%20Petra.%20Art%20Destination%20Jordan-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="2365" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eiRqDhNmHVvs4Yi0gKIQzXeDW2v1RLiwImhnlDpxtSPm6a5kTEaJdAzlrKF4kfSlV3U27jIOeiv28ZD5pMNUje-Ib_abRYMs9fLjtC1Txhy1XiZzvvDTM0-2iZohLtDY_KkyscLYYaIFHTZZkNMFYqOu6w0l08ud-5WV5NK8EKre3iOjgPf7sx_GJ3Y/w400-h266/_Obelisks_%20on%20Jabal%20al-Madhbah,%20Petra.%20Art%20Destination%20Jordan-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The obelisks of Mt. Madbah, Petra</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>It is said that the name Petra derives from the Greek word 'pietra' which means 'stone', a reference to the rocky landscape of the area, a name given to the site when the Greeks arrived here. However, Petra is not the ancient most name of the site though it may easily be connected with the Sanskrit 'prastara' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">प्रस्तर</span><b>), which means 'rock' and distorts to 'patthar' in Hindi.</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Biblical Manuscript or the 'Dead Sea Scrolls' say that the original name of Petra was 'Rekim Geya' or 'Rekem'. T</b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">he name 'Rekem' was inscribed at the Petra temple on the passage wall called the Siq or Sic. This inscription</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> was visible until a couple of decades ago when a <span style="font-size: medium;">bridge was built over the passage-wall such that sadly, the inscription is no longer visible. The inscription was embedded in the bridge structure and was not removed to a museum for some reason.</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what is the etymology of the names Rekem and Gaya? As mentioned above Petra is believed to have been built by the Nabateans. It was known to the Syriacs as Rekem which meant ‘holy’ in their language. In Aramaic too Rekem meant ‘holy’. Petra was also known as Kadesh Barnea and this name too carries the meaning equivalent to 'holy'. Evidently, it was a holy site but not much more can be interpreted from these manuscripts.</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><br /><br />What sheds some light to all of these names is the Rig Veda. The name Rekem is closely linked to the Rig Vedic concept of Rta (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋत</span>). In the Vedic texts, Rta and Rtam a close Sanskrit cognate of the Aramaic 'rekim', is translated as "universal law" or "cosmic order". It is from the concept of 'rta' that stem the concept of <i>riti </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">रीति</span></span><span>), or rites.</span></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">More precisely, the Sanskrit 'rich' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋच्</span>), written as </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ṛc ,</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> refers to a praise, or to a sacred verse of the Rig Veda recited as an obeisance to a deity, as opposed to a <i>saman (</i><span style="color: #ffa400;">सामन्</span>) or verses which were chanted during Vedic <i>yagya </i>or fire rituals. 'Rich' (</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋच्</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">) also refers to sacred texts, or the collection of the verses of praise in the Rig Veda. It is this word that emerges </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">as 'asa' in Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrian practices emerged from and were deeply influenced by Vedic practices. The Rig Vedic concept of Rta, the Yajur Vedic concept of fire worship etc, the Vedic ritual of preparing Soma, known as Hoama to the Zoroastrians, are all parts of the Zoroastrianism practices derived from the Vedas. It is therefore quite possible that the Vedic rites of birth and death were also practiced in ancient Zoroastrianism.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Today, Zoroastrianism is still practiced in the neighborhood of Jordon, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan and by the Parsis of Iran, and of course by the Parsis, who immigrated to India from Iran a 1000 years back when Islam was making inroads into Iran and Iraq. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In India, the city of Gaya, located on the Niranjana river, also called the Phalgu, is an ancient Vedic-Hindu pilgrimage site in Bihar. It is a sacred site where the cremation and the last rites of the people who have passed on are performed to this day. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Gaya has been a pilgrimage centre and a spiritual site where rites were performed for those who had passed since the Ramayanic times. It is here that Sri Rama famously performed the ritualistic rites of his father Dasaratha, after his death. It is this name that appears in the Nabatean records.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Nabateans of Jordon prayed to a god they called Dushara. Though the name is said to translate as 'that who lives in the stones', the name Dushara bears an uncanny similarity to the name Dasaratha. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">As per E. Pococke, the author of 'India in Greece', ancient Indian tribes that migrated westward from Bihar (then called Magadh) all the way to Greece are known to have built many temples and other sacred sites en-route and given them Vedic names. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Rekem Geya was probably one of them</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The ritualistic rites for those who have ascended heaven are performed at Gaya during what is known as 'Pitra Paksha', </b><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pitra (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पितृ</span>) ancestors, paksha (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पक्ष</span>)</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> 'fortnight'- the fortnight of the ancestors. In India the name Gaya is tied with 'pitra'. It is for this reason that Sri Rama had performed the ritualistic rites for his departed father at Gaya. </b></div><div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">So was the name Petra, earlier known as Rekem Gaya, derive its name from 'pitra' or 'ancestors'. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Petra was a cultic site for the Nabateans who it is said built the city in honor of their dead. The Nabateans are known to have performed sacrificial rites here for the soul of their dead ancestors. It is said of the site that those who entered here no longer had any need of worldly possessions. It was the Nabatean realm of the dead. It was a necropolis with no quarters for the living. Those who came to visit the departed souls took shelter in the caves. It indeed </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">was a site for the 'pitra' of the Nabateans.<br /><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVJS5F04P8514gdC1ZDaHXlEIRbeRqjzmB3irGu2dl2cE3KXYowtMI9DUMdMSGdhGpatAZo2sbFJfSJ971NjMMhY_r7zCsubpqEVbi25pHVWIbpsJQb1jQv5SG9bdmqurtIxxWVKYA3k/s1600/download+(6).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVJS5F04P8514gdC1ZDaHXlEIRbeRqjzmB3irGu2dl2cE3KXYowtMI9DUMdMSGdhGpatAZo2sbFJfSJ971NjMMhY_r7zCsubpqEVbi25pHVWIbpsJQb1jQv5SG9bdmqurtIxxWVKYA3k/w400-h263/download+(6).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Temple of Petra,<br />also called Rekem-Geya seems to have some <br />Links to the Gaya of India.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The area around the temple around Petra Temple was full of water springs, the site itself lacked water. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Water was brought into the Temple mainly from one water spring which was located at what is now called Wadi Musa through channels built here. The main water channel was called th</b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">e Siq or Sic*and in spite of this rocky site having complex geological features, the channel brought and distributed water at many places within the temple. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In Sanskrit 'sic' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">सिच्</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">) means to soak or irrigate. The Siq is now dry and serves as the main entrance to the site, but it once appears to have also carried the pilgrims to the main site in boats.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> <br /><b>It is Moses who is credited with extracting water from below the red rocky arid area that is called Petra today. Until then, say the Aramaic texts, the site of Rekem-Geya was known as 'kadesh'. 'Kadesh' or 'Ku-desh' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">कुदेश</span><b>) in Sanskrit means 'Bad-Land' or 'Inhospitable Land', though it carries the meaning of 'holy' in Hebrew.</b><br /><br /><b>In some texts the region is also known as Barnia-Kudesh. 'Bhurni' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">भूर्णि</span><b>) in Sanskrit means 'desert' or 'distant'. 'Kudesh' as mentioned above means 'inhospitable'. </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>By the time of the Aramaic translation of the Torah, Petra was known as Rekem Gaya or the Holy Ravine. Rekem Gaya is the Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent for the </b></span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit 'rtam kheya' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ऋतम् खेय</span>) or the Divine Ravine.<br /><br /></span></b><b>The second highest mountain peaks in Jordon, which is a few kilometres away from Petra, is known as 'Jabal Ram'. The valley around it is known as Wadi Ram, though it is pronounced as Ram, it is mostly written as Rum. The highest mountain in Jordon is known as Umm ad Dami. Um is perhaps the truncated form of Ram or Rum. Dami means red and refers to the colour of the mountain. The name Ram reappears many times in place names in and around Jordan. Rama in the Indic lore is the son of Dasharatha. There appears to be a link between the two names in the Nabatean culture too in the names Dusara and Jabal Ram. </b><br /> <br /> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sTk4EZUj6_r6OlOHRLyDwKY7Vsu-QT245Yx4qGuXbdUR9h9xbgJUAKAEHwkFtlBGb0P1NASWPiu-MkqcnbRdMS43dr7DeJRPurUT-GMejq3QlNYB1yPfKi4HVQquk6BdSjvalWe7uqg/s1600/tourist-attractions-in-wadi-rum_200_0.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sTk4EZUj6_r6OlOHRLyDwKY7Vsu-QT245Yx4qGuXbdUR9h9xbgJUAKAEHwkFtlBGb0P1NASWPiu-MkqcnbRdMS43dr7DeJRPurUT-GMejq3QlNYB1yPfKi4HVQquk6BdSjvalWe7uqg/w400-h400/tourist-attractions-in-wadi-rum_200_0.JPG" width="400" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Jabal Ram Peak at the centre,<br />the second highest point in Jordan<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">NOTES</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1. T</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">he name Macedonia is traced to Magadh, the ancient name of Bihar, by E. Pococke. </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> To read more about the link of Gaya and Magadh to Greece click <a href="http://vediccafe.blogspot.in/2014/01/hindu-ancestors-of-greeks.html">here.</a></b></span></div><div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Dushara is also a close cognate of the Sanskrit 'Dasraha'. Dasraha was a king of the Yadu family. He was so famous that his descendants were called the Daśārhas. As Śri Krishna was born as a descendant in the line of Dasraha, Sri Krishna is sometimes called Dsarha in certain places.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>other Sanskrit links to the name Rekem Geya. 'Recin', pronounced rech</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">in (<span style="color: #ffa400;">रेचिन्</span>), means red-powder, the hue of the stone in Petra. Rekem-Gaya</b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> translates as 'Red-Gaya' from Sanskrit. </b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Citations:<br />1. "Is Petra an Ancient Shiva Temple"?: Click <a href="http://bibhudev.blogspot.in/2011/06/petra-jordan-is-it-ancient-shiva-temple.html">Here</a><br />2. 'Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams' of India: Click <a href="http://www.greenmesg.org/temples_chennai/paadal_petra_shiva_sthalams_chennai.php">Here</a><br /> 3. <a href="http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ROePWIBgyv8C&pg=PA452&lpg=PA452&dq=greece+city+of+prastar&source=bl&ots=BAWrZDSDjO&sig=G4aZnT3D8VaGL7amm1Fxwbm49as&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WL35Urn-Jce3rgfXuYDACQ&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=greece%20city%20of%20prastar&f=false">From Bharata to India: Chrysee the Golden by M.K. Aggarwal</a><br />4. <a href="https://matadornetwork.com/notebook/20-images-petra-incredible/">20 Images of Petra That Show Just How Incredible It Is (matadornetwork.com)</a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>5. <a href="#">Petra: Water Works (nabataea.net</a><a href="https://nabataea.net/explore/petra/petra-water-works/">)</a><br />6. O<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkelos">nkelos - Wikipedia</a><br />7.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targum_Onkelos">Targum Onkelos - Wikipedia</a><br />8. <a href="https://www.bereaninsights.org/nugget/is-petra-the-location-of-greater-kadesh/">Is Petra the Location of Greater Kadesh? - Berean Insights</a><br />9. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_languages_of_the_Mara%C3%B1%C3%B3n_River_basin">Extinct languages of the Marañón River basin - Wikipedia</a><br />10.<a href="https://www.bereaninsights.org/nugget/is-petra-the-location-of-greater-kadesh/">Is Petra the Location of Greater Kadesh? - Berean Insights</a></b></span><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>11. </span><a href="https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-104">Petra, the Nabataean City of the Dead | World Heritage - UNESCO Multimedia Archives</a></span></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-85137465477971666052023-11-11T03:38:00.004-08:002023-12-08T08:23:17.815-08:00VEDIC MT. MERU IN SYRIA , ISRAEL AND TURKEY<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Vedic texts and scriptures record many forgotten parts of world history. The Vedic texts also unveil the mystery behind the history of some of the oldest archaeological sites around the world. In this post, a</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">n examination of three such ancient sites in West Asia -Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem, the Temple of Hadad in Syria's Aleppo town, and the Stonehenge site of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, through the lens of the information contained in the Vedic-Puranic texts, reveals that these sites had some definite links to Mt. Meru as documented in the Rig Veda. </span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div>Mount Meru, also known as Sineru in Vedic texts, is a golden cosmic mountain that stands at the centre of the universe. In the Vedas it is regarded as the axis of the world as well.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> T</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">his world axis extends </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">across the entire universe through infinite dimensions. It has two ends, known as '<i>sumeru</i>' and '<i>kumeru</i>'. The</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> etymology of <i>meru </i>is simple. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Meru (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मेरु</span>) is the </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit word for 'axis' or 'spine'. Meru also has the meaning of <i>nabhi </i>or</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> 'navel of the world'</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">. </span></b><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are many countries and earlier civilizations that unknown to them, were named after Meru, Sumeru or Kumeru. Examples include Morocco, Camerron and the Sumerian civilization. Read more </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">about the connection to these names in future posts. * </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are other examples of the link to the name Meru in other parts of the world too. Scholars such as Helene Blavatsky have linked the name of the Amerrisque mountain chain, commonly known as the American Cordillera, that runs from North America to South America through Central America, with Meru. The American Cordillera chain of mountain ranges (cordilleras) consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of the Americas. For more on the subject of the link of the word Meru to America click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2019/08/america-sanskrit-connect-to-its-name.html">here.</a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mt. Meru in the Upanishads and Vedas:</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Upanishad states 'Yatha Pindi, Tatha Bramhanda'. As is the body, so the universe. As the spine of the body holds its physical and spiritual aspects together, the spine or Meru of the universe holds the universe and all its dimensions together. Therefore, this axis</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> also described as a</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> mountain, is multidimensional. Meru is the pivot on which the entire creation rests. In the human body, <i>meru </i>in turn rests on the 'chakras' of the spine.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The description of Meru, in the Vedic texts is extremely complex. Three <i>nadis </i>or pulsations run along the spine. The Ida represents feminine energy. The Pingala represents the masculine. The one in the centre, the Sushumna has a spiritual transcendental nature. The <i>nadis </i>runs through seven energy spots or the <i>chakras, </i>as well as the <i>nabhi, </i>or the navel. When the channels are unblocked by the action of yoga, the energy of <i>kundalini </i>uncoils and rises up the Sushumna from the base of the spine, thus bringing about <i>moksha</i>, or liberation. The same concept is applied to the entire creation, its sustenance, and its dissolution, at a universal level. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Forgotten today by most of the world, the truth is that prominent ancient archeological temple sites around the world portray different aspects of the Mt. Meru lore.<br /><br /></span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Meru is considered as the abode of gods. In the Vedas the Kailasha peak in the Himalayas, or the 'mountain of snow' is regarded as a material representation of the cosmic Meru on earth. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In other parts of the world too, the name Meru is often connected with the place names of sites where grand temples were erected in antiquity. Examples includ</b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">e </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Mt. Hermon </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">in </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Israel which was historically known as Mt. Sinieru with its meaning equated with 'mountain of snow' just like that of the Himalayas.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Then, there is <span style="color: #ffa400;">Mt. Moriah </span>mentioned in the Book of Genesis, the site where the binding of Issac to an altar by Abraham takes place. Both the names Sinieru and Moriah seem to be related to the names Sumeru and Meru.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />There are other connections as well. In Vedic descriptions, the roof tower crowning a Hindu temple is called the 'shikhara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">शिखर</span>) which represents the cosmic Meru. We see the Sanskrit 'shikhara' distort and appear as Ziggurat in the Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite and </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Babylonian texts. In mainstream texts the word ziggurat is said to originate from <i>ziqqurratum </i>(height, pinnacle), in ancient Assyrian or from <i>zaqārum</i>, to be high up. These words are distortions of the word '<i>shikhara</i>' which has the same meanings.</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem: </span><br /><b>Moriah is the name given to a mountainous region in the Book of Genesis, where the binding of Isaac by Abraham is said to have taken place. It is also mentioned in the Book of Chronicles as the place where Solomon's Temple was built. Both these locations are identified with the current Temple Mount in Jerusalem. </b><br /><br /><b>The Samaritan Torah transliterates the place mentioned for the binding of Isaac as </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Moreh</span><b>, a name for a place near modern-day Nablus, a Palestinian city located in the West Bank, North of Jerusalem. Pliny the Elder stated in his Natural History (5.69), that the towns were named Mamorpha and Naplous. Mamor'ha is a variation of Meru. Nablus or Naplous is a city marked by abundance of water from nearby springs. It is for this reason that in a previous post we had linked the name Nablus with the Sanskrit 'nabha' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">नभ </span><b>) meaning 'water springs', 'clouds' and 'water'.</b><br /><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteRQXQBANIbGMAYfbUxIi8Vz2mv58O9ophE4sNEBSZ8h-bBP7I5bbjFIErICGZNdVO1xYX-uJvE9M3oPi-b3pNtMKRCsuwiES-lExFsNle_mhSZVquqy-Yt37ZuU1rByTtwhPyKnGAoFLSBFv6P3BlnhRr88fx1F7QismCDVRdC7SIf7-6ChVDeZO9NI/s815/mt.%20moriah%20jerusalem%20Height_743_section_Jerusalem_map,_scale_10,000_scale,_1st_edition,_Survey_of_Palestine,_Jaffa,_August_1925,_Ordnance_Survey_Offices,_Southhampton,_1926.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteRQXQBANIbGMAYfbUxIi8Vz2mv58O9ophE4sNEBSZ8h-bBP7I5bbjFIErICGZNdVO1xYX-uJvE9M3oPi-b3pNtMKRCsuwiES-lExFsNle_mhSZVquqy-Yt37ZuU1rByTtwhPyKnGAoFLSBFv6P3BlnhRr88fx1F7QismCDVRdC7SIf7-6ChVDeZO9NI/w351-h400/mt.%20moriah%20jerusalem%20Height_743_section_Jerusalem_map,_scale_10,000_scale,_1st_edition,_Survey_of_Palestine,_Jaffa,_August_1925,_Ordnance_Survey_Offices,_Southhampton,_1926.png" width="351" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem<br />On map dated 1925<br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />In the Jewish Bible, the name Meru occurs with two different spellings, <span style="color: #ffa400;">Moriyya </span>(Genesis 22.2) and <span style="color: #ffa400;">Moriah </span>(Chronicles 3.1 ). Tradition has interpreted these two as the same place. In both the texts the place is described as a mountain. The Genesis describes Morriya as a 'highland', the Genesis describes Moriah as the mount of <span style="color: #ffa400;">Amoria</span>. Some modern Biblical scholars, however, regard the name as a reference to the Amorites, having lost the initial a via aphesis; the name is thus interpreted as meaning land of the Amorites. But it is more likely that Amorite derives from an inclusion of the 'a' sound to Meru.<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />Mt. Moriah is also referred to and identified as the 'Navel of the World' in the Genesis in the description of Jacob's Dream'. The Genesis says: "He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. And the Lord was standing beside him... Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ... "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven" (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.10-18?lang=he-en&utm_source=jewishvirtuallibrary.org&utm_medium=sefaria_linker"></a>Genesis 28:10-18). </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">This is perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the "navel of the world". </b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the "Foundation Stone," the symbolic fundament of the world's creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple's Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel. This has been identified with the Omphalos or the Shivalinga in the Indian tradition.<br /><br /></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Amorites were known as the Martu in the Sumerian texts, Ammuran in Akkadian and Emori in Greek were a Semitic speaking people who appear in Sumerian records in circa 2500 BC. There are mentions about the Amorites as Mar-du in tablets from the East Semitic speaking kingdom of Ebla, also dating to 2500BC. Now Ebla itself was also known as Mardikh in some other texts.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VQcX5PbmQtWVmLLxDCY90lxV49weLiWiIDBhFzRN3W7DoXKPW6MaJJPNgR8R-SWogbmo_S3Qqs08p_x0ZLVK2l1BvzbN1wT-wKUjPtLHBAst8w9p6Qni-rtvWuALwRzuwQEzymvj1Zr2gleSPEAgVWDKvAgafbMUGOVYUjhDkrZrxZOuNnt2ALYev7g/s1097/Maronia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VQcX5PbmQtWVmLLxDCY90lxV49weLiWiIDBhFzRN3W7DoXKPW6MaJJPNgR8R-SWogbmo_S3Qqs08p_x0ZLVK2l1BvzbN1wT-wKUjPtLHBAst8w9p6Qni-rtvWuALwRzuwQEzymvj1Zr2gleSPEAgVWDKvAgafbMUGOVYUjhDkrZrxZOuNnt2ALYev7g/s320/Maronia.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An old map shows the city of Aleppo named as Maronia.<br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />It is said that Alexander named Aleppo as Beroea after the name of a nearby mountain Vermio, but again all of these are corruptions of the Vedic name Meru. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An old map of Syria shows a city name marked as Maronia. About this name, it is said that it was named after the name of a Greek city called Maroneia which was founded by Maron, a son of Dionysus. Dionysus's lore is tied closely to India, and it is said that Dionysus was a Greek god who had travelled to India. Homer mentions the name of the Greek city of Maroneia as Ismaros in his Odyssey. <br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Temple of Hadad, Aleppo: </span><br />Aleppo is a spiritual site. It is a site naturally built like Mt. Meru. The city of Aleppo is a circle of eight hills with a prominent hill in the centre on which the remnants of an ancient temple dedicated to the storm-god Hadad which dates back to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, was recently discovered by German archaeologist Kay Kohlmeyer.<br /><br />Hadad was the storm and rain god in the Canaanite and ancient Mesopotamian religions. He was attested in Ebla as "Hadda" in 2500 BCE. Hadad was introduced to Mesopotamia by the Amorites. Why were they called Amorites? Because of the name Mt. Meru. In Mesopotamia Hadda or Hadad became known as the Akkadian god Adad. But why?<br /><br />We know, that in Akkadian, Adad is also known as Rammanu (Thunderer) cognate with Imperial Aramaic Raˁmā and Hebrew Raˁam, which was a byname of Hadad. <br /><br />Rammanu appears to be a variation of the Vedic god Varuna, who is the god of Sea and Thunder. In the Vedic scriptures, he is paired with the god Mitra, who is well known in West Asia as Mithira. Varuna is also mentioned as an Aditya, the sons of the goddess Aditi. It is this name that is the cognate of the Akkadian Adad. In the later Hindu texts like the Puranas, Varuna is also a Dikpala or guardian of the western direction and one of the guardians of Mt. Meru. Varuna also came to be known as Tarhunz in the West Asian pantheon. But there is more if one studies just the location of the temple.<br /><br />What a perfect site the Temple of Hadad is. The Temple is located on a hill surrounded by eight mountains. In the Puranas of India, Mt. Meru had eight directions. Each one had a guardian god, one of them was Varuna. The tip of the central mountain and its base represented two more directions. The base of the Meru mountain, (or in the human body the base of the spine from where <i>kundalini </i>rises), is known as Adhah. This is perhaps where the name of the with God Adad emerged from. <br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Gobekli Tepe</span>: Another important site in the context of Mt. Meru is Gobekli Tepe Its ancient most name is Portasar which translates as 'Navel Mountain' in Armenian, which is the definition of Mountain Meru in the Sanskrit texts. Its Kurdish name is Gire Mirezan which is an obvious distortion</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> of the Sanskrit Giri Meru.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />As research has progressed, it has begun to appear that Gobekli Tepe is a record in stone of the various cataclysmic events that have taken place on earth, events that brought mankind, and perhaps more advanced civilizations, close to an absolute end more than once. The repeated episodes of destruction on earth are recorded in Hindu Puranas in a text form, but is constructed in a physical stone form at Gobekli Tepe. Excavations have revealed many layers of construction at Gobekli Tepe, and it appears that each one represents one cycle of civilization and its destruction, the story told in stone.<br /><br />According to the Puranas, in at least one of the restarts after a cataclysm, Mt Meru becomes the pivot on which the world rested till it is rescued from the calamity.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Representations of Mt. Meru</span>: There is </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">no real location for Mt. Meru because it is cosmic by nature. However, there are many representations of it in places around the world as well as descriptions of it in scriptures.</span></b><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>There is an interesting chapter in the Ramayana about the search for the abducted queen Sita, wife of the god king Sri Rama which mentions Mt. Meru. The Ramayana says that at a time when it was yet not established where Sita was being held captive by Ravana the king of Lanka, one of the search-parties is instructed to head westward away from India by the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">vanara </i><b>chief Sugreeva. Sugreeva hands over to the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">vanara </i><b>head Susena (who also happens to be his father-in-law), a route-map with specific instructions to be followed closely. As they follow these instructions in the westerly direction, crossing the Indus and many other rivers and mountains, the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">vanaras </i><b>are told, the route-map would lead them to their final destination, referred to in the Ramayana as the golden Asta Mountain (Setting Sun mountain). Before they reach the Asta mountain the Ramayana says they would pass across the magnificent golden peak of Mt. Meru. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Ramayana also directs the <i>vanaras as they </i>travel from 'Meru' to Mt. 'Asta' to look for a what it describes as a 'gigantic ten-leaved date-palm-tree, which is completely golden and shines forth and is installed on a marvelous podium'. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Where could this site with a gigantic man-made ten leafed golden palm tree have been? Do any of the ancient archeological sites and cities in West Asia match this description?</b><br /><br /><b>The city of Palmyra was once known as Tadmor. 'Tad' is Sanskrit for palm, and 'mor' may be a variation of 'pur' meaning city, given the fact that the Akkadian 'ur' meaning city may be a truncated form of the original Sanskrit 'pur'. The ancient city of Palmyra was perhaps built on an even older city around a magnificent golden palm on a podium that the Ramayana mentions. </b><br /><br /><b>There are other intriguing connections to Ramayana. Mount Hermon, the highest point on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, at the foot of which rise the two major sources of the Jordan River, was historically known as Sinieru and Senir. These names again are a variation of the Sanskrit Sumeru or the Mt. Meru located near Mt Asta or the Sunset Hill.</b><br /><br /><b>If Mt. Asta is Sunset Hill then the Mediterranean Sea becomes the Sunset Sea near which the Ramayana states is the location of the Sunset hill or the 'Asta' mountain. The Mediterranean was once known as the Sunset Sea as we see in the map below. Other Sanskritic names on the map, such as Amurru and Simurru are variations of Meru and Sumeru.</b><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dWddt6tlJPUZVhPjmgfZDFoPNk2cDBLpevg2s5Z3Z-jk_IedIQ-SIovitCZTjjHC7TQxGkEILYxVCPlK0PR6Cf97GVeh-UoaSzsyjGcQGRLbJMO8vMD8wUVK5fVELLGggFvZgys6DrjHtIFPszybix7M7YAF1lrIsvAANqvU5g7Zqm46hJAQcCRZ8cc/s1066/Screenshot_20230831_084852_Chrome%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dWddt6tlJPUZVhPjmgfZDFoPNk2cDBLpevg2s5Z3Z-jk_IedIQ-SIovitCZTjjHC7TQxGkEILYxVCPlK0PR6Cf97GVeh-UoaSzsyjGcQGRLbJMO8vMD8wUVK5fVELLGggFvZgys6DrjHtIFPszybix7M7YAF1lrIsvAANqvU5g7Zqm46hJAQcCRZ8cc/w640-h504/Screenshot_20230831_084852_Chrome%20(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A map depicting the Mediterranean as the Sunset Sea.<br />The Ramayana states that the world beyond the Sunset Mountain, near Mt. Meru was unknown.<br />Map from 'The Early History of Assyria'<br />by Sidney Smith, 1927<br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">*The river Senegal was also known as the 'Sanaga'. There is another river today in Africa (in Cameroon) known as the 'Sanaga'. If one were to decode the name Sanaga through the Sanskrit lens we find 'ga' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">गा</span>) is Sanskrit for 'move' or 'flow' - as in the name Ganga, and 'sana' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सन</span>) means 'calm', or 'serene'. Two rivers,</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Djerem River and Lom River</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> unite to make this river. As stated above 'Sangha' is Sanskrit for 'union'. Djerem, a cognate of 'jharim' means 'river' in Sanskrit. </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Loma is a cognate of Soma (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सोम</span>) and means the 'moon'. It appears in the name of one of the highest peaks of the Guinea Highlands region- Loma Manasa, perhaps the name should be Soma Manasa, Manasa meaning 'spiritual'. Both Soma and Manasa are words linked to the lore of Shiva.</b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Citations and Bibliography:<br />1. <a href="http://www.allempires.com/allempires.com-redirect/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35308">Original name of Aleppo? - History Forum ~ All Empires</a> <br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadad#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGreen200318%E2%80%9324-18">Hadad - Wikipedi</a><br />2. <a href="https://www.israel-a-history-of.com/ancient-syria.html#gallery[pageGallery]/1/">Ancient Syria (israel-a-history-of.com)</a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo_Citadel">Aleppo Citadel</a><br />3. <a href="https://medium.com/@gauthamvreddy/gobekli-tepe-and-its-potential-connection-to-the-vedic-culture-c36af1ead657">Gobekli Tepe and its Potential Connection to The Vedic Culture | by Gautham V Reddy </a></span></b></div></div></div></div><div><b>4. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/mount-moriah">Mount Moriah (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)</a></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-50777940988366538882023-08-30T03:33:00.029-07:002023-11-10T02:30:19.117-08:00THE FOOTSTEPS OF GODDESS DURGA AND THE TEMPLE OF AIN DARA IN SYRIA<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ain Dara is an ancient temple site located in North Syria. It is said to be more than 3000 years old and is dated to the era of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hittites. The Hittites were an Anatolian people and spoke an Indo-European language and in their culture one detects much Indic influence. The first archaeological evidence for the Hittites appeared in tablets found at the <i>karum </i>of Kanesh which is now called Kültepe. The tablets contain records of trade between Assyrian merchants and a certain "land of Hatti". In the Indic-Sanskrit </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">context the word <i>karum </i>is linked to taxes, work-place and trade. The word <i>haat </i>is the equivalent of market-place. </span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Referring to names such as Hittites, Phoenicians and Cannanites found in the tablets found in this region, Alwin Kloekhorst, a Dutch linguist, Indo-Europeanist and Hittitologist states in his writings, "Some names in the tablets were neither Hattic nor Assyrian, but clearly Indo-European." In the Indic context, the words </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">hatti</i><b> and </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">pani</i><b> both refer to trade and the market place, hence it appears that the names Hittite, Phani or Phoenicians and </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">kani </i><b>or Cannanites are derived from an Indic-Sanskritic source. Unsurprisingly therefore, many Indic scholars have in their research traced the origin of the Land of Hatti, the Land of Punt and the antecedents of the Hittites and Phoenicians to India. Scholars have also detected the traces of Indic <i>vastu</i> <i>shastra</i> in the remnants of the architecture of these civilizations.</b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ain Dara was built by the Hittites on a terrace known as the "Acropolis of the Tell' overlooking the Afrin Valley in Syria. Sadly, most of this site was destroyed by Turkish airstrikes in January 2018. The now ruined parts of the temple included sculptures of lions and sphinxes, elaborately decorated walls with geometrical and floral patterns and other animals and engravings of mythical creatures. However, the most unique of the sculptures here includes four massive footprints engraved on the limestone floor at the path leading to the entrance of the temple.<br /><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5z62hgeZS6RwIb4wk9ZenIzjjpDNZGw_TJdzq9QzlohBjyW4eBy2KbuSn_6LP08gzKszBhQjk4YmozfUuvnustn0hXj33ZNxiukHAMU8eULB1s1pdGkI8Ut2xdRv1RbiTu9wXc8HbMPb6bZ7LMhasX7y-sDTlZgJzDrSB7QR8AKEDPhzM2I-3VEnKYc/s776/ain%20dara.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5z62hgeZS6RwIb4wk9ZenIzjjpDNZGw_TJdzq9QzlohBjyW4eBy2KbuSn_6LP08gzKszBhQjk4YmozfUuvnustn0hXj33ZNxiukHAMU8eULB1s1pdGkI8Ut2xdRv1RbiTu9wXc8HbMPb6bZ7LMhasX7y-sDTlZgJzDrSB7QR8AKEDPhzM2I-3VEnKYc/w640-h372/ain%20dara.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The giant footprints of a goddess at the ancient<br />Temple of Ain Dara site at Aleppo in Syria.<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If one were to take a clue from the Vedic Puranic tradition, footstep engravings often appear in many Durga temples. Durga Temples also depict the legend of the killing of the demon Maheeshasura by the goddess Durga, who rode a chariot of lions, in her chase of the demon before his death after a nine-day battle.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maheeshasura is a Sanskrit combination word, where 'maheesa' stands for buffalo and 'asura' means demon. At the end of the battle, Durga tramples Maheeshasura to death. This lore signifies the victory of good over evil and is celebrated in a nine-day festival of Navaratri-twice a year in India. Surprisingly, in Syria, located about 60 km from Aleppo, stood the temple of Hierapolis in Manbij, where rituals similar to those of Vedic goddesses were performed. These have been recorded in the De Dia Syria, the most celebrated work of Lucian of </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Samosata who lived from 125-180 AD.</b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfsYWoeOYfx5R78eIBClZcWulvwe3JtnZlPh6h5Nr9n-L9_vlkUNPkXMLjdlXZeR1m-C0LvhZj_E7SRcQobph3sdxUtAh3v4Jed3-gfXbjZUsdFbOjAesDMKD0037AeMUgggQxcHFNXApTDsiK5oNCWDzOlUk9JM-0HXv-5YslVEas03HLeMkcfCFC_4/s1280/Lion%20sculpture%20from%20Ain%20Dara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfsYWoeOYfx5R78eIBClZcWulvwe3JtnZlPh6h5Nr9n-L9_vlkUNPkXMLjdlXZeR1m-C0LvhZj_E7SRcQobph3sdxUtAh3v4Jed3-gfXbjZUsdFbOjAesDMKD0037AeMUgggQxcHFNXApTDsiK5oNCWDzOlUk9JM-0HXv-5YslVEas03HLeMkcfCFC_4/w640-h400/Lion%20sculpture%20from%20Ain%20Dara.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A basalt lion sculpture from the Ain-Dara site,<br />Aleppo, Syria<br /><br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5Uxti82H__wkukvUM1t_Tn_oz-IjgOo5Mtzp83FBBQEpFDce1nP86WfSnEpxO8Tk2HBjSptlu34wbq778oU2GztR5qdnYXXHDMf1SyV_kFCHRuJ0G3yiiqkKzTemtrGJm6Rituv6y_P282vDWS0_Dm23Bbtswbpq2BAZOVi0xqF928k70Rxpm-iOIdk/s640/ain%20dara%20two.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="640" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5Uxti82H__wkukvUM1t_Tn_oz-IjgOo5Mtzp83FBBQEpFDce1nP86WfSnEpxO8Tk2HBjSptlu34wbq778oU2GztR5qdnYXXHDMf1SyV_kFCHRuJ0G3yiiqkKzTemtrGJm6Rituv6y_P282vDWS0_Dm23Bbtswbpq2BAZOVi0xqF928k70Rxpm-iOIdk/w640-h350/ain%20dara%20two.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;">Ain Dara Temple, Aleppo, Syria.<br />This sculpture of mythical creature </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;">may well represent Mahees-asura, the buffalo-demon that Durga killed by trampling. Notice the horn on the human-faced creature with the body of a lion.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TIQ--LU5av5-BkwWbaHwwVVSnMUQJs1SFRqRra5XZlZqqD9kLqOWlfjw4sIrAGl1a9oOApHbY59YPPJb7LcXKoapWzQ1HO70MKIG3NnCP_kUloQSM3OZE4BzF4eiMoqMR4ghyxNhBDaHTsgMQfNqrIKOy-iRS4O_w07FAQC4zN7QyGfU_ppBrQecCmI/s726/Templo-Ain-Dara_0%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="726" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TIQ--LU5av5-BkwWbaHwwVVSnMUQJs1SFRqRra5XZlZqqD9kLqOWlfjw4sIrAGl1a9oOApHbY59YPPJb7LcXKoapWzQ1HO70MKIG3NnCP_kUloQSM3OZE4BzF4eiMoqMR4ghyxNhBDaHTsgMQfNqrIKOy-iRS4O_w07FAQC4zN7QyGfU_ppBrQecCmI/w640-h326/Templo-Ain-Dara_0%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Notice the horns on the human faced animal<br />which indicates that this may be a sculpture<br />of the shape shifting Maheeshasura<br />Ain Dara, Aleppo, Syria<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GRLEsKWPefsnxwYUATLEf94ioIJorWB6d9yO7QwDmGV4yCDZ2Js4s1l1IyqUDKajiV8k1RwHaXqkj1jRSRAgzz_gierK22J_JVTbzElTEpEBor_v-VjocHGnfoHfgEsjQI8sOrJgJTXLEDkqFJ9pc6xsO9AblNAWWGTsFbbQFljpFrWvK0oVDFa1Zxo/s1255/Screenshot_20230827_063203_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="997" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GRLEsKWPefsnxwYUATLEf94ioIJorWB6d9yO7QwDmGV4yCDZ2Js4s1l1IyqUDKajiV8k1RwHaXqkj1jRSRAgzz_gierK22J_JVTbzElTEpEBor_v-VjocHGnfoHfgEsjQI8sOrJgJTXLEDkqFJ9pc6xsO9AblNAWWGTsFbbQFljpFrWvK0oVDFa1Zxo/w509-h640/Screenshot_20230827_063203_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" width="509" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Ain Dara Temple, Aleppo, Syria showing the placement of the<br /> goddess's feet. In the Vedic context, the goddess Durga's footsteps depict the trampling of the demon Maheesasura. <br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the Indian tradition, sculpture of footsteps of gods and goddesses appear commonly at ancient temples. These are held in reverence and people do not generally step on them, instead offerings are made at these footsteps. Examples include the giant footstep at the Leepakshi Temple in Andhra Pradesh.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWM1BSh80fBctBPmI8BCihXk2FkKTkGbe6RnCnMP_IcsRtcWbOupozdmApTPjTFmNzH6gX1hJegGSHdJz-Mz0WPwC-d3TPycn5dVqRGyMKv7gOBfMOBILWoIqpJcbss5IY9ZcALgTBqGlbzO0M0ObVwAL0tqdGpkO17sx5K3JRqlDirb1R4jGgJG6GWY/s640/veerabhadra-temple-lepakshi-footprint.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWM1BSh80fBctBPmI8BCihXk2FkKTkGbe6RnCnMP_IcsRtcWbOupozdmApTPjTFmNzH6gX1hJegGSHdJz-Mz0WPwC-d3TPycn5dVqRGyMKv7gOBfMOBILWoIqpJcbss5IY9ZcALgTBqGlbzO0M0ObVwAL0tqdGpkO17sx5K3JRqlDirb1R4jGgJG6GWY/w640-h268/veerabhadra-temple-lepakshi-footprint.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Veerabhadra Temple, Leepakshi<br />Andhara Pradesh, India</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></b><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We see some ritual practices at Syrian Goddess temples which are close to that which are practiced even today in India. Located close to the Ain Dara temple, at the Hierapolis temple at Manbij in Syria which is dedicated to the Syrian Goddess variously known as Atargatis or Hera, a ceremony that author Lucian described in his 'De Dia Syria'was performed in praise of the goddess twice a year, and is akin to the Navratra ceremony and the Durga puja festivities in India. Lucian describes a ceremony where the pilgrims would bring pitchers with offerings of gold coins or jewels which they donated to the priests at the Manbij temple. In return the priests would fill the pilgrims' pitchers with the sacred water at the temple lake, who would then pour part of it over the shrine idols, and take the rest of it home as sacred water. This is similar to the <span style="color: #ffa400;">Kalasha </span>puja of the Navratri celebrations of India. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Manbij temple priests would also fill up a gold vessel with water amidst chanting and perform the same ceremony. The image of the vessel used for the ceremony survives in a coin from that era and looks like a Vedic triple <i>kalasha</i>, one vessel over the other.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf44dUpICJ2kH7C2P3eW-YUcD31QRbKR-joQNyDmtbf8JiN1vslz_Dzfaq4VNOQCgYMAic-YpbBV8G6FbcPR4x2NKP-tfFzCrYiMvRbN7-NFc1apkkVrx6ap9B_wWWQKOwGekv39pOMFzZamCGsceRaT1huFY82PNbeYc7DC8gN5niwuGKfS6oziN8aKw/s567/Screenshot_20230809-144118_Chrome.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf44dUpICJ2kH7C2P3eW-YUcD31QRbKR-joQNyDmtbf8JiN1vslz_Dzfaq4VNOQCgYMAic-YpbBV8G6FbcPR4x2NKP-tfFzCrYiMvRbN7-NFc1apkkVrx6ap9B_wWWQKOwGekv39pOMFzZamCGsceRaT1huFY82PNbeYc7DC8gN5niwuGKfS6oziN8aKw/s320/Screenshot_20230809-144118_Chrome.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The image of the gold vessel used for performing<br />the sacred-water ceremony at the temple of Hierapolis,<br />Manbij, Syria. The description of the ceremony at Hierapolis, <br />written by Lucian in his De Dia Syria is a reminder<br />of the Kalasha Puja of India<br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In her book 'Goddess Temples in Western Asia', author Max Dashu states about the ceremonies at Hierapolis, "Its <span style="color: #ffa400;">water ceremonies</span> continued, with processions carrying the image of Atargatis to her sacred lake to be <span style="color: #ffa400;">immersed</span>, while others brought ocean water to the temple.". The word 'ocean' refers to the Euphrates River which flowed about 10 km away. However, the temple itself stood by a lake fed by the Euphrates. The ritual described here is the Indic '<span style="color: #ffa400;">visarjana</span>' of the Goddess Durga.<br /><br />Of the temple of the Syrian Goddess at Hierapolis, now known as Manbij, the Hindu Puranic pandits have long claimed that the site was a Shakti <i>peetha </i>dedicated to the goddess Mahabhaga, or Sati, or Durga, all manifestations of the feminine energy, that is Shakti. The details of this Mahabhaga temple of Syria maybe accessed in a post by clicking <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-ancient-mahabhaga-durga-ambika.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br /><br />A sculpture was excavated at another temple called the Dura Europos in Syria, where a Mesopotamian goddess is seen seated on a lion-throne with one foot placed on the shoulder of what has been described a nymph but is a reminder of what can only be the distortion of the story of Durga slaying Maheesh-asura by trampling him with her foot. <br /><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpA87gbYSOBdEjrx-m7XAXaltYy-Dw6xwvL1DZ95FfDozRtGYiKvBvLccT_vrUDBISX0gUZJgVeyZxSY-HKPGk9SfFtWoo8r8v7nCAJkeoktyboFl1Ne3TsbqzWkUbeS8LQkKvZknid6fcO9tr7UY0HHmvOOqyLypHwIWsDviocNKxid-6j8UDlqSYgc/s560/Screenshot_20230828_164308_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpA87gbYSOBdEjrx-m7XAXaltYy-Dw6xwvL1DZ95FfDozRtGYiKvBvLccT_vrUDBISX0gUZJgVeyZxSY-HKPGk9SfFtWoo8r8v7nCAJkeoktyboFl1Ne3TsbqzWkUbeS8LQkKvZknid6fcO9tr7UY0HHmvOOqyLypHwIWsDviocNKxid-6j8UDlqSYgc/w400-h349/Screenshot_20230828_164308_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> An artifact of a Mesopotamian goddess with a foot<br />on the shoulder of a defeated demon, often identified as a nymph. Excavation from the Dura Europos of Syria indicates<br />that the lore of Maheeshasura may have been known in Syria.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />A second artifact from Dura Europos shows the slaying, but the god here is wrongly identified as the Mittani god Mithira, his name a variation of the Rig-Vedic god Mitra. <br /><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UYDB-QjHGO3h3EDygT_--pv6e7w1Gr3ztKUVnpXuosKqrDenDqBUG2q-Tdy5mApM1vmgFJ_mkyyhv89AwvCfE2eMUuw5VNQPR5-VHfYTlPdVg3jF_obb3QrAg2XFNVwBhpyv3uhWqUKhg9bZo5kl8mvLl1NgmnsBJBjXL8Q4KBcB1ENuAio72NkZUqQ/s1066/Screenshot_20230828_164318_Gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UYDB-QjHGO3h3EDygT_--pv6e7w1Gr3ztKUVnpXuosKqrDenDqBUG2q-Tdy5mApM1vmgFJ_mkyyhv89AwvCfE2eMUuw5VNQPR5-VHfYTlPdVg3jF_obb3QrAg2XFNVwBhpyv3uhWqUKhg9bZo5kl8mvLl1NgmnsBJBjXL8Q4KBcB1ENuAio72NkZUqQ/w640-h552/Screenshot_20230828_164318_Gallery.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The god in this artifact from Dura Europos is often identified as Mithira by western authors. Mithira is the same as the Rig- Vedic Mitra worshipped by the Mittani kings who's empire extended from Iran to Turkey.<br />This sculpture artifact may in reality depict goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon, Maheesa.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jjF8Eo3qg9DmuAOeJfqfju7UbW787owFdhqcB3EBa90BWLMKOyvYCkP4Ujder1U5Ldz5pfxpYDuWNAZOeNmOL4Ak66ieFL4t5RW4NxiE-KXF6QQHnQn_N09MOpLhcTvfMN6lWtqtoJWVyz7q1Cp86jS0IQBFcdjfRIenT6b6qY0F-2TFDzIq9iQQs5s/s268/Durga_slaying_buffalo_composite,_2nd-century_to_13th-century_Devi_Mahatmya.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="193" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jjF8Eo3qg9DmuAOeJfqfju7UbW787owFdhqcB3EBa90BWLMKOyvYCkP4Ujder1U5Ldz5pfxpYDuWNAZOeNmOL4Ak66ieFL4t5RW4NxiE-KXF6QQHnQn_N09MOpLhcTvfMN6lWtqtoJWVyz7q1Cp86jS0IQBFcdjfRIenT6b6qY0F-2TFDzIq9iQQs5s/w461-h640/Durga_slaying_buffalo_composite,_2nd-century_to_13th-century_Devi_Mahatmya.png" width="461" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Durga slaying Maheeshasura</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is some compelling evidence in the legends related to the temples of Syria written by Lucian that leads one to think that perhaps the Ain Dara site belongs to a time when the lore of Maheeshasura was well known and held sacred in the Syrian-Babylonian-Mesopotamian culture. First, Mahees appears in the Anatolian and Phrygian pantheon of gods as the son of the Goddess Cybele, also known as Kubileya. Kubileya is none other than Kubhjika of the Vedic Tantric pantheon. Kubhjika is another form of the goddess Durga, who in the Hindu pantheon kills Maheesa-asura -the buffalo demon.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />In Ain Dara it is said that there were sculptures of mythical animals with human faces. There is one particular which is a creature with the face of a human, horns of a buffalo and the body of a lion. Maheeshasura had taken many forms in his battle against Durga, a lion, an elephant and others before he is killed when he is in the disguise of a buffalo.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA4XB4ZePE-qWzHDHcZJTpZRn9SoWet29-lOpMA9JkRIpxPZgjewTHNomkaROS8bjDIov0OuXXEkeBqwxp6mrEb5PLj4ioFfB3y19h8HNz0Wjg7KdGDXcJzwhlvEPgdRdNlvynBPPquldxQLs3K30Rjwm-bvFYouJ64LlEIRxj8m0uShIsbdJ7c6kGp8/s2560/aa051cb938b22b2297e546d022cd0c54.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA4XB4ZePE-qWzHDHcZJTpZRn9SoWet29-lOpMA9JkRIpxPZgjewTHNomkaROS8bjDIov0OuXXEkeBqwxp6mrEb5PLj4ioFfB3y19h8HNz0Wjg7KdGDXcJzwhlvEPgdRdNlvynBPPquldxQLs3K30Rjwm-bvFYouJ64LlEIRxj8m0uShIsbdJ7c6kGp8/w640-h480/aa051cb938b22b2297e546d022cd0c54.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A human faced animal with the body of a lion<br />And the horns of a Buffalo.<br />The same as Maheesaura,<br />the demon that Durga killed.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Citations and Bibliography:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />1. <a href="http://www.hittitemonuments.com/aindara/">Hittite Monuments - Ain Dara</a><br />2.<a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=XL0yCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT179&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Delphi Complete Dionysiaca of Nonnus (Illustrated) - Nonnus Nonnos of Panopolis - Google Books</a></span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3.<a href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/ain-dara-temple-and-giant-footsteps-gods-001655">The Ain Dara Temple and the giant footsteps of the Gods | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)</a><br />4.<a href="https://sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/tsg/tsg07.htm#fn_86">The Syrian Goddess: Translation and Notes (sacred-texts.com)</a><br />5.<a href="https://www.hittitemonuments.com/aindara/">Hittite Monuments - Ain Dara</a></span></b></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">6.<a href="https://viharadarshani.in/2020/12/veerabhadra-temple-lepakshi-history-mystery-hanging-pillar-architecture-shivalinga-footprint-timings-images.html/">Veerabhadra Temple Lepakshi - History, Mystery, Hanging Pillar, Architecture, Shivalinga, Footprint, Timings, Images | Vihara Darshani - Temples, Beaches, Timings, Accommodation</a></span></b></div></div></div></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">7. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittites#CITEREFKloekhorstWaal2019">Hittites - Wikipedia</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-16315723663771844052023-08-25T22:40:00.062-07:002023-09-07T11:56:45.876-07:00AN ANCIENT TEMPLE OF DURGA AT THE DURA-EUROPOS TEMPLE SITE OF SYRIA?<div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">The Temples of the Goddess Atargatis in Syria: </span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>Syria </span>is home to sacred archaeological sites dedicated to the goddess <span style="color: #ffa400;">Atargatis</span>, but evidence shows that all of these might have been sites dedicated to the Hindu goddess <span style="color: #ffa400;">Durga </span>in deeper antiquity. There is some compelling evidence for this contention.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKoGmVqpGF2XvAnu2pStZD9YMdb8jQ3J8QRrpdwhfu8n41ImH1aYZN4RGtZeyrSfw_gDNVn5UDvk0ANMHc5daw-ky4euIElF2KickG3bhxBiTXMHC3VhyC4Qqyzp9j-rsDjfudLyuN1M0wXz-l07OX0KIR8RzmDYATjeDx_3gUbMvbj5XQILhmK5qFsc/s604/Screenshot_20230825_172814_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="435" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKoGmVqpGF2XvAnu2pStZD9YMdb8jQ3J8QRrpdwhfu8n41ImH1aYZN4RGtZeyrSfw_gDNVn5UDvk0ANMHc5daw-ky4euIElF2KickG3bhxBiTXMHC3VhyC4Qqyzp9j-rsDjfudLyuN1M0wXz-l07OX0KIR8RzmDYATjeDx_3gUbMvbj5XQILhmK5qFsc/w288-h400/Screenshot_20230825_172814_Samsung%20Internet.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Clay figurine of the goddess Atargatis<br />From Dura Europos, Syria<br />Excavation by University of California, Los Angeles</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are three sites in particular in Syria, that could potentially fit the description of a Durga temple. The first of these is the Temple of Atargatis, located in <span style="color: #ffa400;">Hierapolis </span>(present-day Manbij), which was described in detail by the ancient writer Lucian in his work De Dea Syria, who lived around the years 125-180 AD. This temple was discussed in a previous post which </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">can be accessed <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-ancient-mahabhaga-durga-ambika.html">here</a>. Another site is the templ</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">e at<span style="color: #ffa400;"> Ain Dyr</span>, where giant footprints, believed to belong to a deity, have been found. This is the subject of an upcoming post.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then there is the temple of Atargatis at<span style="color: #ffa400;"> Dura Europos</span>, where a surprising cuneiform clay tablet dated to 1900 BC was discovered among other artifacts which sheds some light on a possible Vedic connect with this site, which is discussed here.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The cities of Dura-Europos in Syria and Kabul in Afghanistan:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dura was originally a Babylonian town, but it was rebuilt as a military colony in about 300 BC by the Seleucids and given the alternative name of Europos. Seleucus I Nicat</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>or, one of the successors of Alexander the Great and the founder of the Seleucid Empire, had traveled with Alexander’s troops to Persia and India, and had encamped with his troops in Kabul in around 326 BC. The town of Kabul was built around a mountain at the foot of which was located an ancient Shakti-peetha temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga. This temple held enough significance for the Greeks, who changed its name to Joy-e-Nike or Joy-e-Nicae. The name meant the 'Temple of the Goddess of Victory’ and marked the Greek victory over the Achamenid empire of Persia of which Kabul was a part. The priests too referred to the temple as <span style="color: #ffa400;">Jayantidevi <i>Sthana</i>,</span> which translates as ‘The Temple of the Goddess of Victory’ in Sanskrit.” Though the name Joy-e-Nike no longer exists, the name survives as Nikpay in Kabul to this day.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">The renaming of ancient sites in Syria</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>After the death of Alexander in 323 BC in Babylon Seleucus returned and established the Seleucid empire. Among other cities that Seleucus established, he f</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">ounded the city of Dura Europos in Syria on the site of an earlier city known as Dura. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">It was located at a strategically important intersection of an east–west trade route and the trade route along the Euphrates River.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">It is said that the city was renamed as Dura-Europos by the Greeks in honor of the Macedonian origin of Seleucus Nikator, who had founded it. But it is also true that it was perhaps Seleucus himself that gave the city the name Dura-Europos. In his article 'The Foundation and Early life of Dura Europos', author Paul J Kosmin states, "Seleucus 1 </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Nicator chose</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> to name the new colony Europos after either the city in Macedonia, which may have been his birthplace, or a town on the Epirote-Thessalian frontier. He gave the same name to other military colonies - Europos-Carchemish on the Upper Euphrates near Hierapolis-Bambyce and Europos Rhagae, South of the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran". </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">We have already seen that Alexander the Great and his chief General had changed the name of the central Shakti <i>peetha </i>of Kabul in Afghanistan. About Hellenizing names of territories conquered by the Greeks Paul Kosmin adds in his article, "Although some of these Greco-Macedonian names were merely Hellenized names of the Semitic names, Seleucus I's distinctive naming practice should be regarded as a well paralleled epi-phenomenon of diaspora and colonialism. By a Semiotics of place, the absent homeland was recreated in Syria." The local population called Dura what the Greeks called Europos.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The most important name of the site is Dawara or its variation</span>:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dura Europos is of extreme archaeological importance. Some remarkable finds have been brought to light during excavations, including numerous temples, wall paintings and inscriptions, a temple dedicated to <span style="color: #ffa400;">Mithira</span>, a Hebrew synagogue, all dated to somewhere between 300 BC or later. However, the most surprising and important of all of these artifacts, especially from the point of the Indic-Vedic connect, is a fragment of <span style="color: #ffa400;">cuneiform clay tablet </span>dated to 1900 BC found embedded in a mud brick of a wall of the Atargatis Temple.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The tablet reveals a wealth of information. About this clay tablet Ferris J. Stephens states in his article, 'A Cuneiform Tablet from Dura-Europos'," The presence of a <span style="color: #ffa400;">Babylonian tablet </span>among the ruins of Dura, a site which, by all previous evidence, was not occupied before Hellenistic times calls for explanation ". The tablet was found imbedded in an unbaked mud brick, which formed part of the wall of the temple of Atargatis... It is obvious from the date formula and the seal impression that the tablet originated in the Kingdom of Hana. It is dated by an otherwise unknown date formula, in the reign of a king of that land, named Hammurabi."</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIbr51gWRdFCotbHt8rCHRYlzqp-z2J_3ynURBIuU3kuq0bG-x8lGs2IdtZBqwMgfEspokIAd2tj_donm3ZZ3B7iGhPlAVOPLtzid8ELyS1FiGnUm-XBjvWSxb0EFY2BwRVeNU3YWBzKPVp94PZp0X0XC0qFNbnFLIher3VZ9rcvSbd_7eog7UVggPxQ/s431/Screenshot_20230813-213152_Chrome%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="431" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIbr51gWRdFCotbHt8rCHRYlzqp-z2J_3ynURBIuU3kuq0bG-x8lGs2IdtZBqwMgfEspokIAd2tj_donm3ZZ3B7iGhPlAVOPLtzid8ELyS1FiGnUm-XBjvWSxb0EFY2BwRVeNU3YWBzKPVp94PZp0X0XC0qFNbnFLIher3VZ9rcvSbd_7eog7UVggPxQ/w640-h562/Screenshot_20230813-213152_Chrome%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The cuneiform inscribed fragment of a clay tablet <br />found at the ancient site of Dura in Syria, is<br />dated to the reign of Hammurabi, circa 1900 BC.<br />Photo: </span></b><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/057cf8db-9fc2-3f94-92a8-d840b86cd4c2?read-now=1&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents">A Cuneiform tablet from Dura Europos - JSTOR</a></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNhgA5JJLirzcpOzEj30FOU2sDv5CN6k6Z9x-gsi5Ab70uFiNTgzG4c0C1TNdjTbU_GIqBfKjLwRBCzNMGYMF2ZOEvo102rVCqtCns-N87nLk_tSSXWE3dg2M-EZa8RDcw2JUZCBIB-gf4vuxg13a1DvjzmBs-JRDEUY9p7xnls7sVBE20quy2UNg4rM/s679/Screenshot_20230813-213117_Chrome.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="679" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNhgA5JJLirzcpOzEj30FOU2sDv5CN6k6Z9x-gsi5Ab70uFiNTgzG4c0C1TNdjTbU_GIqBfKjLwRBCzNMGYMF2ZOEvo102rVCqtCns-N87nLk_tSSXWE3dg2M-EZa8RDcw2JUZCBIB-gf4vuxg13a1DvjzmBs-JRDEUY9p7xnls7sVBE20quy2UNg4rM/w640-h278/Screenshot_20230813-213117_Chrome.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Babylon tile mentions three<br />place names which appear to have a Sanskritic link-<br />Damara, Sirqa and Baramati.<br /></span></b><b style="text-align: start;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> Photo: </span></b><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/057cf8db-9fc2-3f94-92a8-d840b86cd4c2?read-now=1&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents">A Cuneiform tablet from Dura Europos - JSTOR</a><br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The ancient Syrian city of Damara, Dawara or Dvara</span>:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the decode of the names inscribed on the cuneiform writing, three names were revealed, all of which have a very profound connect with the Indic culture. The names include Damara, which scholars agree may also be pronounced Dawara, a city called Sir-qa, and a district known as Baramati.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Damara</span><b>: If we were to look at the word 'Damara' purely through the lens of the Sanskrit language in the context of the goddess Durga, Damara (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">डामर</span><b>) refers to one of the eight 'guardians' (ksetrapa-astaka) associated with Oddiyana, a Shakti </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">peetha </i><b>of the goddess Durga, - more specifically, the same Shakti </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">peetha </i><b>located in Kabul that was visited, both by Alexander the Great and Seleucus in 326 BC and renamed Joy-e-Nike by them. This temple of Kabul known to be more than 4000 years old still exists. For more about the Shakti </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">peetha </i><b>temple of Kabul, the Puranic Oddiyana, and its connection with Kabul click </b><a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-story-of-ancient-hindu-temple-in.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">here.</a></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Dawara</span>: A variation of the name Damara was also discussed by Ferris Stephens in his paper. He made an observation and stated, "The spelling Da-ma-ra may only be a </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">graphic representation of<br />what was pronounced Da-wa-ra for we know that th</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">e consonant w was represented in Kassite times, and later, by signs that were otherwise pronounced with m." </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In that case the name Damara becomes Dawara or Dvara (<span style="color: #ffa400;">द्वार</span>), which is Sanskrit for 'gate' or 'passage'. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dura-Europos sits on the intersection of the east-west land route and the route on the Euphrates. For this reason, it is a possibility that the city may have been regarded as a <i>dvara </i>or door between the east and west and hence carried the name. There is some more evidence for this in the writings of Ferris.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Dvara</span>: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ferris states in the same article that it is not likely that the mud from which the temple wall brick in which the tablet was found embedded was from the actual site of Dura because the soil there is not suitable for any type of brick making. He states</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>, "A small plain lying at the base of the cliff on which the Roman and the Greek Dura stood, may have furnished the mud, containing our tablet, to make the brick for making the temple wall. this plain may have been the site for the site of Dawara on the land of Hana. Again the tablet may have been brought with mud from another plain five miles north of Dura on the right bank of the Euphrates, where there is a village by the name <span style="color: #ffa400;">Duweir</span>, which is also possibly reminiscent of the ancient name of this territory." So, there it is, a very close cognate of the Sanskrit 'duaar' in the word 'Duweir'.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The city only became a <i>durg </i>or fortress after Seleucus converted it into a military city. Dura is Aramaic for fortress and its cognate 'durg' carries the same meaning in Sanskrit. The goddess Durga also derives her name from 'durg' meaning 'fortress' or 'powerful'.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKx6KGnW2ycF3RwsxGuoy08XSvL8nHJMfkTrX9VEx4e-cSLEy-AlwCkl1_KCJq7PeHOBXNtUnTWHbp34JsnMvREGhIB4Ybvgzd-oqCrWORtSRzy1mN_lv5G27TDRneAhet2JRpsFy8WRImgkHJfySBLNpSUGwjm-C0BCecoYSqazQOkGVRu1prew_5pjc/s440/Relief_of_Atargatis_and_Hadad_from_Dura-Europos.tif.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="330" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKx6KGnW2ycF3RwsxGuoy08XSvL8nHJMfkTrX9VEx4e-cSLEy-AlwCkl1_KCJq7PeHOBXNtUnTWHbp34JsnMvREGhIB4Ybvgzd-oqCrWORtSRzy1mN_lv5G27TDRneAhet2JRpsFy8WRImgkHJfySBLNpSUGwjm-C0BCecoYSqazQOkGVRu1prew_5pjc/w300-h400/Relief_of_Atargatis_and_Hadad_from_Dura-Europos.tif.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Relief from the Temple of Atargatis<br />excavated at Dura-Europos, Syria<br /><br /><br /></span></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></b><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Atargatis, the goddess of Damara is the same as the Vedic Durga:</span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The ancient Hierapolis in Syria, which lies about 350 km noth of Dura Europos on the Euphrates, was the first cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, whom the Phrygians occupying Anatolia, modern Turkey, called Kubileya . Later, it became the centre of the worship of the Syrian goddess Atargatis. Pliny the Elder records in his Natural History that the Greeks called the goddess Atargatis by the name Derceto. <br /><br />Derceto is the same as Atargatis. With the 'a' sound dropped Atargatis becomes</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> Targetis. From Grimm's law of sound change, we know that 'd' and 't' are phonetically interchangeable, and also by the same law we know, that 'g' distorts to 'k' with time, therefore Targatis is the same as Derceto. But where did the name Targatis stem from? Targatis is none other than Durga. As stated above, d & t are interchangeable, therefore the original form of Targatis is Dargatis, which is the same as Durga. Perhaps, therefore Durga was the goddess of the city of Dura.</span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzD2gHXQdNTfDjto5MK_sYsSAd0OFxlEXM2f1Tp8BxMc_CF_SfD0_4nbOpmaeq8SWtwUyMkYzdIvZVeQarE-LsHpJEvMT296S16wMQ_xNcqm3pTsPXL2qsQ1r3x5vQsBGJRULQ71hbJSqtKICa9FQYH7VC660XtD0iFXJsNgoMxRJl0GepS0hIxvxPFM/s1200/main-image.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzD2gHXQdNTfDjto5MK_sYsSAd0OFxlEXM2f1Tp8BxMc_CF_SfD0_4nbOpmaeq8SWtwUyMkYzdIvZVeQarE-LsHpJEvMT296S16wMQ_xNcqm3pTsPXL2qsQ1r3x5vQsBGJRULQ71hbJSqtKICa9FQYH7VC660XtD0iFXJsNgoMxRJl0GepS0hIxvxPFM/w512-h640/main-image.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;">Vedic Goddess Durga is a form of Shakti or 'feminine energy'.<br />Durga stems from Sanskrit 'durg' meaning 'fortress' and 'powerful'<br />With the letter 'a' dropped Atargatis is 'Targati'<br />which is a distortion of the name Durga.<br />On the kundalini serpent, or the spine, which is also known as 'meru' the is a chakra known as Anahata represented by a lotus.</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The city of Sir-qa and Tir-qa:</span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Babylonian tablet mentions another city by the name Sir-qa. The name Sir-qe has been identified with the city name Tir-qe on the basis of the later Assyrian spelling of the name. Since T and D are considered interchangeable in linguistics, the name of the city may also have been similar to Dura or some such form linking its meaning to fortress or passage. Since it was located at the intersection of a large network of trade routes, its name may well be related to either Dvara carrying the meaning of 'gateway' or Durg, carrying the meaning of 'fortress'.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Ninkarrak, the Goddess of Sir-qa, Tir-qa or Terqa</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Terqe is known to have been the capital of the kingdom of Khana or Hana in the second millennium BC during Hamurrabi's time. Four temples dedicated to the Goddess of Good Health, </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Ninkarrak </span><b>have also been excavated here. Early Assyriologists such as Knut Tallqvist understood the name Ninkarrak as the Goddess of Karrak. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Karrak, today known as Al-Karak, is situated in Jordon, near Amman, on a hill about 3300 </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>feet above sea level with </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">a view of the Dead Sea. Its location on a hill is significant as we shall see ahead in the discussion of its history.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The city of Karrak derives its name from Vedic Meru:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In the Bible the city of Al-Karak was known as <span style="color: #ffa400;">Qer-Harreseth</span>. In its even earlier form in the Hebrew Bible, it was known as Kir-Hareseth, Kir-Haresh or Kir-Hares. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">All of these names can be traced to the Giri-Meru of the Vedas. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">According to the Rig Veda, Giri-Meru or Merugiri, was a cosmic golden mountain at the centre of the earth. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Hebrew word 'Kir' is a variation of Sanskrit </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">giri (<span style="color: #ffa400;">गिरि</span>) meaning 'mountain'. The word Hares is a variation of Meru as we shall see ahead. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Vedic Meru </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">appears as Hara with the same meaning of 'cosmic mountain' in the Indo-Iranian and Zoroastrian religious texts. Further, the word Hara </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>goes to Hebrew and acquires the meaning </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">of 'mountain', while its original form as the name Meru or Hara and its meaning of the 'cosmic golden mountain' are forgotten.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Though the Biblical 'kir' is taken to mean 'fortress' it is a distortion of the Sanskrit 'giri' meaning 'mountain'. Kir-Hares appears as Qer-hareseth in the Bible and later in a truncated form Karakk, and finally as the present day Al-Karakk, the city on a hill of Amman. The hill of Amman is the representation of the Mt. Meru of the Vedas via the Zoroastrian Mt. Hara. The goddess of Karakk, or Ninkarakk has been equated to the Iranian Goddess Anahita.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Iranian Goddess Anahita is also the same as Durga or Shakti:</span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">According to the ancient Iranian religion, from Mt. Hara flowed the river Ardvi named after the goddess Aredvi Sura Anahita. Anahita means 'devoid of impurity' in Zoroastrianism. This word too originally stems from the Sanskrit 'huta' which means offering. It also means something pure, more specifically something that is purified by fire. <br /><br />In Avestan, the name of the goddess Anahita should more correctly read as 'Ana-ahuta'. In its original form in Sanskrit, Huta means pure, ahuta means impure and Ana-ahuta is the opposite of ahuta and therefore means 'the opposite of impure'. <br /><br />But all of these still are over simplified explanations for they fail to reveal the highest level of the meaning of Anahita, Anahuta and Anahata which are far more potent, and which have made the impact of these goddesses so lasting. The names should truly read as Anahata.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">The Cosmic sound Anahata:</span><br /><b>There are three levels of Consciousness - the gross, the very subtle, and the highest is Anahata - translated as 'the unstruck sound', which symbolizes the energy of the transcendental consciousness. As stated in the </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Kubjhika Tantra text of India, Anahata level of consciousness is represented by the fourth c<i>hakra </i>of the rising <i>kundalini</i>, known as the heart chakra which is represented by 12 vermillion lotus petals. There is a <i>yantra or </i>tool at the centre of this <i>chakra </i>which is composed of two triangles, one of them representing Shakti, the feminine energy or Durga. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In the Iranian version they know that the goddess Anahita carries the symbol of the lotus petal but do not know where the concept came from. However, Anahita, or Anahata, are both Shakti or Durga. Hence, the goddess Ninakarakk of Terqe, or Karakk, or Qer-Haresh is also Durga in a less fierce form of Anahata. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPXHZ_4YzQLB7EDWCmCIK0OdZjl_bdJ2pzEomCf-kdyb7y_DCcHDx6DHLc2BkybcoasozA4YXHjVX33_IDqobCs9QSnwZwJqnULTwoRIpb_LxK9NMeHiXJOp4f8kaaW_oYmH3GVT4oDPEMsmpVEHX3mmeCv_HiZfTwVUD3p0gNou-bo3Xbz9iDIY9s5o/s1280/1280px-Lotus_Achaemenid_architecture%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1280" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPXHZ_4YzQLB7EDWCmCIK0OdZjl_bdJ2pzEomCf-kdyb7y_DCcHDx6DHLc2BkybcoasozA4YXHjVX33_IDqobCs9QSnwZwJqnULTwoRIpb_LxK9NMeHiXJOp4f8kaaW_oYmH3GVT4oDPEMsmpVEHX3mmeCv_HiZfTwVUD3p0gNou-bo3Xbz9iDIY9s5o/s320/1280px-Lotus_Achaemenid_architecture%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The 12 -petalled, lotus is the symbol<br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">of the goddess Anahita, more correctly Anahata who is Durga.<br />Durga as Anahata is a representation </span><span style="text-align: start;">of the fourth <i>chakra </i>on the kundalini serpent, on the spine in the human body, which is also </span><span style="text-align: start;">known as 'meru' in Sanskrit. The Anahata is the highest<br />level of consciousness in the cosmos.<br />Photo: Temple of Anahita, Persapolis </span></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Puzurum</span>:</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Across the street from the Temple, a small private home has been unearthed. A number of clay tablets were found in this house, which reveal the financial activities of the temple. What is interesting is that this small archive of texts, name this man as Puzurum, and gives us insights into the administrative and banking procedures of the economy of the Temple.</b></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Puzurum is a cognate of Sanskrit 'purohita', or <i>pujari</i>, who in the Vedic context, is the one who perform 'puja', in other words, is in-charge of religious and ritualistic activities of a temple. </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Sanskrit '<i>purohita</i>' derives </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">from the Sanskrit, <i>puras </i>meaning "front", and hita, "place". More specifically, Tirtha <i>purohita </i>means the <i>purohita </i>who sits by holy rivers and who have maintained the records of th</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">e forefathers of the Hindu family for thousands of years. </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Terqe, the inscriptions reveal that the temple Puzurum had a substantial </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>role in the financial activities of the town including giving out loans.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Baramati</span>: The most intriguing name that was found on the Dura Europos clay tablet of Hammurabi is the name '<span style="color: #ffa400;">Baramati </span>field' or 'Baramati district'. Right away one can deduce that Baramati refers to the river Euphrates. </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>We know that t</b></span><b>he river Euphrates has historically been known by two names. One is the Buranuna, the other Supurna, which was discussed in an earlier post <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2023/06/river-euphrates-was-once-known-as.html" target="_blank">here.</a></b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">The earliest references to the Euphrates come to us from the cuneiform texts found in the cities of Shuruppak and Nippur in southern Iraq and date to the mid-3rd millennium BCE. In these texts, written in Sumerian, the Euphrates is called <span style="color: #ffa400;">Buranuna</span>. </span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name is sometimes interpreted from its cuneiform text, with the prefix "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingir">d</a>", indicating that the river was a divinity. In which case it may safely be stated that the name Buranuna is a variation of the Vedic name Varuna - the god of sea. Varuna was well known in the Near east and the Middle east in deep antiquity, and later to the Hurrians, Hittites and the Mitanni. </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Variations of the name Varuna appear in the ancient texts of the Hittites, Hurrians and Mittani. </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Tarhunz was the weather god of the Luwians, who lived in Anatolia (ancient Turkey) and later became a part of the Hittites. The Hittites themselves called their weather god Tarhunna. Scholars have for the most part accepted that the name of these gods are Indo-European, but in their endeavor sometimes to dodge acceptance that </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Tarhunz or Tarhunna is none other than the Vedic weather God Varuna, many interesting etymologies have been put forth. It is however quite evident that the Sumerians and Babylonians were aware of these names as well as that of Varuna.</b></span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The prefix Bara is both a distortion of the prefix Varu in the name Varuna, and a cognate of Bura in the name Buranuna. In Sanskrit name 'mati' is very often a suffix in river names -and means 'having the quality of', in this case 'having the quality of varu, or Vari, meaning water. The name Varuna itself means 'water' as well as 'god of the sea'. The original form of Baramati must have been Varamati.</b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the name Euphrates, where Eu denotes good, the suffix 'pharat' is taken to mean abundance, from Akkadian. Given that there are place names on the Euphrates such as Subaru, it may indicate that the pharat in the name Euphrates may itself be a variation of 'baru' or the 'varu' of Varuna. We see an example of this in India where the ancient city of Varanasi on the river Ganges gets its name from Varuna. Its name distorted to Benaras with time, though the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ancient most name has now been revived and is the official name of the city.<br /><br />It may therefore be inferred that the information contained in the cuneiform tile of Dura-Europos points to a Vedic-Indic-Sanskrit connect to this site much before the arrival of the Greeks.</span></b></p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Citations and Bibliography:<br /><br />1.<a href="https://www.academia.edu/42037776">Ancient Terqa and its temple of Ninkarrak: Renata M MacDougal </a><br />2.<a href="https://www.terqa.org/pages/10.html">Narrative - Terqa - Terqa</a><br />3.<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23282272">THE LOCATION OF DŪR-YAḪDUN-LIM on JSTOR</a><br />4.<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/057cf8db-9fc2-3f94-92a8-d840b86cd4c2?read-now=1&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents">A CUNEIFORM TABLET FROM DURA-EUROPAS on JSTOR</a> by Stephen J. Ferris<br />5. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27931644">Cuneiform Documents from Syria-Palestine Texts, Scribes, and Schools on JSTOR</a><br />6. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43830542">Changes in the Euphrates River: Ecology and Politics in a Rural Ottoman Periphery, 1687-1702 on JSTOR</a><br /></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">7. <a href="https://www.academia.edu/7466320/The_Foundation_and_Early_Life_of_Dura_Europus">The Foundation and Early Life of Dura Europus | Paul Kosmin - Academia.edu</a><br />8. <a href="https://www.academia.edu/42037776">Ancient Terqa and its temple of Ninkarrak: The Excavations of the Fifth and Sixth Seasons | Renata M MacDougal - Academia.edu</a><br /><a href="https://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/duragoddesses.html">Dura Europos - Godesses (stlcc.edu)</a></span></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-49228569970076418002023-08-09T03:20:00.132-07:002023-09-07T11:57:24.604-07:00HIERAPOLIS - THE ANCIENT MAHABHAGA-DURGA-AMBIKA TEMPLE OF SYRIA<div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A Mahabhaga</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"> Durga Temple in Hierapolis, Syria</span>:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In an essay titled 'On Egypt and Other Countries Adjacent to the Cali River or the Nile of Ethiopia', which appeared in the Journal of Asiatic Researches, Vol III, the author Col. Wiford Francis states, "Ptolemy acknowledges himself indebted for much information to many learned Indians whom he had seen at Alexandria; and Lucian informs us, that pilgrims from India resorted to Hierapolis in Syria; which place is called in the Puranas, at least as it appears to me, <span style="color: #ffa400;">Mahabhaga</span>, or the station of the Goddess Devi, with that epithet. " </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Vedic-Sanskritic presence in Central Asia:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The possible existence of a temple dedicated to Mahabhaga, that is Durga, in Syria, which in deep antiquity undoubtedly had Vedic roots, is not as surprising as it may sound:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1.The Hierapolis area, or Manbij as it is called today, has been Kurdish or Yazdi by culture even in the recent past. Though there is a debate whether the Kurdis and the Yazidis are the same, linguistically they both seem to derive their names from the Sanskrit word 'yagya' which means 'worship'. Sanskrit 'Yagya' (reverence) distorts to <span style="color: #ffa400;">yazata</span> (worship) in Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrians are the predecessors of the Yazidis. The word Kurdi is a derivation of the name Yazidi. The Zoroastrian pantheon of gods is derived from the Rig Veda and cannot be interpreted without the use of Sanskrit, from which </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Avestan, the language of the Zoroastrians is derived. <br /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. Distance wise, Syria is only as far away from India in the west, as Indonesia is in the east. Indonesia has some of the most ancient Vedic temple sites. Logically, the same trend should be visible in the west too. There was the added advantage of aland route between Central Asia and India, Additionally, the advantage in the western direction frequented upon by the traders. There is evidence that trade relations were undoubtedly predated by a cultural transfer. The expansion of the Vedic civilization was in both the directions, with the Indus-Saraswati region at the centre. There is unlimited evidence for this. It is in this light that one may look for Vedic roots of the temple of Hierapolis or Mahabhaga.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Mahabhaga Legend, the source of the name Mahabhaga</span>:</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In the Vedic-Puranic tradition, there is the legend of a grief-stricken Shiva who carries the body of his wife Sati on his shoulder around the world when she passes away. When he refuses to set her down, Sri Vishnu decimates the body by cutting it into many parts. Wherever a part fell, a Shakti-pitha of the 'maha-bhaga'(meaning 'great-part'), came up. The Hindus of the time of Ptolemy and Lucian believed that one of the body-parts fell in Syria and had probably coveyed their thoughts to them.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Claudius Ptolemy (100-170 AD) was a Greek philosopher and geographer who lived in Alexandria in Egypt and acknowledged in his Geographica of having interacted with Indian learned men and having acquired knowledge from them in Alexandria. Lucian of Somasata (125-180 AD) was a Syriac </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>historian whose greatest work is the De Diya Syria. He too mentions his interaction with Indian wise men. </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the wake of this information, one might examine Wilford's assertion of having heard from the pandits who maintained that their predecessors had visited the temple of Mahabhaga in Syria, during the times of Alexander and thereabouts. Col Francis Wilford, (1761-1822), a British Orientalist and a Fellow Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal wrote a detailed essay about the Nile and about some of the temples on the Tigris and the Euphrates including the temple at Hierapolis in Syria. We begin with the information passed to us from Lucian writings.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Deukalion and the Syrian Goddess:</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>About the antiquity of the temple of Hierapolis Lucian states in his work 'De Diya Syria", "The people, then, allege that it was Deukalion or Sisythus who founded the temple; I mean the Deukalion in whose time the great flood occurred." </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Deukalion is another name for Noah. Since many have claimed that Sanskrit was probably first recorded in Syria, from purely a Sanskrit language point of view, Deukalion, or its cognate 'Deva Kala' meaning 'God of Time', is Mahakala or Shiva. The suffix 'on' is a part that Greeks would often add to names. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>At some point the city of Hierapolis in Syria became a centre for the worship of the Syrian Goddess. In fact, in the Anatolian region of Turkey too another city by the name Hierapolis dedicated to the worship of the goddess came up.</b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Hierapolis of Turkey:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As a disambiguation one may add here that the Anatolian Hierapolis acquired the name Pamukale-Hierapolis. It is different from the Hierapolis of Syria that Lucian wrote about.<br /> The two sites were both dedicated to the worship of the same goddess, hence it becomes important to mention a few details.<br /><br />In Pammukale-Hierapolis, the temple, ostensibly dedicated to the S</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">yrian Goddess Atargatis, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">but Vedic in antiquity, still exists. That is a subject of a later post. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For a Sanskrit link to ancient Turkish names click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2020/07/traces-of-lord-shiva-on-river.html" target="_blank">here</a> to access an earlier post.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Turkish Hierapolis was a Phrygian cult center located on the remarkable hot springs of classical</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span><b>Phrygia, on the river Sangarios. The Sangarios or Sangaris was also known as the Sakariya and Sagaris. All these varying names are Sanskritic too.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Sanga (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">संघ</span><b>) means confluence, Sagara (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">सागर </span><b>) - ocean and Sakariya (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">साकार</span><b>) - the 'material form of a celestial entity', in this case, a river. </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">If Syria had Sanskritic-Vedic origins, the neighboring Turkey could not have escaped its influence. Sankritic names abound in Anatolia and Turkey. </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>That </b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Turkey was not without Vedic influence in religion lies in Turkish words, such as <i>tapinak </i>for temple and <i>tapinma </i>for worship, both stemming from Sanskrit 'tapa' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तप्</span>) worship, or ascetism. </span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Atargatis is the Vedic Durga:</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Syrians believed that temple of Hierapolis in Syria was a cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, whom the Phrygians called Kubileya and whose vehicle was a chariot driven by lions. Later, the temple came to be associated with the Syrian goddess Atargatis. Pliny the Elder records in his Natural History that the Greeks called the goddess Derceto. All of these names too have a Sanskrit connect.</b></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">First, it is obvious that Derceto and Atargatis is the same goddess. With the 'a' sound dropped in Atargatis, the name becomes Targetis. From Grimm's law of sound change, we know that 'd' and 't' are phonetically interchangeable, and also by the same law we know, that 'g' distorts to 'k' with time, therefore Targatis is the same as Derceto. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Derketo and Durga, Kubileya and Kubhjika:</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But where did the name Targatis stem from? </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Targatis is none other than Durga. As stated above, d & t are interchangeable, therefore the original form of Targatis is Dargatis, which is the same as Durga. Durga is a goddess of the Hindu pantheon. In her cultic form, she is known as Kubhjika and her vehicle is the lion. This name goes into the Anatolian pantheon as Kubileya, or Cybele. </b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>All the Vedic names of Goddesses are various forms of Shakti with different characteristics. Shakti is the feminine energy mentioned in various Vedic-Upanishadic scriptures. Each of these different names have a meaning in Sanskrit. </b><b> 'Durga' means powerful, and in her aggressive for she is addressed by this name. Kubhjika, the source of the name Kubileya means 'the bent goddess'. In this form Shakti can enter any place she wants, like caves or wombs, by changing her shape and assuming a minute size. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Durga is known as Mahabhaga in the Varaha Purana and the name means 'great parts' as mentioned above.</b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Heiropolis and Manbij:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>An ancient name of Hierapolis was Manbij. Its earliest recorded Aramean-Hebrew name was Mnbg, meaning 'spring site'. The Assyrians called it Nappigu. Pliny recorded the place name as Mabbog. </b></span><b>Col. Wilford traced the name Mabbog to Mahabhaga. In ancient Syria, the local language was Syriac or </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Aramaic. In these languages as well as in Arabic today, the “jiym” “ج” or the “j” is the original sound, and nowhere does the sound “g” appear. If an Arab were to pronounce the word Mahabhag even today, it will sound like Mabbij, which is the present name of the city. If a Greek were to pronounce Mahabag today, it would appear as Mabbog. <br /></span></b><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mabbog and Napatha:</span></span></b></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Edward Lipinski states in his book, 'The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion', "Shalmananesar's III's Annals for 856 BC mentions the city Unn-Na-pi-ga, which is certainly modern Manbig, west of the Euphrates. The original Aramaic form of the name was Manbig 'spring site', assimilated in Syriac to Mabbug." </span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lipinski traces the etymology of Mabbug in his book 'Semitic Languages'. He states, "The root is nbg, 'to break forth', 'to come to the surface'. It is a variant of npq, 'to go forth', that was </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">probably borrowed into Arabic as 'nabaga'." But these are Sanskritic too.<br /><br />When examining the words ‘nbg’, ‘nabaga’, and ‘napiga’ through the lens of the Sanskrit language, we can trace their origins back to the root word ‘nabha’ or 'nabh'. First, 'nabh' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">नभ्</span>), pronounced 'nubh', means 'to break open' or 'tear open', and refers in Sanskrit to 'water springs' because they sprout out water from the earth. In the form 'nabhas '(<span style="color: #ffa400;">नभस</span>), the word means 'vapoury' or 'watery'. In the form 'nAbha' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">नाभ</span>), it means 'navel' or 'center point'. </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>From purely a Sanskrit point of view, the site of the Temple of the Syrian Goddess could have even have been addressed as Maha-Nabha or the place of the 'Great Springs.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>It is in this context that Col. Wilford stated in his essay, "Even to this day the Hindus occasionally visit, as I am assured, the two Jwala-mucchis, or Springs of Naphtha, in Cushadvipa within; the first of which, dedicated to the same goddess, with the epithet Anayasa, is not far from the Tigris: and Strabo mentions a temple, on that very spot, inscribed to the goddess Anaias." </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In Puranic Geography, by Cushadvaipa-within is meant a part of Jambhudvipa which includes Bharata (India) and parts of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Cushadwipa-without refers to Egypt, Ethiopia, Abyssinia, Sudan etc. Springs of Naphtha refer to the magnificent thermal springs that lie in Syria and Turkey.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3ctDJEKU-8NS8CJoCSsLEH_nO8t7YYJuj4bmXPzjo1NGufWdH1aotKUT4p3dlyGyo4-SlWfn1Bv3BwEqRB2dxzLOERNEFV8w_T6Eq0--A12EZAKpFnTawiEDs_rslOIkoRZk6HaHdwCurEzqZ8VGIDdRUA3A3YiSTCfNTld23cwJhM1z1S1mR7VuJo/s1016/Temple%20of%20atargatis%20Syria.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3ctDJEKU-8NS8CJoCSsLEH_nO8t7YYJuj4bmXPzjo1NGufWdH1aotKUT4p3dlyGyo4-SlWfn1Bv3BwEqRB2dxzLOERNEFV8w_T6Eq0--A12EZAKpFnTawiEDs_rslOIkoRZk6HaHdwCurEzqZ8VGIDdRUA3A3YiSTCfNTld23cwJhM1z1S1mR7VuJo/w640-h480/Temple%20of%20atargatis%20Syria.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Up until the 19th century travelers had recorded some of its ancient remains, but now almost all of them, including Atargatis' temple has been destroyed and its sacred lake filled up. Only a part of the wall that enclosed the lake has survived and can be seen in the above picture.</b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div></td></tr></tbody></table></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Bambyce and Ambika</span>:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Greeks recorded the name of the temple site as Bambyce or sometimes Hierapolis-Bambyce, meaning cotton. It is curious how the Greeks got this name. Bambyce appears to be a variation of the name Ambike, another name of 'feminine energy' or Shakti, which is Durga. In the form </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ambika, she is the consort </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">of Sadashiva, the Co</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">smic Male. As a Sanskrit noun, '<i><span style="color: #ffa400;">ambika</span></i>' derives from the root '<span><i><span style="color: #ffa400;">amba</span></i></span>', meaning both water and mother. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his article 'Hierapolis-Syriae' which appeared in the Annual of the British School at Athens' Vol. 14, 1907/1908, author D.G. Hogarth made the observation, "It is a curious coincidence that the other famous Hierapolis in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor, which was also a chief seat of the 'Asiatic Goddess' is now called Pambuk Kalessi - The Cotton Castle.' The name is explained by the white fibrous appearance of the alum deposited by the local hot springs; but one cannot but suspect that an ancient native name, given to the goddess equally in Western Asia Minor and in North Syria, lies behind the modern name, and that the latter has acquired a new sense by assimilation.". The name appears to be the Vedic Durga also called Ambika.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Greeks in all likelihood misinterpreted Ambika and gave it the form 'bambyce', and equated it with the cottony, frothy hot spring formations at the hot springs. One can see why this error might have come up. The Greek word for cotton '</b><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">bambaki</i><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">', seems to be a corruption of the Sanskrit '</b><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">ambara</i><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">अम्बर</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">) also meaning cotton, more precisely the white-woolly substance covering the seeds from which the yarn is made. It is for this reason that cotton is equated with clouds even in Sanskrit, for 'ambara' also carries the meaning of 'cloud'. </b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Lucian's description of the Temple in De Diya Syria</span>:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Lucian of Samosata, who lived from the year 125-180 AD, wrote in his treatise 'De Diya Syria' that the site of the Syrian Goddess was already an ancient site when he visited it. Lucian was not sure of the name. The rituals were already strange and had lost their original meaning to the locals and the visitors there, other than the Indians probably who can make sense of the Syrain rituals even today!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Two Shivalingas</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Lucian stated in around 125 AD, ", The place where the temple is placed is a hill. It lies nearly in the center of the city </b></span><b>and is surrounded by a double wall. Of the two walls, one is ancient, the other is not much older than our own times. The entrance to the temple faces north; its size is about 100 fathoms. In this </b><span><b>entrance</b></span><b> those (two) phalli stand." For the time being, we assume these are Shivalingas. There is some evidence for this, such as pouring water over deities similar to the Vedic 'kalasha puja' etc. which are mentioned ahead.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lucian continues, "The ascent to the temple is built of wood and not particularly wide, as you mount even the great hall exhibits a wonderful spectacle and it is ornamented with golden doors. the temple within is ablaze with gold and the ceiling in its entirety golden." The ascent to the Vedic temples in India was also almost always steep and narrow- perhaps to control access.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Zeus and Hera or Shiva and Parvati:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>About the deities </b><span><b>inside</b></span><b> Lucian states, "In this shrine </b><span><b>are placed</b></span><b> the statues, one of which is Hera, the other Zeus, though they call him by another name. Both of these are golden, both are sitting. Hera is supported by lions; Zeus is sitting on bulls."</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQivCq17W6pAaiAEACyO_VxW0TfkWZsYJaY6irqHKsXKMK-nIjFfaO1IGcZVYEfuAaprxkJNq3OadnWKeOIDQP1_GvPMYWpGRWm6GCn4vrNx1osc6QEq1NrJLSFxC5u-hCQJ1uvIR0LmrtYmrcSGk16UwuRIHBPPNdtNXiJxTq6KdHZcXPyCrTsyAqenE/s567/Screenshot_20230809-144118_Chrome.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="502" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQivCq17W6pAaiAEACyO_VxW0TfkWZsYJaY6irqHKsXKMK-nIjFfaO1IGcZVYEfuAaprxkJNq3OadnWKeOIDQP1_GvPMYWpGRWm6GCn4vrNx1osc6QEq1NrJLSFxC5u-hCQJ1uvIR0LmrtYmrcSGk16UwuRIHBPPNdtNXiJxTq6KdHZcXPyCrTsyAqenE/w354-h400/Screenshot_20230809-144118_Chrome.jpg" width="354" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The inscription of Zeus and Hela </b><br /><b>on a 3rd century coin of Hierapolis</b><br /><b>depicting the interior of the Atargatis temple<br />of Manbij, Syria </b></span><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In order to trace the etymology of Hera in the Vedic tradition, one may look at Heramb-<i>janani</i>, which is another name for Durga. In fact, as <span style="color: #ffa400;">Heramb-<i>janani </i></span>she is the mother of <span style="color: #ffa400;">Ganesha</span>, that is she is Parvati. One may conclude that it is from here that the name Hera stems. Lucian notes that the male deity is Zeus but he says he is called by another name by the priests - so Zeus is a derivative form of an original name. Since the deity's vehicle is the bull, he is Shiva. Hence the two phalli at the entrance are also <i>Shivalingas</i>. Lucian states that these phalli were erected by the </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Greco-Roman god Dionysus.<br /><br />There exists a notable overlap between Dionysus and Shiva. Shared iconography and background include a crescent or horns on the head, panther or tiger skins, serpents, phallic symbolism or the Shiva lingas. Dionysus is noted in several references with </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">an association with India.<br /><br />About the name Hera, in their commentary on Lucian's De Dia Syria, compiled in a book called the Syrian Goddess, authors Professor H. Strong and John Garstand, (1913), state, "There are the mated pair of deities: the god is indistinguishable from Zeus, and he is seated on bulls; while the goddess, who is called for brevity 'Hera', as the consort of ' Zeus' embodies attributes of the nature-goddess or Great Mother, and she is seated on lions." In other words, Hera is a truncated form of a longer name.<br /><br />Strong and Gerstand state ahead, "Lucian describes the chief sanctuary of the great Syrian temple at Hierapolis as containing the common shrine of 'Zeus and Hera'. His very use of these names suggests the wedded character of the deities. Had </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>the shrine been that of the Great Mother alone, the god would not have been accorded an equal prominence near the common altar." That is true of Shiva and Parvati. T</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>hey are a wedded pair in the Vedic tradition and have a son Ganesha.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />The original names of the deities were forgotten in Syria because they belonged to a time in deep antiquity. Strong and Garstand state, "The central cult at Hierapolis is thus appa</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">rently identical with that which the Hittites had established in the land 1500 years before Lucian wrote." That makes this temple close to 4000 years old. The Hittites were an Indo-European people who had been living in Syria and adjoining areas since the 3rd millennium BC. Their pantheon of gods contains mostly Indic names.*</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Goddess Hera of Hierapolis and the Indic Heramb and Ganesha</span>:</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Lucian notes further, "Between the two (deities) there stands another image of gold, no part of it resembling the others." In the picture above the gold image at the centre appears to be like a 'kalasha'. </b><br /><br /><b>That the image that Lucian described may indeed be a 'kalasha' is attested by the following remark he makes in his De Dia Syria, "It is taken down to the sea twice every year to bring up the water of which I have spoken."</b><br /><br /><b>The image at Hierapolis is three layered. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the Vedic tradition the three-pitcher vessel is known as 'purna kalasha'. It contain water and coins, food items and offerings, with coconut and mango leaves at the top. It is a symbol of auspiciousness and abundance, embodying either the god Ganesha or his mother Parvati. The ritual includes offering prayers to the kalasha and then offering its contents to a temple. The priest may then in return the vessel with some holy water and <i>prasada. </i>The ritual that Lucian describes is similar where the bearers bring a vessel to the temple with offerings which are given to the temple, in return holy water is filled in the vessel and offered at the temple.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is yet another ritual that bears some resemblance to the Shivalinga puja. Lucian states in his De Diya Syria, "But a further story is told by the men of Hierapolis, and a wonderful one it is ; they say that in their country a mighty chasm appeared which received all the water, and that Deukalion on this occurrence reared altars and founded a temple to Juno above this chasm. I have actually seen this chasm, it lies beneath the temple and is of very small dimensions. If it was once of large size, and was afterwards reduced to its present small dimensions, I know not: but the chasm which I saw is certainly very small. They maintain that their tale is proved by the following occurrence; </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">twice in every year the water comes from the sea to the temple. This water is brought by the priests; but besides them, all Syria and Arabia and many from beyond the Euphrates. "</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The chasm appears to be the jaladhara of a Shiva temple from which water poured over shivalinga flows out to awater body. Or in other cases water washes in and sprinkles over the deities. This is common in Shiva temples.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ganesha is known as Heramb which is his tantric-cultic form. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana explains the meaning of Heramba: the syllable '<i>he</i>' denotes helplessness or weakness, while <i>ramba </i>is 'protection of the weak', to save them from harm; thus, Heramba means the "Protector of the weak and good people".</span></b></div><div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The interior of the temple or the 'garbha-griha':</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About the interior of the temple and the priests who preside there, Lucian says, "But the temple within is not uniform. A special sacred shrine is reared within it...The great temple is open to all, the sacred shrine to the priests alone and not to all even of these, but only to those who are deemed nearest to the gods and who have the charge of the administration of the sacred sites." This is surely a description of the <span style="color: #ffa400;"><i>garbha griha</i> </span>where the above-mentioned Zeus-Hera statutes are placed, and there, only the <i>purohit </i>is allowed much like in Hindu-Vedic temples. </span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A sacred fish tank and a lake:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Lucian records that just outside the main temple complex was a large tank filled with fish. These fish were considered sacred by the temple’s devotees and were treated with great reverence. The temple also had a lake and an altar that was the center of sacred festivities. The altar perhaps was the yoni base of a broken </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">shivalinga</i><b>. It was customary for votaries to swim out and decorate the altar standing in the middle of the water. Nothing could be more Vedic than that practice. Fish tanks are still an integral part of Hindu temples today, as they were in the period that Lucian wrote in.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1lzXj5csSyvg8g4Y3pAEpN7DJLDoiz6L03ljaVCbsYOhwxa5mRIGNg3bhFHUZ97DT9myErhnKtUP2r425s31Va74PVe5Rl-7o36yaqejzodx0A7ng2dM5d0ctUE3aTy7RWAtQxdow2K6R9iz62Si_DVQS3-asV4TwXskbFTmJZavfBE0o0fzBCfqDbE/s437/20230822_192457-modified.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="437" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1lzXj5csSyvg8g4Y3pAEpN7DJLDoiz6L03ljaVCbsYOhwxa5mRIGNg3bhFHUZ97DT9myErhnKtUP2r425s31Va74PVe5Rl-7o36yaqejzodx0A7ng2dM5d0ctUE3aTy7RWAtQxdow2K6R9iz62Si_DVQS3-asV4TwXskbFTmJZavfBE0o0fzBCfqDbE/w640-h496/20230822_192457-modified.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sacred Lake at Hierapolis where all the<br />rituals were held.<br />Manbij, Syria.<br />Photo courtesy: The Annual of the British School at Athens<br />Dated 1907/1908</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">About the lake D.G. Hogarth states, "Scanty remains of a stepped quay-wall or revetment, with water stairs at intervals, which surrounds a large pool, some three acres in area, in the centre of the western half of the site. These remains extend all along the western bank and are visible also on the southern bank, but are obliterated elsewhere. The pool is said to be perennial and of some depth in the centre of the western, and it can hardly be other than the one in which, according to the treatise De Diya Syria, sacred fish of remarkable size, beauty and docility were kept. The altars in the middle, to which the votaries used to swim, has disappeared. The water stairs, however, by which they went down into the lake, remain."</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Scholar Hogarth had exercised the hope in 1907 when he had visited the site that the lake area would be restored. He had stated, " I can believe that clearing the banks and dredging the bottom of this pool might be well worth while, if it really be the place which was the centre of the cult-practices described in De Dea Syria."</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">But that was not to be. In the name of development many archaeological sites around the world are destroyed. The lake of De Dea Syria was filled in and a football ground was made there."</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">*The Hittite pantheon of Gods contains names such as their storm god Tarunzas, who is none other than the Vedic Varuna, Tehsheba whose vehicle was the bull is none other than Shiva, and so on. The thing about the Sanskrit names is that all of them have a meaning, VAruna means water, hence Varuna is the Sea god, shiva (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">शिव</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">) means auspicious, hence Shiva is sacred. The names are not without meaning.</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Citations</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"> and Bibliography</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1. <a href="http://www.govtgirlsekbalpur.com/Study_Materials/History/CC5_MOD_5A_BHAKTI_TANTRISM_PURANIC_TRADITIONS_POPULAR_RELIGIOUS_CULTS.pdf">BHAKTI_TANTRISM_PURANIC_TRADITIONS_POPULAR_RELIGIOUS_CULTS</a><br /></b></span><div><div></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2.<a href="https://www.hindu-blog.com/2017/01/goddess-mahabhaga.html">Goddess Mahabhaga</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3.<a href="https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5099-derceto">DERCETO - JewishEncyclopedia.com</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA498&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia - Trevor Bryce </a></span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">5. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=rrMKKtiBBI4C&pg=PA633&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=spring&f=false">The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion - Edward Lipiński</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">6.<a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=3uMDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=Palasha+Bihar+ancient+names&source=bl&ots=X-7Bis7Gxu&sig=72wql2DTAGdOyEJwG4-6rH_GuZI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj56dnV543XAhVCNo8KHWycBscQ6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&q=Palasha%20Bihar%20ancient%20names&f=false">A grammar of the Hebrew hieroglyphs applied to the sacred Scriptures - Thomas Richard Brown </a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">7.<a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Sew9Lby_MVsC&pg=PA285&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Al Kanfei Yonah - Jonas Carl Greenfield </a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>8. <a href="https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.4197/page/n215/mode/2up?q=breta">Asiatic Researches - Vol.3 </a><br />9. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=m_ZfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=arkite+worship&source=bl&ots=pmRzqtp3an&sig=TjP8g5BDotSyEGgTZRaKnpeNgyI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirj-aVxvnKAhUOVo4KHU8sAYEQ6AEIPDAH#v=onepage&q=ireland&f=false">Gentleman's Magazine, Or Monthly Intelligencer - Sylvanus Urban</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>10. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=VXAPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=Modern+Geography+Pinkerton+Hybernia&source=bl&ots=aXdAkDbkcr&sig=LDfdYnm8uXG_z7DzsXOSt8W_iX8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_qq2wxPnKAhXGto4KHf7VBH4Q6AEIITAB#v=onepage&q=Modern%20Geography%20Pinkerton%20Hybernia&f=false">Modern Geography: A Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Colonies - John Pinkerton</a><br />11. <a href="https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hierapolis.html">Hierapolis | The amazing name Hierapolis: meaning and etymology</a><br />12. <a href="https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.73689/page/n1/mode/2up?q=stan">Geography of the Puranas : Ali, S.M. </a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>13. <a href="https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/myths-legends-irelands-longest-rivers">Myths and legends from Ireland’s five longest rivers</a><br />14.<a href="https://archive.org/details/doctrinedelugev01harcgoog/page/140/mode/2up?q=sandhi">The doctrine of the Deluge; vindicating the scriptural account from the doubts cast upon it : Leveson Venables V . Harcourt </a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>15. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2015/09/01/unesco-chief-isis-destruction-of-syrian-temple-intolerable/"> ISIS destruction of Syrian temple </a></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>16.</span><a href="https://qz.com/492464/this-is-the-2000-year-old-temple-that-isil-just-pointlessly-destroyed">The 2,000-year-old temple you will never get to see</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">17. <a href="https://www.commercialinteriordesign.com/insight/second-ancient-syrian-temple-attacked-by-is">Second ancient Syrian temple attacked</a>.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">18. <a href="https://archive.org/details/syriangoddessbei00luciuoft/page/2/mode/1up">The Syrian goddess; Lucian's De dea Syria, with a life of Lucian by Herbert A. Strong. Edited by John Garstang</a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>19. <a href="https://www.traveltofethiye.co.uk/explore/attractions/hierapolis-turkey-ancient-city/">Ancient City of Hierapolis Turkey</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>20. <a href="https://archive.org/details/citiesofstpaul00ramsuoft/page/132/mode/1up?q=phal">The cities of St. Paul : their influence on his life and thought : the cities of eastern Asia Minor : Ramsay, William Mitchell, Sir, </a></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="#">1851-1939</a><br />21. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=jz4lDwAAQBAJ&dq=remains+of+the+southern+enclosure+wall+of+the+temple+of+atargatis&pg=PA36&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=remains%20of%20the%20southern%20enclosure%20wall%20of%20the%20temple%20of%20atargatis&f=false">Aleppo: A history</a><br />23. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=BbMeAQAAIAAJ&q=Cyrrhestica&pg=PA1407&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=Cyrrhestica&f=false">A Dictionary of the Bible Vol III Edited by William Smith</a><br />24. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittite_mythology_and_religion">Hittite mythology and religion - Wikipedia</a></span></b></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-47376478035092310712023-08-03T06:15:00.144-07:002023-08-04T05:51:40.728-07:00SANSKRIT SOURCE OF THE NAME KHARTOUM - THE CONFLUENCE OF THE BLUE AND WHITE NILE<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An attempt is being made through this </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">post to decode the names that occur on the Nile river and its tributaries with the help of Sanskrit to see if one can shed more light on these names, and through the names the history of the people who lived around this river. The Puranas contains references to what Indic scholars have suggested is the river Nile. </span></b><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>River Astraboras or Meghabarri:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In the previous post we learnt that Greek geographer Strabo (64 BC-24 AD) stated in his 'Geographica' that a tributary of the Nile near Meroe in Ethiopia was known as the Astraboras, later called the Aitbarah or Black Nile. Strabo suggested that Astraboras meant ‘the river of the Bora people’, while Roman author Pliny the Elder (24 AD- 79 AD) stated that locals called it Megabarri, meaning ‘the river from the shadows.’ This river has given rise to many ancient town names on the Black Nile.</b><br /><br /><b>One effective way to trace the history of a civilization is by studying the history of its rivers. Often, the name of a river can reveal a wealth of information and can be even more insightful than studying the history of a town or city. For example, to study the history of Sudan, one could examine the history of the Nile and White Nile rivers, which meet in Khartoum.</b><br /><br /><b>If one looks at the name Megabarri with the meaning of a ‘river that comes out of the shadows that Pliny had recorded in his 'Natural History', through the Sanskrit lens, the name can easily be traced back to its original form 'Meghavari', with ‘megha’ meaning ‘dark’ and ‘vari’ meaning ‘river.’ It is for this reason that the river came to be known as the Black Nile. On this river, even on present day maps, we find place names like Burri and Soba. Burri is a variation of Vari, meaning river. </b><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Khartoum and Mandjara:</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Khartoum only started developing sometime in the 1850s. Before that it was significant for the fact that it was the point of confluence of two rivers, but not as a city or town. So where does the name Khartoum stem from? On the junction of the Black Nile and the White Nile, one finds mention of a place named </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Mandjhara</span><b>. This was the old name of the confluence. The name Khartoum stems from Mandjara. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The etymology of Mandhjara is unknown locally, so we look at the names through the Sanskrit lens. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Two observations can be made here. One, is that that Mandhjara might be a corruption of the name Mandara. Two Vedic-Puranic names, Mandara and Meru, occur so frequently on the map of Africa that these names should be a matter of research. But since 'Mandara' signifies a 'mountain from which rivers flow', and Mandjara is not a mountain, we investigate more.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mandjara and Sendi</span>:</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Two other Sanskrit words, </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>mandhi </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">मन्धि</span>) 'joint', a</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">nd <i>jhara </i>(</span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">झर</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">) 'river' or 'waterfall' also explain the name Mandjara. Purely from a Sanskrit point of view, Mandhjara means the 'meeting point of two </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>waterfalls or rivers'.</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">More credence is lead to this argument by noting the fact that if you go up the river White Nile, there is an ancient town which was the intersection point of travellers coming from all directions into this part of Africa - from China and India and from Egypt and Ethiopia. The name of the town is Sendi. Sendi is a cognate of the Sanskrit 'Sandhi' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">संधि</span>) and also means 'junction. It is therefore tempting to link Mandhi (Mandjara) and Sandhi (Sendi), the former is the intersection of the rivers, the latter the intersection of the land routes on the Nile.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">With that in mind, we now look for the etymology of Khartoum. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33pTC7hBsDGOI5ObQiX8kz13I172-lPnSrfOm25ltCTPfQgGhSoAVMUsE6f8eItbDDhCfxQx0lwWlvbhW2ahcdz-Sjxl49XhHgnkfF6uiavGb7hh9ljeNpneDgWGoXIgXxMxwfycKJo0DgQvvtYUf5pzNM-IIDwZ8OsWDFJMXyH2zLGrr0OkoYj3-XKk/s635/mandjhara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="635" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33pTC7hBsDGOI5ObQiX8kz13I172-lPnSrfOm25ltCTPfQgGhSoAVMUsE6f8eItbDDhCfxQx0lwWlvbhW2ahcdz-Sjxl49XhHgnkfF6uiavGb7hh9ljeNpneDgWGoXIgXxMxwfycKJo0DgQvvtYUf5pzNM-IIDwZ8OsWDFJMXyH2zLGrr0OkoYj3-XKk/w640-h384/mandjhara.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Mandjara at the intersection of the<br /> Blue Nile and the Black Nile.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">Khara is a distortion of Sanskrit 'jhara'</span>:</div><div>In the name Kharatum, the prefix 'khara' is most likely a variation of 'jhara' and is taken from Mandjara. The suffix 'tum' is too short to be interpreted but must contain a reference to the meeting of the two rivers. Native Beja scholars suggest Khartoum is derived from the Beja word <i>hartoom</i>, meaning "meeting". The suffix 'tum' may be a variation of the Indo-European duo or Sanskrit dvi, both meaning two or duel. </div><div><br /></div></b><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Most western scholars however suggest that the name Khartoum translates as 'Elephant's Trunk' which has a reference to the shape of a little stretch of land near the confluence but has the shape of that stretch been the same for thousands of years is the question. That seems unlikely. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are other instances of the occurrence of the word jhara in Sudan. A variation of 'jhara' is recorded as Gerri by M. Poncet in 1698. In his paper 'The story of Khartoum' author C. E. J. Walkley states, "In 1698 M. Poncet a Doctor of Medicine travelled up the Nile but failed to reach the site of Khartoum. He reached Gerri, near the Sabaloka Gorge, in the following years and then travelled to Sennar in the following year through fine forests of acacias." </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b><div><b><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">The word 'Jhara' in world river names</span>:</div><div>Elsewhere in the world too, one sees the same word make an appearance. The ancient name of Jordon <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">is a variation of the Semitic 'Yardon' meaning 'flowing down', which is the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">same as Sanskrit 'jharadana' meaning waterfall. </span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then there is the Niger, where the Suffix 'ger' also means flowing water in the native Tureg dia</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">lect. Closer to Sudan, in Chad flows the river Chari or Shari. Its name too appears to be a variation of <i>jhari </i>There are innumerable examples of this around the world. For a detailed discussion on this subject click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-sanskritic-names-of-rivers-of-mt.html" target="_blank">here.</a></span></b></div></b></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is more evidence of Indic-Sanskritic names at important geographical sites such as mountain peaks and rivers of Sudan, and an Island called Shibaliyah, a cognate of Shivalaya. These were discussed in a previous post and may be accessed by clicking <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2023/07/meghavari-was-ancient-name-of-black.html" target="_blank">here.</a></span></div></b></span></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOCoeg86x84SbzyQENuenPXL4anDYJmucjtSoXLZSSn78K-6jG2mnBMn1xLaZaVYdJ8WELsRz91mwNfxqNQ9TcFQRo6p3FNDU9D7q90enHxYop-sLtIkY-TGesDA0YeV5ll8GnwphdFIUfFPVrQRiih18oeC09HUdUyFQQ-wh0PSCIbeqnxMUIIqExuQ/s855/Map-of-Sudan-showing-the-major-archaeological-sites-with-discoveries-of-cotton-fabrics.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOCoeg86x84SbzyQENuenPXL4anDYJmucjtSoXLZSSn78K-6jG2mnBMn1xLaZaVYdJ8WELsRz91mwNfxqNQ9TcFQRo6p3FNDU9D7q90enHxYop-sLtIkY-TGesDA0YeV5ll8GnwphdFIUfFPVrQRiih18oeC09HUdUyFQQ-wh0PSCIbeqnxMUIIqExuQ/w454-h640/Map-of-Sudan-showing-the-major-archaeological-sites-with-discoveries-of-cotton-fabrics.png" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Map of Sudan showing archaeological sites<br />including Meroe (Meru), </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span>Citations and Bibliography:</span></b></span></div></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span><div><span>1.<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947302?read-now=1&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents">OLD KHARTOUM, 1821-1885 on JSTOR</a><br />2. <a href="https://www.ajhw.co.uk/books/book397/book397.html">The Egyptian Campaigns, by Charles Royle. (ajhw.co.uk)</a> <br />3. <a href="https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/Omdurman#bbox=32.21575782010504,15.038245098220386,32.59091599506266,15.85063028654038&q=&date_from=0&date_to=9999&scale_from=&scale_to=">Omdurman (oldmapsonline.org)</a><br />4. <a href="http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=289657">Khartoum maps and draws." Topic (theminiaturespage.com)</a><br />5.<a href="https://6thsocialstudiesmcginty.blogspot.com/2014/10/ancient-egypt-nile-river-valley.html">Social Studies with Mr. McGinty : Ancient Egypt: The Nile River Valley (6thsocialstudiesmcginty.blogspot.com)</a></span></div><div><span>6. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-map-of-egypt-and-the-anglo-egyptian-sudan-at-the-time-of-the-mahdist-56183528.html</span></div>7. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=FuFSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Eusebius++the+ethiopians+Indus+Egypt&source=bl&ots=bgeTcb-yHD&sig=WZR6jNwaxZqPO5S5qEOPP3ASVP0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LNQ6U-abJ4qtrAfU2YCQDA&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Eusebius%20%20the%20ethiopians%20Indus%20Egypt&f=false">Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible: With the Biblical Fragments - Augustin Calmet, Charles Taylor - Google Books</a><br />8.<a href="https://archive.org/details/wonderful-ethiopians-of-the-ancient-cushite-empire-by-drusilla-dunjee-houston-1926/mode/1up?q=ku">Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire By Drusilla Dunjee Houston 1926 : Drusilla Dunjee Houston : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />9.<a href="https://in.pinterest.com/pin/635218722412095767/">Pinterest</a><br />10.<a href="https://eldar-heide.net/Publikasjonar%20til%20heimesida/viking%20rowshift.pdf">(víking til pdf) (eldar-heide.net)</a><br />11.<a href="https://eldar-heide.net/Publikasjonar%20til%20heimesida/viking%20rowshift.pdf">(víking til pdf) (eldar-heide.net)</a><br />12.<a href="https://africageographic.com/stories/the-mundari-of-south-sudan/">The Mundari people of South Sudan - Africa Geographic</a><br />13.<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/22/africa/mundari-tribe-cattle-photography/index.html">The Mundari: The tribe dying for their cows | CNN</a><br />14. Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible: With the Biblical Fragments, Volume 4 By Augustin Calmet, Charles Taylor</span></b></span></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-55982280102959954642023-07-31T02:47:00.014-07:002023-08-04T22:49:28.434-07:00MEGHAVARI WAS THE ANCIENT NAME OF THE BLACK NILE OF SUDAN<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">About the river Aitbarah</span>:<br />Greek geographer Strabo (64 BC-24 AD) stated that one of the tributaries of the Nile near Meroe in Ethiopia, was known as the Astraboras. The river came to be known locally as the Aitbarah. It is also known as the Black Nile.<br /><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7v4Ms3pO1CtMm-3JbIOF4jgLxN0AdEUm7J7EopS9De-yShEeGQHjw3d8LvNf9WJIH85wslEdew5zQZ28F6rjOAAlpX7x8FIxPZhb-uUqMtN1Oy0o3WBgJoM-tHXnZ_ZNWEITub_4JDhoxsTpBatO0j4yUS9hFElW_lijm8PgPcoFUMaRKY38CnMt1Hs/s1923/Atbara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7v4Ms3pO1CtMm-3JbIOF4jgLxN0AdEUm7J7EopS9De-yShEeGQHjw3d8LvNf9WJIH85wslEdew5zQZ28F6rjOAAlpX7x8FIxPZhb-uUqMtN1Oy0o3WBgJoM-tHXnZ_ZNWEITub_4JDhoxsTpBatO0j4yUS9hFElW_lijm8PgPcoFUMaRKY38CnMt1Hs/w450-h640/Atbara.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An 1898 British Map of the intersection of <br />the Black Nile with the White Nile in Sudan</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Ancient name Megabarri</span>:<br />According to Strabo, who recorded the name of the Aitbara as the name Astraboras in his Geographica, put forth the view that Astraboras was ‘the river of the Bora people’, one of the oldest tribes living on the banks of this river. However, Roman author Pliny the Elder (24 AD- 79 AD) states in his Natural History that Astaboaras was known as Megabarri to the local people, who said that the name meant ‘the river that came from the shadows.’ <br /><br /> If one looks at the name Megabarri with the meaning of a ‘river that comes out of the shadows’ through the Sanskrit lens, the name can easily be traced back to its original form. The original name must have been Meghavari, with ‘megha’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मेघ</span>) meaning ‘dark’ and ‘vari’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारि</span>) meaning ‘river.’ It is for this reason that the river is known as Black Nile.<br /><br /></span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further south from the point of the intersection of the Aitbara or the Black Nile with the White Nile lies the Island of Shibalayah, now known as Jebaliyah. Shibalayah is Sanskrit for 'Home of Shiva'. T</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">he name of Shibalayah island was recorded by the British in 1898 on their map, as can be seen above. A temple of Shiva must have once stood here, but, obviously, that cannot be proven. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">What lies hidden in these names</span>? </b><br /><b>Many ancient and medieval scholars and travelers got the course of the River Nile incorrect, but about the names of rivers and villages situated on them British Archaeologist O.G.S Crawford (186-1957) states in his 1949 paper 'Some Medieval Theories about the Nile' in the Geographical Journal, Vol 114 "It is true that the courses of many rivers and mountains were fanciful, and that imagination ran riot. But the names were not imaginary. It is far easy to copy them than invent. It is usually possible to determine the pedigree of the name, and we find that all go to some source."</b><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Kingdom of Kush on the Nile and Meroe</span>:</b><br /><b>With the above statement by a learned scholar in mind, we look at some other place names in the vicinity of the junctions of Aitbarah or Meghavari with the Nile. On this river Meghavari was located the ancient site of Meroe. This site is home to small steep pyramids in Sudan that resemble those in Egypt but are largely unknown and don’t have many visitors. One of the sites today goes by the name Al-Bagrawiya, but this word too is a likely distortion of Megha-Vari, with Bagra stemming from Megha and wiya from vari.</b><br /><br /><b>Meroe was the capital of the Kingdom of Cush. This ancient kingdom of Nubia is centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan, parts of Ethiopia, and southern Egypt. The city of Kerma emerged as the seat of control from 2500 BC to about 1500 BC. The Egyptians took control of Nubia in around 1550 BC and moved their capital to Napta near Meroe. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>All the names that appear here have a cultural and scriptural link to India. Many Puranic scholars and some mainstream ones too, are of the view, that the Kush of Ramayana is the same as the Cush of Genesis after whom the Kingdom of Cush of Ethiopia-Sudan in Africa was named. The Puranic name of Africa was Cushadwipa.</b><br /><br /><b>Genesis 10:6 states, "The country Cush was named after the man Cush, the first son of Ham, son of Noah". Biblical sources say that the name of the father of 'Cush' was 'Ham'. The name 'Ham' was originally spelled as 'Rham' and later with time the letter 'h' was dropped. It is highly likely therefore that these sources are inadvertently referring to Lord Rama. If this is so, then the following sculpture from the interior of one of the Pyramids of Al-Bagrawiya is that of either Sri Ram or Kush, and not of an unidentified Egyptian entity. As for Meroe, that name is a corruption of Meru.</b><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJbM_2K5yCYKChQuwgBJGuJ8dOUWu2JKF4vcTt3-eBXm8Nk1lIKwoycIFA42QRvpPJazuoA6lJJoSNgMLNa-9FIvy6EHozbYQ_1iGXKZ219I4QEb3TVcQIH3b6VtkaUHa-S6dPHelEZl4Y1PExAHtv8EoAPDCaPli6D0Hsua_9kZMtKWQdafoKgX8epI/s720/Screenshot_20230729-205734_Google.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJbM_2K5yCYKChQuwgBJGuJ8dOUWu2JKF4vcTt3-eBXm8Nk1lIKwoycIFA42QRvpPJazuoA6lJJoSNgMLNa-9FIvy6EHozbYQ_1iGXKZ219I4QEb3TVcQIH3b6VtkaUHa-S6dPHelEZl4Y1PExAHtv8EoAPDCaPli6D0Hsua_9kZMtKWQdafoKgX8epI/w640-h432/Screenshot_20230729-205734_Google.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A sculpture from Bagrawiya shows an armed king, perhaps Sri Rama, the father of the Ramayanic Kush, with his bow.<br /> In the background there is Ra, the Egyptian sun god, <br />whose name likely a truncated form of 'Surya'. </b><br /><b>Sri Ram belonged to the Surya clan.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Other Indic Sanskritic names on the Black Nile</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>On the southwest end, on the River Nile, one sees a town named Shendi, also called Shandi. Shandi was the meeting point of several geographical areas and an ancient crossroad of trade routes, the most important of which was the trade route leading to India. Though many interpretations have been given for the etymology of the name 'Shandi', the one that fits best is the Sanskrit <i>sandhi</i>, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">संधि</span>) meaning junction or connection.</b><br /><br /><b>There are many more Sanskritic names on this part of the river Nile. On the Nile, near Meroe, are two place na</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">mes which are completely Sanskritic. One is Gangari, the other Al-Qulaya. Both these names refer to water, the first to the river Ganges, the second to Kuliya (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कूल्य</span>), Sanskrit for river.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Kulya appears again in the name of an ancient district on the Nile that came to be known as Umbakole, </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">certainly a corruption of Amba-kulya, <i>amba </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">अम्बा </span>) meaning water and <i>kulya </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">कुल्य</span>) meaning river. The town is now known as Korti, but a place name in Korti still exists on the Nile and is k</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>nown as Ambikul. Then there is Dongola, an ancient site on the Black Nile. It is also known as Danquiliya or 'dan-kulya' for a reason. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Another, striking place name on the Black Nile, is Mandara. On the African continent, it is a given that if you find a Meru, in this case Meroe, there will be a Mandara within the vicinity or at least within a fair distance. Meroe, the ancient Cushite capital, and Mandara are 400 km apart but lie on the same river system. Though this name Mandara still survives in Sudan, Mandara is now known as Janub Al-Jazirah, and may vanish with time, thereby taking away an important piece of history. In the Indian Puranas, Meru and Mandara are the twin mountains - Meru is the axis of the earth, Mandara is the pivot on which the 'Churning of the Ocean' takes place. </b><br /><br /><b>Unsurprisingly therefore, the highest mountains in Sudan are known as the Marrah mountains. Again, Marrah has no known etymology locally and is likely a corruption of Meru. There is no other explanation for these names, except if one looks at them with the information carried in the scriptures of India. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtw8wLfoXf_BFht1--4IEDbNqfhCEbkYQzmLHobSS4R5nHHwTK56gJ-Q3Izwa8kMlt_MgPujfreCU1qhJQGT-yjuaVDLRMiKYnYDieg2EXrdONFF6AzIp-ymtxGb4akl56MDLh0I22_MjgwnaCcyvDgd4ioY2SLLBNqdBITENaE3J5KzwZrTX_iXH9ls/s1920/Sudan_Jebel_Marra_Deriba_Lakes_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1920" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtw8wLfoXf_BFht1--4IEDbNqfhCEbkYQzmLHobSS4R5nHHwTK56gJ-Q3Izwa8kMlt_MgPujfreCU1qhJQGT-yjuaVDLRMiKYnYDieg2EXrdONFF6AzIp-ymtxGb4akl56MDLh0I22_MjgwnaCcyvDgd4ioY2SLLBNqdBITENaE3J5KzwZrTX_iXH9ls/w400-h266/Sudan_Jebel_Marra_Deriba_Lakes_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dariba crater on Mt. Marrah<br />which lies in the Darfur region.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Sanskrit explains many more features of the Marrah Mountains which lie in Darfur in Sudan. On top of the Marrah Mountains is what is known as the Deriba Crater. One </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>explanation for the name Deriba is the Sanskrit root word 'Dar', which means a cave or a crater, or a break, or a cleft. Daribhrit ( </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">दरीभृत् </span><b> ) is one derivation of 'dar' and means 'mountain with caves'. It has never been explored but there might even be a link between the name of the Dariba Crater and the Darfur region. 'Dar' has to do with 'ripping asunder', 'breaking', and refers to a hole or a cleft.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>One may look at all of this information as a coincidence and pure conjecture. But the pattern of the naming and mapping of Africa is so consistent, that ignoring the Puranic-Vedic-Sanskritic names that routinely crop up is not prudent. </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>For example, one might h</b></span><b>ave a look at the names of the rivers that flow from Mt. Marrah. They are known as the Uma, Yara and Tangya. Uma is goddess Parvati. Parvati is the goddess of Mountains. She is the wife of Lord Shiva, whose seat is the Meru Mountain, of which Mt. marrah is adistortion. Yara is a corruption of the Sanskrit '</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">jhara</i><b>' meaning' waterfall' and appears innumerable times in river names around the world. The third name is 'Tangya', which maybe a corruption of Tunga which means a mountain. In Tanzania, the prefix in the name Tanganyika, i.e Tangan, is equated with union or confluence, and therefore a cognate of Sanskrit, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sangan </i><b>or </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sangam</i><b>. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his book, 'The Lake Regions of Central Equatorial Africa', Richard Francis Burton, the co-explorer of the source of the Nile, along with John Hanning Speke states, "The African name for the central lake is Tanganyika, signifying an anastomosis, or a meeting place....". </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The name Darfur too may have more to do with 'dara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">दार</span>), which means 'cleft' in Sanskrit, referring to the craters that were formed in Mt. Marrah in antiquity, rather than, as claimed, to the fur business that Darfur came to be known for later. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Again, this may seem a stretch, but then you find a Sindu Wadi in Darfur. That translates as Sindu valley, or the Indus valley. Most likely, the name 'Sindhu ghati' was not unknown.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The name Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is also derived from a Sanskritic word. More about it in the following post. There are other ancient sites such as Old Dongola and Hambukol. Their history and etymology will also be explored.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>Citations and Bibliography:</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1.<a href="https://www.webonary.org/dholuo/browse/browse-vernacular/alphabet-n/">Dholuo Dictionary » Alphabet N (webonary.org)</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. </span></b><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1789985" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Some Medieval Theories about the Nile on JSTOR</a><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />3. <a href="https://archive.org/details/plinysnaturalhis00plinrich/page/n275/mode/1up">Pliny's Natural history. In thirty-seven books : Pliny, the Elder : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947354?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">THE HISTORY OF BAREYA, ŠANQELLA AND OTHER ETHIOPIAN SLAVES FROM THE BORDERLANDS OF THE SUDAN on JSTOR</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></b></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-32534362040460118052023-07-28T02:19:00.024-07:002023-09-03T02:41:20.996-07:00AN ANCIENT INDIC CAVE CALLED VARI IN GREECE<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The location of the Cave:</span><br />The Vari Cave, also known as the Nympholyptos Cave, is located northeast of the town of Vari in Attica, Greece. Situated near the top of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">one of the southern spurs of <span style="color: #ffa400;">Mount Hymettus</span>, the cave is notable for its unique rock-cut sculptures and inscriptions. </span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">hill where the cave is located was until recently known as <span style="color: #ffa400;">Kapsala</span>. This name may have Indic origins. Kapsala is translated as firewood from Greek <i>καυσόξυλα </i>(cousoxyl). The suffix <i>ξυλα </i>(xilo) means wood and is the same as the Sanskrit ‘sala’, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">शाल</span>) meaning wood, more specifically the wood of the sacred tree Shorea Robusta, which is used in ritualistic </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">sacred fires. The tree is planted commonly around temples premises in India.</span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mt. Hymettus and its link with Mt. Meru</span>:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The name Hymettus is a distortion of Meru. Why the name Meru should occur in Greece at all, we shall see in the post ahead. As for now, one may note that the Hymettus Mountain is commonly known as ' trellos' (τρελλος ), or 'the crazy mountain. It is said that during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, the French travellers and soldiers called the Mountain 'trellos' in awe of its 16 km winding serpentine stretch!</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The truth is that Hymettus stems from the name Meru. With time, when the meaning of the name 'Meru' was lost, the word meru distorted to <i>mourlós</i>, (μουρλός), which means 'lunatic' in Greek. A shift in the sound, from meru to mourlos is logical. With the coming of the French, a synonym of mourlós, 'trellos' (crazy) completely replaced the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">word mourlós. The meaning of mourlós has stuck but the word itself, and its original name Meru, were both forgotten. In ancient times, the highest point of Hymettus was known as Megas Hymettus, which is a translation of Maha Meru, In the Vedic tradition Maha Meru is the seat of Lord Shiva.</span></b><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Vari:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The word Vari has many meanings in Sanskrit, and they are all related to water, vAri (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारि</span>) is water as well as rain, varI (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वरी</span>) is rivers or streams. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The natural Omphalos is the oldest sacred structure at Vari:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Based on the carvings and inscriptions found at Vari, scholars have proposed various interpretations. However, many have overlooked the significance of the natural stones, stalactites, and stalagmites, all of which were also revered at the site. The cave has a long history of worship and ritualistic practices that predate the creation of the surviving man-made images and inscriptions. One well-known example is the work of Archidemus, who identified himself as 'a Theran possessed by the cave’s nymphs' and carved out several inscriptions on the cave wall in around 500 BC. It is said that Athenians in those days were ever ready to cry out 'god' or 'goddess if they saw someone out of the ordinary, and perhaps what Archidemus saw at this dark cave was a girl who had come to fetch some water, and certainly was not a nymph.</b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The destruction of the Omphalos:</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The cave at Vari is variously believed to have been used for the worship of Pan, Hermes, or Apollo, though Dionysus fits in better. The oldest sacred structure at the site, first described by Richard Chandler in his 1776 book ‘Travels in Greece’, and later by Edward Dodwell in his 1819 ‘A Classical and Topographical Tour through Greece,’, appears to be the Omphalos, of which, in fact, there were several at Vari. Despite being widely revered as a sacred natural formation around the word, and regarded as the symbol of Apollo in Greece, the Omphalos was destroyed sometime during the 1950s. </span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxEOfa5G9maOg4vmQYFzuyruqyzae3JkC8Zvai-4g8b0Zo_ow3exZo92FhiViWXek5EJ3w4mEyekyBQ4rWVlsRoT7t_cGLfbqVroES7hSQpRfscukCPLxaa57_oSR4LyLDevfGSGXmyBfSpkev5h0_k_rxbAVPOkWZb-4YjnQhXNFdTb8Xtb8i6PomrA/s602/Screenshot_20230719_110841_Samsung%20Internet-fotor-2023071911161.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="452" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxEOfa5G9maOg4vmQYFzuyruqyzae3JkC8Zvai-4g8b0Zo_ow3exZo92FhiViWXek5EJ3w4mEyekyBQ4rWVlsRoT7t_cGLfbqVroES7hSQpRfscukCPLxaa57_oSR4LyLDevfGSGXmyBfSpkev5h0_k_rxbAVPOkWZb-4YjnQhXNFdTb8Xtb8i6PomrA/w480-h640/Screenshot_20230719_110841_Samsung%20Internet-fotor-2023071911161.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">Pic 1: The Omphalos seen here,</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">was destroyed sometime during the 1950s.<br /></span>This was located to the right of the Temple-like-facade that you see in Pic 2. Courtesy: American Journal of Archaeology</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Interior of the Sacred Shrine at </span></span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Vari today</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>:</b><br /><b>About ten steps lead down to the main chamber of the cave, which is divided into two sections by a stalagmite partition. Immediately to the left is a man-made shrine in the form of a temple facade. This main shrine is believed to have been dedicated to the pagan god Pan. this view was specifically expressed by Strabo, though others have differed. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1McRoGX-3NHFH4wy9w7xGwVgwOW8Fh_qpqvGmMjsvpVO_jjmV_RAFehMlxwVQ5__4IMZ-BIsWjSFSJ_pSWBkidYLyLX89UOv2eYV7Eei_WnjUo4TycRj0Jx9yrEK_f3zNC-ZS7g42PiBPMfPBTC8lfEffDNo_04qQ8sawepM6yDcBcA8PX_OFAgT1tU/s750/steps.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1McRoGX-3NHFH4wy9w7xGwVgwOW8Fh_qpqvGmMjsvpVO_jjmV_RAFehMlxwVQ5__4IMZ-BIsWjSFSJ_pSWBkidYLyLX89UOv2eYV7Eei_WnjUo4TycRj0Jx9yrEK_f3zNC-ZS7g42PiBPMfPBTC8lfEffDNo_04qQ8sawepM6yDcBcA8PX_OFAgT1tU/w640-h320/steps.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pic 2 -The steps from the entrance to the cave. On the right is <br />a Temple facade where a sculpted image might have been placed. It may have been of any of the Pagan gods -Pan, Apollo, Dionysus or there might have been an omphalos over which water flowed from the top of the cave.<br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Photo Courtesy :<a href="https://theblogofdimi.com/vari-cave-vouliagmeni-lake-megalo-kavouri-day-trip-from-athens/">Vari Cave The Blog of Dimi</a><br /></span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Greek god Pan and the Rig Vedic god Pushana:<br /></span>Greek geo</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>grapher Strabo (64 BC-24 AD) referred to the Vari Cave as Paneum, or the Cave of Pan, in his writings. In ancient Greek mythology, Pan is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, rustic music and dance, and companion of the nymphs. Many modern scholars believe that the name Pan derives from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European god Pehuson, who is none other than the Rig Vedic god Pushan (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पूषन्</span>).</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Pushan was responsible for conducting souls to the other world, protecting travelers from bandits and wild beasts, leading his followers towards rich pastures and wealth, and was associated with goats. The name Pushan derives from the Sanskrit word ‘poshana’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पोषन</span>), meaning ‘nurture.’ The connection between Pan and Vedic Pushan was first identified in 1924 by German scholar Hermann Collitz.<br /><br /></span></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Nymphs of the Vari Caves and the Gopis of Sri Krishna:<br /></span>In Indus Valley inscriptions, Pushan is associated with the symbol of the hoof, which is also a symbol of Pan. In later times, Pushan tran</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">sformed into Krishna, with his milkmaid companions known as <i>gopis</i>. Krishna’s adept playing of the flute and his ‘ras-lila’ with the <i>gopis </i>appear in Greek mythology as Pan’s dalliance with nymphs and his flute-pipe music.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Omphalos behind the Shrine of Pan:</span><br />The temple like facade in the foreground in the following picture, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the shrine of a young Pan because it is believed that one of the small stone sculptures found at the cave perhaps fitted into this niche. Though this shrine is frequently mentioned, an eroded omphalos-like structure, placed slightly higher behind the shrine, has been completely overlooked.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtaeUVWAwfilzzHFR10vjhtcL3OBEF8cY0eH0M7AI8Wkz-7M8MlnehdzqxwdsGdWpxbO-91yUIqAeS8pUsTXOBq8JiWz5RK5NuSq8b1xkUiUFM4Znx2TUklPmJX_2e2YJH96kL5O11tQeIA-eLK6PiUlFEZzJr06r0mMgk1tuPlzyIzi_Gq0rvDkVHk-M/s4208/%CE%A3%CF%80%CE%AE%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B9%CE%BF_%CE%9D%CF%85%CE%BC%CF%86%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE%CF%80%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_-_%CE%92%CF%89%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtaeUVWAwfilzzHFR10vjhtcL3OBEF8cY0eH0M7AI8Wkz-7M8MlnehdzqxwdsGdWpxbO-91yUIqAeS8pUsTXOBq8JiWz5RK5NuSq8b1xkUiUFM4Znx2TUklPmJX_2e2YJH96kL5O11tQeIA-eLK6PiUlFEZzJr06r0mMgk1tuPlzyIzi_Gq0rvDkVHk-M/w640-h360/%CE%A3%CF%80%CE%AE%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B9%CE%BF_%CE%9D%CF%85%CE%BC%CF%86%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE%CF%80%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_-_%CE%92%CF%89%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82.jpg" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pic 2: An eroded Omphalous like structure behind the main shrine<br />-the temple like facade in the foreground.<br />The eroded Omphalos still exists,<br />but was not the main one here. Photo courtesy:</span></b><a href="https://theblogofdimi.com/vari-cave-vouliagmeni-lake-megalo-kavouri-day-trip-from-athens/"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Blog of Dimi</b></span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span><br /></span><span>To the right of the Shrine of Pan is a headless, seated figure carved from the solid rock of the cave, which will be discussed in more detail later. Next to it was the main Omphalos, as shown in the Pic 3 below. </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span></span><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Omphalos at the Vari Cave:</span></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span>In his 1776 writings, Richard Chandler stated, ‘Going down by the narrow stairs cut in the rock, when you are down and face the stairs, at the extremity on the right hand is an Ithyphallus, the symbol of Bacchus - and near it is Isis, the Egyptian Ceres. The Athenians had early intercourse with Egypt, and some writers have asserted they were originally a colony from that country.’</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span><br />This stone Ithyphallus, thought by the Athenians to be a symbol of Bacchus and influenced by Egypt, is actually a symbol of Shiva, In Western circles, there was a debate over whether the Ithyphallus was really a torso of a god without a head. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/496689.pdf" target="_blank">Charles Weller</a> argued in his 1903 article in the American Journal of Archaeology that the corrugated elevations resembling locks of </span>hair near the top of the Omphalos or Ithyphallus structure were meant to represent hair. (<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/496689.pdf" target="_blank">1</a>)<br /><br /><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTXNN4TobAn9xUoXsn5saGoNuiyDFqiAtiztcVFnCpOsLixSXx4pMVy53PuJtaPxZd-dQkIQlOlOnNbXMyYLdd20rCn_CpW2prXpB46WtOI9_cZ_echV5V0OHVuihdMCT8ik9_3YKbhRevLe-nllFVX-YCV9Vu8KdGlpFsIDEcLlIoj0tDMeG_xgZ2WI/s635/Screenshot_20230719_112518_Samsung%20Internet-fotor-20230726183115.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTXNN4TobAn9xUoXsn5saGoNuiyDFqiAtiztcVFnCpOsLixSXx4pMVy53PuJtaPxZd-dQkIQlOlOnNbXMyYLdd20rCn_CpW2prXpB46WtOI9_cZ_echV5V0OHVuihdMCT8ik9_3YKbhRevLe-nllFVX-YCV9Vu8KdGlpFsIDEcLlIoj0tDMeG_xgZ2WI/w640-h490/Screenshot_20230719_112518_Samsung%20Internet-fotor-20230726183115.jpg" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pic 3: The omphalos is visible in the<br /> upper right end of the picture.<br /></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Photo courtesy: American Journal of Archaeology<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A bit more about the Omphalos-Shivalinga:</span></b></span></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Weller believed that there should have been a head on the torso to justify the hair-like ridges. However, since the rest of the structure is conical with no legs, it seems likely that the ridges were created by constant dripping of water onto the top of the Omphalos. In Vedic tradition, this feature alone would make the rock sacred - the water represents the Ganges tied in Shiva’s matted hairlocks. No mention however is made of any water flowing over the hairlocks but there is a steep slope to the right of the cave which has natural channels were much water flows down during rainy weather even today. This was not the only place in the Vari </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Cave where water dripped over a revered image or structure.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Shrine of Apollo - or Twin Shivalingas? </span><br />Descending from the level where the Omphalos is located, one reaches another shrine with two</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> shelf-like structures. The upper level has a concave shape and features two D-shaped concavities in its floor. See Pic 4. In contrast, the lower level is flat and has an edge and a partition, but it lacks these receptacles. In wet weather, there is almost constant dripping in this part of the cave as well. It seems that the placement of the twin-deity statue or image in this location, where water naturally flowed, was deliberate, suggesting that this watery spot held special significance for the deities. If it had not been sacred, a dry spot would have been chosen for the placement of the statue or image. In Vedic tradition, twin Shivalingas side by side represent Shiva and Yama together as Kalantaka, symbolizing ‘the beginning and end of the Cosmos’ - with ‘kala’ meaning time and ‘antaka’ meaning end. Water is poured over Kalantaka <i>lingas </i>in the same way as it is done for a Shivalinga.</b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qOEm_sBQsnTGmR3NzNp5hJ9SsMrPlPOhoAjBLl06HBcu21Lrkyeb_JMWSSCDOTN5a_DqJGl12IFbocJgH7TBwPdDedqcOymQdxMwwL_X0v4WQ_0TYJVwA7e0_v_I7fEQSg0XOhKpI_cq80wkBCqivBCTYX2Igyh_VnInMQYOstJdWGim9KNPb-fK384/s652/Vari%20two%20shivalingas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qOEm_sBQsnTGmR3NzNp5hJ9SsMrPlPOhoAjBLl06HBcu21Lrkyeb_JMWSSCDOTN5a_DqJGl12IFbocJgH7TBwPdDedqcOymQdxMwwL_X0v4WQ_0TYJVwA7e0_v_I7fEQSg0XOhKpI_cq80wkBCqivBCTYX2Igyh_VnInMQYOstJdWGim9KNPb-fK384/w399-h400/Vari%20two%20shivalingas.jpg" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pic 4: This shrine with two concavities and a trough like</span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">lower shelf was strategically hewn from</span></b></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">the rock where there was a</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">constant drip of water.</span></b></div></span></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Photo courtesy: </span></b><a href="https://theblogofdimi.com/vari-cave-vouliagmeni-lake-megalo-kavouri-day-trip-from-athens/"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Blog of Dimi</b></span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In almost all of the temples where a Shiva Linga is installed, if there is no natural flow of water over it, there is a vessel hanging over the linga, and water/milk drips over it at a regular interval.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Goddess at the Vari Cave:</span><br />If Shiva is present at a cave site, then the feminine goddess Shakti, represented in </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">one of her many forms, will always be present. The headless seated figure hewn in the rock, mentioned by Chandler, is that of a goddess that he identifies as Isis. But Chandler’s conjecture that it is Isis, has received little favor. German archaeologist Arthur Milchhofer (1852-1903), a scholar of Greek Antiquity, calls attention to a lion’s head found in another part of the cave. The lion’s head is a broken part of the goddess's sculpture. Milchhofer identified the goddess as Cybele, whose vehicle is the lion.<br /><br />Cybele is also known as Matar Kubileya or Kubeleya. She is none other than Durga but gets her name in this setting from the Tantric goddess Kubhjika, who is also Shakti herself and is identified with Durga and Kali too. The lion is the <i>vahana </i>or vehicle of both Durga and Kali. In her tantric form, Durga is known as Kubhjika, of whom Maheshvari and Kuleshvari are two other names. Kali too is known as Maheshvari. The Vari in the name of the Cave may be the Sanskrit suffix ‘vari’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वरी</span>) in either of the just mentioned names, or in one of the names of Durga who is also known as Parmeshvari. Vari (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वारि</span>) also means water or stream. <br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Mineral and Icicle Shivalingas:</span><br />There are other formations here that must have been held sacred. Icicle and mineral stalactites and stalagmites are present in many hill caves. Here at Vary, these probably were considered sacred because of the sanctity of the site. In his description of the same Chandler states, "The stairs, which are continued along by the side of the rock ... descent to the lower grotto (cave) that is entered by a narrow passage which has been rendered picturesque by petrifactions. It is of a circular form, the sides adorned with fantastic incrustation, and the roof with sparry icicles. Of these several are growing up, pointed, from beneath; and some have already met and united with those pendants from above. At the bottom is a well of very clear and cold water. " <br /><br />The stalagmites and stalactites are venerated as <i>shivalinga </i>in the Hindu tradition. And as the icy formations melted the water passed through a channel and collected in the well at the bottom of the cave. This water must certainly have been considedred holy.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Shiva and Dionysus:</span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The rituals at Vary seem to be more closely associated with the Greek god Dionysus than any other Pagan deity. </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>According to the Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia, in 327/326 BC, Alexander invaded the Indus valley and discovered a town called Nysa in Gandara that, he claimed, was built by Dionysus who had come to India 6000 years earlier. However, it is believed that this town that Alexander called Dionysuspolis, was actually the town of Nagarahara dedicated to the Indian god Shiva. Arrian wrote that Dionysus had at that point Dionysus had named the city Nysa in memory of his nurse, who bore that name. He also claimed that Dionysus had named a nearby mountain Meru - or the Thigh - because legend has it that he grew in Zeus’s thigh. It is difficult to figure out what the actual story was, but it does indicate that Zeus's name was already associated with Meru, and that the lore of this legendary mountain of the Hindu scriptures was well known in Greece as well. Hence, it is not surprising that the name Meru appears in Greece at Hymettus - the site of the Vari cave.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The Pamir Mountain chain of Afganistan was known as Sumeru in the Puranas. The Pamirs were considered to be the land of Shiva and still has place names such as Shiva Lake and a town by the name Shivam. Ancient Greek texts from the time of Alexander III of Macedonia referred to Shiva as “Indian Dionysus” or alternatively called Dionysus as “god of the Orient.” Similarly, both Shiva and Dionysus were associated with phallic symbols.<br /><br />In this context, it is likely that the Vari cave is more closely linked to Dionysus than what later inscriptions suggest. Dionysus was also known as Bacchus or Bacchos by the Greeks, due to a frenzy, called baccheia' he was said to induce in his followers. The word baccheia is the same as the Sanskrit word ‘vaccheia’ or ‘Vashi-karan,’ which refers to a Tantrik practice of controlling a person’s thoughts by inducing a trance.<br /><br />As far as the name Nyasa is concerned in relation to Shiva, Nyāsa (<span style="color: #ffa400;">न्यास</span>) refers to a kriya or process of purification through sprinkling water, chanting mantras, and performing tantric rituals. This is mentioned in Śivapurāṇa , while explaining how to worship an earthen phallic image according to Vedic rites.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Yet another Shivalinga at Vari?</span><br />Charles Weller in his 1903 article had made the following observation about a smaller of the two sections in the cave which is situated towards the right. The two sections are divided by a cave wall. He observed, "In the smaller division of the cave the only evidence of human handiwork in the lower end of this room is a rude stairway leading over the steepest part of the slope. The pit near the side of the room, on being cleared, was seen to have been a cistern or reservoir. Vestiges of a plaster lining are extant, and an inlet drain is cut at one end. This pit was thought by Chandler to have contained the "garden" mentioned in one of the inscriptions but doubtless--as its position in the darkness should attest - incorrectly. The significance of a square depression at the bottom, in whose centre is sunk a circular hollow, we could not ascertain." <br /></span></b><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstie82VVVB4duls1ZH9aSCO2xYH7D3mM55EvhFzmGYH0SxfSqlc2sVkn7uUTiIXfJO-sKygIm6909pG7E1TlGsr2SuvodCnu3Kb5irUADaFuSKc_dUHoXE55A2d8dGmVLV3g68Tivhf0JI3UteL7w9cJTL9am5YTQqEeA1JU4nMZjpT9J0TK67eYCmYY/s2080/cave%20of%20vari%20right%20side.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="1525" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstie82VVVB4duls1ZH9aSCO2xYH7D3mM55EvhFzmGYH0SxfSqlc2sVkn7uUTiIXfJO-sKygIm6909pG7E1TlGsr2SuvodCnu3Kb5irUADaFuSKc_dUHoXE55A2d8dGmVLV3g68Tivhf0JI3UteL7w9cJTL9am5YTQqEeA1JU4nMZjpT9J0TK67eYCmYY/w294-h400/cave%20of%20vari%20right%20side.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><b>Pic 5: On the right edge of the inside cave wall<br />there is a rectangular pit with a hollow. Perhaps<br />another <i>shivalinga </i>like omphalos was placed here.<br />There is a little water outlet just outside the pit<br />along the cave wall. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Photo courtesy: American Journal of Archaeology<br /></span></b><b><span><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="content" tabindex="0"><div class="ac-container ac-adaptiveCard"><div class="ac-textBlock"><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In the Shaivite tradition, the base of a Shivalinga is called the yoni, and it has a hollow center for the Shivalinga. The water exit of the base is known as the jaladhara, a Sanskrit word meaning “water flow” or “water stream”. In Shiva </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">temples, water continuously drops onto the Lingam, symbolizing the River Ganga </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">flowing through Lord Shiva’s hair.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukC19-roMQYVnCDLjn1mx4Bo4w8nd1V1IoAYyralssjSJ51soojaL0PFBi86qtfhZccqi0MP8NmXfIE_CPXDDsM3P-W-hHcqVUEVEvqyG3PFpgUi0yeyMXv5m2cr5yxuZRdB94xPmbH2MzLFaOAZ8K92Av5IP3BdmXeJ5uPs3BfifWAz-fgZ9K0LH5Nk/s3167/Cave%20of%20Vari%20left%20side.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3167" data-original-width="2100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukC19-roMQYVnCDLjn1mx4Bo4w8nd1V1IoAYyralssjSJ51soojaL0PFBi86qtfhZccqi0MP8NmXfIE_CPXDDsM3P-W-hHcqVUEVEvqyG3PFpgUi0yeyMXv5m2cr5yxuZRdB94xPmbH2MzLFaOAZ8K92Av5IP3BdmXeJ5uPs3BfifWAz-fgZ9K0LH5Nk/w424-h640/Cave%20of%20Vari%20left%20side.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The larger room of the Vari cave</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Photo courtesy: American Journal of Archaeology<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Plato's visit to the Vari Cave:</span><br />One detects the echos of ancient Indian thought in almost every writing of Greek philosophers. For example, Plato was influenced by Indic thought and his views what constituted reality was very close to the Hindu concept of Maya and Illusion. questioned reality in his writings. </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Plato regarded death as a separation of the soul from th</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">e body leading to its freedom. Heraclides' view that in the Universe divine forces are at play like that of a child are expressed in the Vishnu Purana. The Pythagorean doctrine of Vegetarianism and Reincarnation are identical with the Indian view. You see the Advaita concept that anything can come from nothing is seen in the writings of Parmenides (born 550 BC).</b><p></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Plato visited the Vari Cave in his childhood with his parents and described his experience in his ‘Allegory of the Caves’ in his Republic’s Seventh book. He describes people chained to a cave wall facing a blank wall and watching shadows projected from objects passing in front of a fire behind them. The shadows are their reality but are not accurate representations of the real world. this became a fundamental part of his book on Realism.</b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Plato’s father performed a ritualistic sacrifice to divinities for Plato’s well-being during their visit to an unnamed cave. John Henry Wright states in his article ‘The Origin of Plato’s Sacrifice’ that Plato saw people dancing in firelight and shadows playing on the wall beyond. The mysterious impressions left an indelible </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>mark on Plato and what he had seen in the cave as a child may have been similar to the Tantric and Kali rituals of India.</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">Goddess Kali in Greece</span><b>: </b><br /><b>The rituals that Plato witnessed are still performed in Greece. For example, at Kali Vrisi in Dhrama, Makedonia, the Bebougera festival is celebrated by ringing bells and sprinkling ash to ward off evil spirits. Men wear goat skin masks, similar to the ritualistic goat sacrifice during Shakti or Kali Puja. The name Dhrama may itself indicate a Buddhist presence here, but one can only make a conjecture at this point. Makedonia is sometimes linked to Magadha, the center of Buddhist learning in antiquity. In fact, many of the names near Vari can easily be explained through Buddhist lexicon.</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">The name Kali on the Greek Map: </span><br /><b>On the map of Greece, one finds names like Kalamata, Kalamitsi, Kalamaki, Kalampaki, Kliedonia, and many more. Edward Moor states in his book ‘Oriental Fragments’ that in Sanskrit, Kala means black while Kali means fair or beautiful. He states, "Contrary meanings are often found in the same or similar sounds. Kali is the name of Shiva’s consort Parvati in her terrifying character; in another form, she is white, fair, and beautiful".</b><br /><br /><b>Another name for Parvati is Trikala Devi, and her name can be found at Trikkal in Thessaly on the map of Greece. Thessaly stems from Theo and its Indo-European root is Deva, both meaning god.</b><br /><br /><b>Greek geographer Pausanias (110-180 AD) noticed a Temple of the Syrian Goddess at Kalamata. The Syrian Goddess could be Astarte, Rhea or Cybele, but the place name is Kalamata or Kalimata- the goddess Kali.</b><br /><br /><b>There is also a town called Kliedonia on the map of Greece; </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">donia </i><b>or <i>donna</i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><b>or goddess and Klie may refer to Goddess Kali. The road to Kliedonia passes along the river <i>Voidomatis</i>. Its Slavic etymology Bode–Mat means “good water”. In Sanskrit, <i>voda </i>means water and <i>mati </i>means ‘good mind’ or ‘good characteristic’. <i>Vodamati </i>means ‘that which has the characteristic of good water’ - a river.</b><br /><br /><b>Sanskrit names on Greeks ancient map are too innumerable to be listed here. For more on this subject click on </b><a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-ancient-caves-of-goddess-kali-at-mt.html" style="font-weight: bold;">The Caves of Kali in Greece</a><b> and </b><a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-ionian-sea-and-dodoni-oracle-of.html" style="font-weight: bold;">The Ionian sea and the Dodona Oracle of Greece</a><br /> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Citations & Bibliography:<br />1. <a href="https://archive.org/details/travelsingreeceo00chan/page/150/mode/1up?q=Hymettus">Travels in Greece, or, An account of a tour made at the expense of the Society of Dilettanti : Chandler, Richard, 1738-1810 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />2. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/496689.pdf">The Cave at Vari. I. Description, Account of Excavation, and History (jstor.org)</a><br />3. Link: <a href="https://archive.org/details/travelsingreeceo00chan/page/151/mode/1up?q=Hymettus">Travels in Greece, or, An account of a tour made at the expense of the Society of Dilettanti : Chandler, Richard, 1738-1810 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />4. <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239%3Abook%3D9">Strabo, Geography, BOOK IX. (tufts.edu)</a><br />5. <a href="https://archive.org/details/classicaltopogra01dodw/page/549/mode/1up?q=Vari&view=theater">A classical and topographical tour through Greece, during the years 1801, 1805, and 1806 : Dodwell, Edward, 1767-1832 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />6.<a href="https://www.livius.org/sources/content/arrian/anabasis/the-myth-of-nysa/">Arrian on the myth of Nysa - Liviu</a><br />7. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/496689.pdf">The Cave at Vari. I. Description, Account of Excavation, and History (jstor.</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><a href="#">org)</a><br />8. P<a href="https://resgerendae.wordpress.com/2018/07/19/pan-plato-and-the-nymphs-exploring-vari-cave/">an, Plato, and the Nymphs: exploring Vari Cave | res gerendae (wordpress.com)</a><br />9. <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?projector=1">Inbox (3,295) - John Henry Wright -The Cave of plato neetaraina@gmail.com - Gmail (google.com)</a><br />10.<a href="https://archive.org/details/pausaniasgreece01pausuoft/page/35/mode/1up?q=mess">Pausanias Description of Greece : Pausânias (Pseudonym) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br /><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03769836211009651">The Indian Invasion of Alexander and the Emergence of Hybrid Cultures - Chandima S. M. Wickramasinghe, 2021 (sagepub.com)</a><br />11.<a href="https://taliesinsmap.blogspot.com/2020/10/pushan-gwydion-cian-odinn-pan.html">The Celtic Pushan: Gwydion, Cian, Oðinn, Pan, Merlin (taliesinsmap.blogspot.com)</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">12 <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397302?read-now=1&seq=11#page_scan_tab_contents">Did India Influence Early Greek Philosophies? on JSTOR</a></span></b></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-92231135254246677172023-07-13T03:04:00.170-07:002023-09-04T03:09:53.166-07:00 AN ANCIENT TANTRIC TEMPLE, CALLED TENTERA (DANDERAH) IN EGYPT<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Dendera, an ancient city in Egypt, also the site of the magnificent Dendera-Hathor temple, lies 60 km north of Luxor on the west bank of the Nile. The most imposing part of this Temple complex, where construction is said to have begun in 2250 BC, is the Hathor temple. The complex also houses the Temple of the birth of Isis and the Sacred Lake which is the source of water for rituals. With a sprawling area of 40000 sqm, Dendera was an important centre of worship, which was built and rebuilt many times.<br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Dendera- The original name:</span></b></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">But what does the name Dendera mean, and what does the name reveal about this temple site? </b></h3><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>We know that Dendera is a variation of its two older names, Tentyris and Tentyra. An even older name of the town is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as ı͗wnt, the etymology of which is unknown. Iwnt changed to ı͗wnt-tꜣ-ntrt which is the source of its Coptic name Nitentori, or just tꜣ-ntrt translated as 'of the goddess'. However, there is no real known etymology of any of these names.<br /><br />More than the carvings and stone reliefs at Hathor, it is Sanskrit that gives the first clue for the nature of this site. Tentyris and Tentyra are both variations of the Sanskrit word 'tantra'. Even the Egyptian iwnt-t-ntrt and Coptic t-ntrt are variations of the word Tantra. The fact that the temple was given a name related to Tantra, indicates that this practice had taken deep roots in the culture practiced by those who had this temple constructed. But where is the evidence?</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Sanskrit Source of the name Hathor:</span><br />At some point the temple came to be associated with the name of the chief Egyptian goddess, Hathor. But before that, during the Meroite era, the principle Egyptian Goddess of Dandera was known as Atri or Atari. The Egyptian goddess Atri was a major goddess in the Meroite pantheon too, as she was worshipped in the ancient Kingdom of Kush of Sudan and Ethiopia.<br /><br />It is the name Atri that distorted to Athor and emerged as Hathor at a later time. The name Atri itself appears to be a variation of the word Tantra. Atri is a Sanskrit word, it is the name of Brahma's son. It is an epithet of Shiva as well. But in this cases it is a variation of Tantra and Tantri- as the oldest recorded names of the Temple indicate. </b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Atri is not just one singular example of an Indic goddess appearing in Egyptian or Meroite pantheons. Indic names appeared commonly in the Egyptian as well as Meroite pantheon of gods and goddesses. For example, another ancient Egyptian goddess was named Mut. Her name was pronounced as <i>mata </i>in Meroitic and meant 'mother' in their language, which is the same as the Sanskrit <i>mata</i>. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">She too is represented at Hathor. The ceiling at the temple of hathor is decorated with a complex star chart depicting the goddess Mut and elements of the zodiac. </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Even so, at this point the derivation of Tentyris or Tentyra from Tantra may appear as pure conjecture, but there is more evidence.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The evidence from the stone reliefs and carvings:</span><br />An analysis of the stone carvings and reliefs at the Temple of Dendera also support the claim that the place was a centre for the practice of tantra. Fortunately, it is the best-preserved temple anywhere in Egypt, and there are many stone carvings here that go a long way in proving the Indic source of Egyptian mythology and culture represented in the temple.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Tantric Yogic-Pose Bas Relief of Dendera: </span><br />The first bas-relief is easy to explain, but it is also the key to explain a more complex stone carving that we will look at later. This bas relief is of a <i>sadhaka </i> in a <i>halasana </i>pose. The <i>halasana </i>or the plough pose, is a tantric-yogic posture which represents the plough that purifies the sadhak's mental energy by the activation of the Ajna chakra, or the pineal gland, also called “the third eye”. With the practice of this pose yogis can also control the fifth chakra, or the throat chakra, which results in lowered oxygen consumption and slower metabolism - a requirement for <i>tantric sadhana</i>- especially for the raising of the <i><span style="color: #ffa400;">kundalini</span></i>.<br /><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cSaDsUiLrSIJqQgGUKsjm1lhP55-c7ATg-L4sKXhgwapnzRYeWJooIjQw0x9REgw4-mX7k5-xOSUsr81IPS18H5Yb706znFa6qO2Bcw1U4JyiFYY6Ymhf-Ni89CmUPTLkJQQ6IXefFbyjupInezAP9CQM6lcQp02Fe_yKNtWe3xOhol0WCKiEno-LLI/s1197/Dendera_Relief_12.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cSaDsUiLrSIJqQgGUKsjm1lhP55-c7ATg-L4sKXhgwapnzRYeWJooIjQw0x9REgw4-mX7k5-xOSUsr81IPS18H5Yb706znFa6qO2Bcw1U4JyiFYY6Ymhf-Ni89CmUPTLkJQQ6IXefFbyjupInezAP9CQM6lcQp02Fe_yKNtWe3xOhol0WCKiEno-LLI/w640-h480/Dendera_Relief_12.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Halasana Yogic Posture.<br />Stone bas-relief from Dendera-Hathor temple, Egypt.<br />This posture is a part of Tantric Yoga.<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The second, but more complex Dandera Light bas-relief, though interpreted variously, is also an obvious representation of the <i>kriyas </i>involved in the tantric <i>sadhana </i>of 'raising the kundalini'. The two <i>kriyas </i>are known as the Surya (sun) <i>kriya </i>and the Hamsa (swan) <i>kriya . These are</i> </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">a series of various yogic postures that are practiced by the Tantric <i>sadhakas</i>.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gWdDQU61JM3A537A6Jgp-FNubFcce-B9wkd2eOHKHnNh6h7STN2TAiEM1OTpviQlrQ5W2QnnLSzQrM_sRyICcCqUvI-etcSe8NAvAv8liJGOXwaEkh0XXBIQQemOG_OlVVjTgby2XtIlK6L9K2iu1AQqVa_mK7x8cpgb8JI7d__zPbovzQgbr2AR4AA/s613/swan-kriya%20swan%20kundalini%20yoga.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gWdDQU61JM3A537A6Jgp-FNubFcce-B9wkd2eOHKHnNh6h7STN2TAiEM1OTpviQlrQ5W2QnnLSzQrM_sRyICcCqUvI-etcSe8NAvAv8liJGOXwaEkh0XXBIQQemOG_OlVVjTgby2XtIlK6L9K2iu1AQqVa_mK7x8cpgb8JI7d__zPbovzQgbr2AR4AA/w640-h301/swan-kriya%20swan%20kundalini%20yoga.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">The Yogic-Tantrik Hamsa Kriya postures practiced for raising the Kundalini - the uncoiling of the serpent.<br />Courtesy: Dahnyoga.net<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">All of these elements, the rising serpent, the chakras, the lotus flower, and the various yogic postures practiced for raising the kundalini are seen in the following set of two bas-reliefs from Dendera.</b></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5j74kI42mxrUAjll2muuQ04As2UqMM8HvfBHeg44xBLX04DHqc0FnOtq7pPgtqCDj_Q-3yMJk4J23OMiBy232u9AYbetWWv9JorELW_JQ-S1SPb_qP29XLs4TpWmfztma6hxKRgnvzQQxtuRV_gnP2wS1rZcroixfhKq_Gd1sW8EPsVq4oWW9oaLSCM/s1920/Dendera_Krypta_48_(cropped).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5j74kI42mxrUAjll2muuQ04As2UqMM8HvfBHeg44xBLX04DHqc0FnOtq7pPgtqCDj_Q-3yMJk4J23OMiBy232u9AYbetWWv9JorELW_JQ-S1SPb_qP29XLs4TpWmfztma6hxKRgnvzQQxtuRV_gnP2wS1rZcroixfhKq_Gd1sW8EPsVq4oWW9oaLSCM/w640-h408/Dendera_Krypta_48_(cropped).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">The rising serpent from the lotus base chakra represents the rising <i>kundalini</i>. </b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLoAHyQmLNLbhmbMlp69M9aN_AwblenNyIvDxjhhOLxWIpP06Cvr6sa-qkQ7Q8psoY6-RxQWnnhTNhL1zN1Lnb6sqYhtEoVkNjb5rQyZSDrFTWGRYafbJj4-uipHMtQlzx_0R5k46Fn-jqXr2e1ewGE6BmXISihXRc-FupK-TwayWFaydoqEqw6Js5n8/s1920/Denderah._Grand_temple._Crypte_no._4_(NYPL_b16461786-1548061)_(lower)_(cropped).tiff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLoAHyQmLNLbhmbMlp69M9aN_AwblenNyIvDxjhhOLxWIpP06Cvr6sa-qkQ7Q8psoY6-RxQWnnhTNhL1zN1Lnb6sqYhtEoVkNjb5rQyZSDrFTWGRYafbJj4-uipHMtQlzx_0R5k46Fn-jqXr2e1ewGE6BmXISihXRc-FupK-TwayWFaydoqEqw6Js5n8/w640-h334/Denderah._Grand_temple._Crypte_no._4_(NYPL_b16461786-1548061)_(lower)_(cropped).tiff.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">The birth of Ra (Sun god) or Surya (Sun) signifies enlightenment.<br />Enlightenment is achieved by practicing yogic -tantric postures.<br />The light bulb-like structure is the cavity in which lies the <i>sushmna </i>nadi- the psychic nerve through which the light bolt of the <i>kundalini </i>is experienced.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">What were the builders trying to portray at the Temple of Hathor:</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In Hinduism, the Kundalini in its dormant form, is represented by a coiled serpent. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The kuṇḍali or kuṇḍalini (derived from the word kuṇḍala–a ring or a coil) is energy in the form of a coiled <span style="color: #ffa400;">serpent</span>.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>It is a form of divine feminine energy, or <i>shakti</i>, a formless aspect of the goddess believed to be located at the base of the spine, called the muladhara chakra. The <i>muladhara chakra </i>is represented by a <span style="color: #ffa400;">lotus </span>with four petals, representing mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. This energy located at the lowest chakra in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, leads to the uncoiling of the serpent, and rising to the highest level of consciousness where enlightenment dwells, which is represented by a 1000-petalled lotus in the crown <i>chakra</i>. But what about the light-bulb like shape? What does that portray.<br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The explanation of the light-bulb like shape.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A passage from </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">the 11th-century text </b><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Saradatilaka, written by </i><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Laksmanadesika, can explain what the light-bulb like shape means. It states that,</b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> "One should think of this kundali, the chief queen of the great serpent, awaken in the root chakra, as moving in the <i>susumna </i>(main energy channel in the spine), as quickly piercing through the group of <i>adharas </i>(bases) like a blazing lightning bolt". This awakening is felt as the free flow of energy in the central energy channel -the <i>susumna</i>, one of the three energy channels in the spine- the other two being the <i>ida</i>, and the <i>pingala</i>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Egyptian mythology does not touch upon this spiritual aspect, but explains the bas-relief in a simplified manner. In Egyptian mythology it is stated that the sun God Ra is created out of a lotus flower, the stem of which descends into the Nu, the water god, or the water abyss, the Nile River. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>But Nu is none other than Vishnu, Ra is none other than Surya, and the myth which later entered into Egyptian folklore exists in a slightly different form in the Bhagvat Purana. </b><b>In its simplified form, kundalini is narrated in the form of the story of the birth of Brahma from a lotus, the stem of which springs out of the navel of Vishnu or Nu, when he is reclining on the serpent, Sheshanag also known as Ananta Nag. The serpent rises to the highest chakra. The kundalini serpent has to transcend three granthis or knots , known as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva but can take different names including Surya. As mentioned above, the Egyptian god Ra is Surya and Vishnu is Nu. The name '<i>nag</i>' continues to exist there. Also, it may have taken a new meaning locally, but the entire tract leading to the Nile delta is lined with cities, towns and villages with the prefix 'Nag', (Sanskrit for 'serpent) in their names. The forgotten kundalini serpents perhaps. Fascinating. </b><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Though most of the folklore part of the story still exists in Egyptian mythology, the higher more advanced spiritual meaning is lost. The true meaning of all of these only exists in the Hindu scriptures and culture. Dendera belongs to a time when the Indic culture was known in all great civilizations.</b></span></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-1478521039842505522023-06-30T19:36:00.011-07:002023-09-25T10:33:30.729-07:00THE STORY OF AN ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLE IN KABUL VISITED BY ALEXANDER AND SELEUCUS<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>What's hidden in a name! Plenty one would say! </b><br /><br /><b>This is true for the name Kabul as well. It is this name that reveals the hidden story behind a 4000 year old temple in Kabul. It is today known as the Asamayi temple. Kabul has a very long history. Its oldest mention is found in the Rig Veda, where it refers to a river and to a small settlement on its banks. They both carry the same name - Kubha, which is equated with the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">kubja</i><b> (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">कुब्ज</span><b>) meaning something that is 'crooked' or 'curved'. It is said that since the river is crooked and curved in its course, the ancients gave it the name Kubha or Kubja, which distorted to Kabul with time.</b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Other variations of this name, or names with similar meanings, kept appearing at later times. For example, the Zoroastrians had their own name for Kabul. They called it Vaekreta. But since this word is the same as the Sanskrit <i>vikrit </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">विकृत</span>), meaning bent or crooked, (<i>vikrit </i>is a synonym of <i>kubja</i>), it indicates that there probably is a more profound reason which ties all these names together, and explains the constant association of adjectives such as 'crooked' and 'bent' and 'serpentine' with the description of Kabul in the ancient scriptures and legends of India. Not many seem to delve into this question, but the truth is out there.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Where did the name Kubha emerge from</span>:<br />We find some of the answers in the Hindu Tantra Shastra, more precisely in the Kubjikamatatantra, dedicated to the Tantric goddess Kubhjika (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कुब्जिका</span>) or Kubjini (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कुभ्जिनि</span>). Her name means 'the crooked one'. She is also known as Vakrika (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वक्रिका</span>) which has the same meaning. It is from the name Vakrika that the Zoroastrians derived their name for Kabul - Vaekreta. Kubha, from which the name Kabul is derived, is a truncated form of Kubhjika.<br /><br />On the banks of the Kubha river, in a settlement by the same name, there stood a temple. It still exists and has been there for at least the last 4000 years, dedicated to the goddess Kubjika, or Vakrika. The ancients had intentionally chosen this location for the temple. The Satsahasra-Samhita commentary, another ancient text of India, tells us the reason. It says, just as a river that bends can cut a path and reach anywhere, similarly as her form is contracted, the goddess Kubjika pervades everywhere. Hence, the mountain through which the river Kubha had cut a path, was chosen as the site for Kubhjika's worship. The river has changed its course since then. Today it flows about 300 meters away.<br /><br />The temple lay at the base of the mountain around which the river flowed at the time. As time passed, various invaders of different faiths passed along the path on which the temple was located. The temple withstood the onslaughts of their attacks. As if in defiance, a perpetual flame called <i>akhand jyoti </i>or the Perpetual Flame still burns there as it did 4000 years ago. Legend has it that Kubhjika devi's footsteps are still engraved on the mountain top.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The Greeks and the Kubhjika Temple: </span><br />More than two thousand years ago, this temple caught the attention of the Greeks when Alexander the Great and his troops arrived in the Kabul Valley from Persia. Alexander annexed the Iranian Achaemenid Empire in 323 BC, which had earlier been founded by Kurus, or Cyrus as the Greeks called him, in the year 559 BC. Kabul was a part of the Achaemenid empire and with Alexander's victory in 330 BC, Kabul came under his control. As an aside, the name Kurus is also of Indian origin, though it is debated by western scholars.<br /><br />As he moved ahead and prepared to cross the river Jhelum in around 326 BC to attack Porus or Purushottam, who ruled the land that lay between the Jhelum and the Chenab, a town on the left bank of Jhelum where Alexander's troops had camped, it is said, was given the name Nicaea - which meant the 'town of victory' in Greek. That town has never been found and may only be a myth. But this name emerges in the name of a city in Greece. The idea of the name Nicaea had taken root in India.<br /><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>After Alexander's death in Babylon in 323 BC, enroute his return from India, many embassies of Greeks continued to come to the north-west frontier of India. Later Kabul became a part of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom from 250 - 125 BC. The Greeks established their colony in the area around Kandhar and Kabul. </b><br /><br /><b>The Greek influence enveloped the Kubhjika temple. Surely, the Greeks were intrigued by the temple located prominently in the middle of the city of Kabul at the base of the 7000-foot mountain- the highest point in Kabul. Legend has it that it was even at that time regarded as a place of mystical occurrences. Eventually, during the Greek era in Kabul, the temple area came to be known as Joy-e-nike. Joy or Jai was the Sanskrit word for victory and </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">nike </i><b>was Greek for victory. It became a symbol of Greek victory and their presence in Kabul.</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">The new name of the temple- Jayanidevi sthana:</span><br /><b>However, the Hindus continued to worship their goddess or devi at the temple. With the departure of the Greeks, the name </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">nike </i><b>wore off gradually, but the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">jai </i><b>continued to be part of the temple name. The place came to be known as Jayanidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana </i><b>or Jayantidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana</i><b>. The Greek </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">nike</i><b>, though not part of the temple name, still continued to exist, and in fact survives today in the place name Joy-e-Nikpay. </b><br /><br /><b>The Greeks who had visited and lived in India during the times after the departure of Alexander in 326 BC took back the folktale of the town of Nicaea on the Jhelum and the memories of the spiritual practices at the Joy-e-Nike temple of Kabul with them. Its impact was deep rooted. Scholar Francis Wilford had written in an article in the Asiatic Researches Vol IV published in 1801 that the Greeks even renamed two cities in memory of their victories in Persia and Afghanistan. He identified two such cities of Greece, namely Nicaea and Daedala.</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">The source of the Greek city name Nicaea:</span><br /><b>Of the two, he said, the city of Nicaea in Greece, which was earlier known by many other names, came to be known sometime after the death of Alexander as Nicaea and had its conceptual source in the name Jayanidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana</i><b>. </b><br /><br /><b>Wilford stated, "The first (i.e. Nicaea) is a true and accurate translation of the Sanskrit Jayanidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana</i><b>, or the 'place of the goddess of victory', who is worshipped under that name in Cabul to this day." He explained that nike is actually 'temple' in Greek, and </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">niki </i><b>is 'victory' - hence Nicaea translates as Temple of Victory. It is sometimes claimed that Nicaea in Greece is dedicated to the 'Greek goddess of victory'. But there never was a Greek Goddess of Victory up until the Punic wars, which took place beginning the year 264 BC. The association of Nicaea with victory only emerged after the Greeks had contact with the Indian civilization.</b><br /><br /><b>In Greek mythology, Nicaea was actually a nymph of the springs or fountains and the goddess of Lake Ascanius. She is the daughter of the river-god Sangarius and the mother-goddess Cybele. Though other explanations are given for the name Sangarius, it is obvious that it is a distortion of the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sagara </i><b>meaning both ocean and river. As for the name Cybele, it's etymology is traced to Phrygian (old Turkish) Kubileya or Kebeleya, and translated as Mountain Mother. But she is none other than Kubhjika, the Hindu goddess of Kubha. As for Lake Ascanius on the banks of which the Greek city of Nicaea came up, its name too comes from the saga of Jayanidevi, but more about its link to the name Ascanius a little later in this post. </b><br /><br /><b>With time, even the name Jayanidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana </i><b>started to wear off. The locals had begun to refer to the temple with a different name- Asamayi. Today, the name Jayantidevi </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sthana </i><b>is no longer in use, though it survives in the place name Joysheer. The word joy is no longer associated with the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">jai</i><b>, it has now taken on the meaning of 'place'. Zoye is Pashto for 'place'. </b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">The name Asamayi appears:</span><br /><b>We know from old books that 200 years back the temple had already gathered a new name - Asamayi, the temple of the Goddess of Hope. In the same article mentioned above year Francis Wilford wrote, "It (the temple) is also called in Sanscrit, Jayini-devi-sthaan, or the place of the goddess of victory. The place where her temple stood, is close to Cabul, and is still secretly visited by Hindu pilgrims. Jayini-devi and Asa-mai are the same deity: the latter signifies the goddess, who grants the object of our <i>asa </i>or wishes. She is called also Asyaca in a derivative form, and the place is called by the Musulmans, Ashcan-arfan, who have thus altered the old name into an Arabic denomination of the same import, for it signifies who he knows our <i>ashee </i>or wishes."</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">So, where did the name Asamayi emerge from:</span><br /><b>Wilford had stated in his article that some other names associated with Jayanidevi-sthana that the Hindus talked about in 1801 were Asbana and Asvana pronounced Ashaban; 'asha' being the Sanskrit word for 'hope' and 'desire'. In the words of Wilford, "Numerous are the legends in the Puranas, relating to this place, which is called Asavana and in the spoken dialect Asbana. There are two places of that name; one is the lower (Asbana); and the other Urdh A'sbana or A'sbana-the-upper." </b><br /><br /><b>Urdh A'sbana has a scriptural link to Kubhjika as we will find ahead. As for lake Ascanius on which Nicaea is located in Greece, it derives its name from Asbana of Kabul recorded by Wilford.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPhJUxm5uA5uRc8P68W38e_QERA8kONbbCqPz_6e5UQSn9xi47IzVL0dH-X2AS3Y8IRHealPcKyRqBEg9yeW7aS8D6x-wiRmPj3NXNzs12E3VXeExMWQSYiLEtroyq_VlUy14SYrVa_CLU7_XxsNIuNUL8jUfnSGs31yv4moab_NdxCoxUFtPlpEh/w400-h299/asamai%20temple.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: start;">The Asamayi Temple was known as </span><span style="text-align: start;">Jayanti-devi sthana in antiquity. </span><span style="text-align: start;">It was the centre for the worship of Tantric Goddess Kubhjika. </span><span style="text-align: start;">It is from her name that Kabul came to be known as Kubha </span><span style="text-align: start;">which distorted to Kabul in time.</span><br style="text-align: start;" /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Kubhjika temple: the mystical part of the story. </span><br />This part of the story refers to the time much before the Greeks arrived in Afghanistan. We revisit the name Kubhjika and explore the reasons why this temple was constructed in Kabul, then called Kubha. We find some clues in the ancient Greek texts. Greeks of antiquity, such as Strabo and Ptolemy referred to Kubha as Ortospana (High Place). Author Hassan Kakkar states in his article 'Kabul' that the Ortospana of the Greeks corresponds to the Sanskrit word Urddhastana. It is the original form of the word Urdh A'sbana which Wilford had recorded in his writings. Urddhasthana means 'high place' in Sanskrit.<br /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">According to the Manthana Bhairava <i>tantra</i>, a vast sprawling text concerning the worship of the Goddess Kubhjika, her primary sacred site in antiquity was known as Oddiyana, which is another variation of the name Urddhasthana. Both the names mean 'elevated place' in Sanskrit. Though sometimes Oddiyana is equated with the Swat River valley in Pakistan, nowhere in the <i>shastras </i>does the name Suvastu (as the Swat river was called then), come to be associated with Kubhjika. <br /><br />Oddiyana refers to an elevated tract of land. The tract between Kabul and Kandhar is an elevated region. Kabul is the highest city in Afghanistan. In fact, Kabul is Oddhiyana! At an elevation of 5873 feet, it is one of the highest capitals in the world. Hence, its ancient Puranic name - Oddiyana.<br /><br />The Hindu tantric texts reveal the rest of the story. According to the Kubjikamata-tantra, Oddiyana (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ओड्डियान</span>) is one of the Mahapithas (sacred sites) where Kubhjika devi becomes incarnate. She visits ten sites on her pilgrimage. She visits the Kaumaraparvata mountain and its peaks, such as Mount Trikūṭa, Mount Kiṣkindha etc. before she reaches Oddiyana.<br /><br />More precisely, according to the Kubhjikamata mantra, she reaches the mountains of Western Hima-gahvara in Oddiyana, which is the stretch of the mountains between present day Kabul, Ghazni, and Kandhar- a distance of about 145 miles. Ghazni is recorded as Ghazaca in the writings of Ptolemy. Ghazaca, is most likely the distortion of the suffix in the combination word Hima-Gahvara. <i>Hima </i>means snow, and <i>gahvara </i>means a cave, with the meaning 'an inaccessible place or a hiding place' an apt residence for a Tantric Goddess.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">The lost glory of Ghazni:</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hima-Gahvara or Ghazni was one of the four most important places of worship of Kubhjika Devi. The other three are named in the <i>shastras </i>as Karala, Sahya Mahavana and Ucchuṣma Nadi. These four are identified with the four Mahapiṭhas: Oḍḍiyana, Jalandhara, Purṇagiri and Kamarupa. In these four places, Devī becomes incarnate as a protective goddess, she blesses the sons and daughters born here, it is here that she passes on the knowledge about all the <i>shakti-pithas</i> of the Hindu tradition.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>In the Kubhjikamata Tantra there is a doctrine of continents known as '</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dvipamnaya</i><b>'. These </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dvipas </i><b>or islands appear in three different manners -first, in the categories of time or epochs, second - geographically in the physical world - within the body of the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sadhak </i><b>or the practitioner of tantra. In the body of the tantrik there are 34 </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dvipas </i><b>and 16 pithas. Of the 34 </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">pithas</i><b>, two are named Oddiyana (Kabul) and Ghandharva (Kandhara). One of the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">pithas </i><b>is also known as Jayanti.</b><br /><br /><b>All these descriptions and names associated with Kubhjika given in the scriptures come together at the city of Kubha. According to the KubjikaMata Tantra one of the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">upapitha'</i><b>s (secondary sacred site) of Kubjika devi has the name of Sri Jayanti. The whispers of this knowledge were alive with the Hindus and the Tantric </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sadhakas</i><b> when the Greeks arrived at Kabul 2000 years back. That truly is the reason why the Greeks first associated the Kubhjika temple with victory. It was already the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">pitha </i><b>of Jayanti -the Hindu Goddess of victory. It is from here that the Greeks were inspired to associate this temple with their victory, and Nicaea emerged as the Goddess of Victory in Greek mythology.</b><br /><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kubhjika is implicitly identified with the sacrificial fire into which the world is offered and from which the world arises again. In the <i>shastras </i>it is stated that Kubjika presides over at the Sri Jayanti <i>pitha </i>as Goddess Jvalamukhi (volcano). As mentioned above, there is a natural eternal fire, an '<i>akhand jyoti</i>' burning continuously at Asamayi temple. The presence of a burning flame indicates that the mountain at Asamayi once perhaps was a volcano. We know that Kabul lies over a volcano field, today known as the Dacht-e-Navar. <br /><br />As for Jayanti, it is another name of Goddess Durga. Durga is also known as Ashapura as the Durgasahsranama tells us. Today this temple is associated with Durga's Ashapura <i>avatara</i>. Hence the name, Asamayi. With changing times, no matter what the future of the temple is, the flame will always continue to burn there.<br /><br />Suggested Readings:<br />1. <a href="https://archive.org/details/kubjikamatatantraopenwithabodereaderteungoudriaan_202003_735_z/page/n5/mode/1up?q=pitha">Kubjika Mata Tantra Open With Abode Reader Teun Goudriaan : Dushyanta Embranthiri : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />2. <a href="https://media.oiipdf.com/pdf/8f06b500-6363-4390-8924-7cf3e3a50df6.pdf">Satsahasra Samhita Chapters 1-5 (244p) (oiipdf.com)</a><br />3. <a href="https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/oddiyana#:~:text=In%20contradistinction%20to%20the%20other%20P%C4%AB%E1%B9%ADhas%20it%20has,the%20place%20of%20origin%20of%20the%20entire%20world.">Oddiyana, Oḍḍiyāna: 5 definitions (wisdomlib.org)</a><br />4. <a href="https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E6cBAAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PA494&hl=en">Asiatic Researches - Google Play Books</a><br />5. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-e_Asamai">Koh-e Asamai - Wikipedia</a><br />6. <a href="https://archive.org/details/kubjikamatatantraopenwithabodereaderteungoudriaan_202003_735_z/page/532/mode/1up?q=Jaya">Kubjika Mata Tantra Open With Abode Reader Teun Goudriaan : Dushyanta Embranthiri : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />7. <a href="https://omnesviae.org/">OmnesViae: Roman Route Planner- Tabula Peutingeriana and Itinerarium Antonini</a> MAPs and Routes <br />8. <a href="https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/the-hindu-history-of-afghanistan">The Hindu History of Afghanistan (speakingtree.in)</a><br />9. <a href="https://balkhandshambhala.blogspot.com/2012/11/balkh-and-kashmir-shaivism.html">Okar Research: Tantra in Central Asia (400 AD) (balkhandshambhala.blogspot.com)</a><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Afghanistan<br />10.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu_Nicolo_Seal">Vishnu Nicolo Seal</a> representing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu">Vishnu</a> with a worshipper (probably <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihirakula">Mihirakula</a>), 4th–6th century CE. The inscription in cursive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_language">Bactrian</a> reads: "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitra_(Vedic)">Mihira</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu">Vishnu</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva">Shiva</a>". <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum">British Museum</a>.<br />11. <a href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.180635/mode/1up?q=alexander">Ancient India : Rapson, E. J. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />12. <a href="https://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2017/11/sun-temple-multan-pakistan.html">The lost Sun Temple of Multan in Pakistan (sid-thewanderer.com)</a><br />13, <a href="https://archive.org/details/ShriTantraDurgaSaptashatiChaukhambha/page/n15/mode/1up?q=%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BF">Shri Tantra Durga Saptashati Chaukhambha : AtriVikramArk : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />14. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&pg=PA357&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania - Barbara A. West - Google Books</a><br /><br /></span></b><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-55658237823043585072023-06-18T00:00:00.020-07:002023-08-26T22:56:57.723-07:00RIVER EUPHRATES WAS ONCE KNOWN AS SUPURNA AND BURANUNA (VARUNA)<p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Sanskrit origin of the name Euphrates, the phonetic link:</b></span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">In its definition of Euphrates, the Fausset's Bible dictionary states that in the word Euphrates, "The Εu, Sanskrit su, denotes "good"; the second syllable denotes "abundant."</b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>It may therefo</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>re be inferred that the name Euphrates derives from Sanskrit. More specifically, the name Euphrates is derived from </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Su (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">सु</span><b>), which denotes 'good'; and since the second syllable denotes 'abundant' for which the Sanskrit word is 'purna' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">पूर्ण</span><b>), it may be inferred that Euphrates is stems from 'Su-Purna' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">सुपूर्ण</span><b>) meaning 'Good-Abundance'. </b><b>This meaning is attested in the Hurrian texts.</b></span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #ffa400;">The Sanskrit origin of the name Euphrates, the historical link:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The first </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Hurrian kingdom emerged around 3000 BC throughout northern Syria, upper Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia. They called the Eup</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>hrates <span style="color: #ffa400;">Puranti</span>. The word Puranti too is a Sanskrit derivation, once again from 'purna' meaning abundant. Notwithstanding this, it is claimed that the Hurrian language family has very little or no connection to the Indo-European languages. Yet, all evidence speaks otherwise.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>For example, the Hurrian kings too had Sanskritic-Indic names. Early study of the Hurrian language was entirely based on the Mitanni letter, found in 1887 at Amarna in Egypt, written by the Hurrian king Tushratta to the pharaoh Amenhotep III. Many clues on the India connection came through this letter but were disregarded. For example, the name Tushratta is an Indic name, a variation of the Ramayanic name Dashrattha. According to Grimm's Law of shift in sound, with time dh changes to d which changes to 't' represented by the chain: dʰ → d → t → θ (theta). Hence, the change from the name Dashratha to Tushratta.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>No changes occur in Sanskrit because of its strict rules of pronunciation and its computer-program like grammar, hence we know that the shift is from Dashratta to Tushratta.. In the Ramayana, the name Dashrattha hasn't changed for millennia. That the Hurrian king was named after the Ramayanic king Dashrathha (meaning - 'the owner of ten chariots) makes it obvious that the Hurrian tribe originated somewhere in India. The largest and most influential Hurrian kingdom was Mitanni. </b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The fact that the Mittani worshipped all Vedic gods, establishes the fact that they were all of a Vedic descent.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>The Babylonians and Assyrians called the Euphrates 'Su-Purattu' which can also be traced to the Hurrian Puranti- the 'n' sound is dropped, and the 'i' sound shifts to 'u'.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">E Pococke had a different view, and states in his book 'India in Greece' that the name Euphrates is a distortion of 'Su-Bharata' which changed into 'Su-Purattu', hence the Babylonian and Assyrian name. The word 'su' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सु</span>) as mentioned above means 'good' in Sanskrit, 'Bharat' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">भरत्</span>) is the name of an ancient Indian king after whom India was named 'Bharata' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">भारत</span>). Bharata is known to have extended his empire into Central Asia right up to the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mediterranean. Hence the name. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is a subject for debate, but in the ancient texts Puranas, the name Bharata and Purattu are linked in other ways. According to the Puranas a legendary king Pururava, who belonged to the Pururava tribe, was the first king of the Lunar </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">dynasty from whom descended some of the most well known kings such as Puru and Bharata followed by the Yadavas, Kauravas, and Pandavas of Mahābhārata.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Euphrates and the Vedic God Varuna, the cultural link:</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another of the earliest references to the Euphrates comes from the cuneiform texts found in the cities of Shuruppak and Nippur in southern Iraq and date to the mid-3rd millennium BCE. In these texts, written in Sumerian, the Euphrates is called <span style="color: #ffa400;">Buranuna</span>. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name is sometimes interpreted from its cuneiform text with the prefix "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingir">d</a>" indicating that the river was a divinity. In which case it may safely be stated that the name Buranuna is a variation of the Vedic name Varuna - the god of sea. Varuna was well known in the Near East and the Middle East in deep antiquity, and later to the Hurrians, Hittites and the Mitanni as well. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Tarhunz was the weather god of the Luwians, who lived in Anatolia and later became a part of the Hittites. The Hittites themselves called their weather god Tarhunna. Scholars have for the most part accepted that the name of this god is Indo-European, but in their endeavor to dodge acceptance that </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Tarhunz or Tarhunna is none other than the Vedic weather God Varuna, many interesting etymologies have been put forth.</b><br /><br /><b>For example, it is said that the name of this Proto-Anatolian weather god can be reconstructed as *Tṛḫu-ent- ("conquering), a participle form of the Proto-Indo-European root *terh2, "to cross over, which is the same as Sanskrit 'tar' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">तर</span><b>) meaning 'to cross over'.</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The Vedic-Sanskrit link to 'yardna'- the holy water used for Baptism: </b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is more. In the Mandaen scriptures of ancient Iraq, the Euphrates is considered the earthly manifestation of the </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>heavenly flowing water</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>, known as the Yardna. It is said that river Jordon also gets its name from the heavenly flowing water called Yardana. However, Yardana is nothing but the Sanskrit 'jharardana' (<span style="color: #ffa400;"> झर + आराधन </span>Jhara+aradhna) with the meaning 'river+worship'. Water only from the rivers that are considered manifestations of the heavenly Yardna is considered for use as baptismal water. Rivers Jordon and Euphrates are considered as the manifestation of Yardna. </b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Sanskrit word Jhara occurs in the name River Jordan, and in may river names in Australia:</span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Australia, the Nepean River is considered the holy counterpart of Yardna. Nepean River is a later name - it was named after Evan Napean, a British politician and colonial administrator. One of its older known names is Yandhai. But its </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">earliest name was perhaps Jhara or Yarra, J and Y are considered replacements of one another under Grimm's Law of sound shift. Sure enough, the Yandhai joins the river Grose at a place still called Yarramundi. Though it is said Yarramundi was an Australian chief, it seems obvious that his name contained the word Jhara or its variation Yarra, meaning 'water' or 'river'. Not far from Yarramundi is the Yerranderie State Conservation Area. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is not without reason that the words 'Yarra', a variation of the Sanskritic Jhara, keeps appearing, in many parts of the world. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The river Euphrates was also known as Baramati once. Read about that in an upcoming post.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Bibliography:</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>1. H</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrians">urrians - Wikipedia</a><br />2. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrian_language">Hurrian language - Wikipedia</a><br />3. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates">Euphrates - Wikipedia</a><br />4. <a href="https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/fausset-s-bible-dictionary/euphrates">Euphrates | Fausset's Bible Dictionary | Bible Directory (bibleportal.com)</a><br />5. <a href="https://penguin.co.in/the-interesting-story-of-the-pandavas-forefather-the-serpents-revenge-an-excerpt/#:~:text=King%20Yayati%2C%20one%20of%20the%20ancestors%20of%20the,named%20after%20him%20and%20called%20Bharat%20or%20Bharatvarsha.">The Interesting Story of the Pandavas’ Forefather: ‘The 6. Serpent’s Revenge’ — An Excerpt - Penguin Random House India</a><br /></b></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-36156225401595260372023-05-30T06:42:00.019-07:002023-07-28T20:41:27.470-07:00ANCIENT LEBANON - THE INDIC LINK TO THE TEMPLE OF BAALBEK<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The area on the Mediterranean Sea, now known as Lebanon, first appeared in recorded history around 4000 BC. Its earliest inhabitants were the Canaanites, whom the Greeks referred to as the 'Phoenicians'. It is erroneously believed that the Greeks called them Phoenicians because of the purple dye they sold. Porphyry is Greek for purple. However, a slightly more detailed investigation of the various names that the inhabitants of the ancient coastal cities of Lebanon carried will reveal a common thread to all these names and a more plausible explanation.</b></span></p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>The Phoenicians were consummate traders and skilled seafarers. In India, there is a description of such a class of people in the Rig Veda. They were known as Pani'. The Pani was the trading class and were also known as 'Vanij', (from Sanskrit pani (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पणि</span>) and vani' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वणि</span>) - both meaning 'trader'. The sound 'Cani' in the word Cannan might also be a variation of either 'pani' or 'vani'. Another variation of Canaan </b></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">appears as '<span style="color: orange;">ki-na-ah-na</span>' in the Amarna letters dated to the 14th century BC and is the root from </span></b></span><span><b>which the word Canaan emerges. </b><br /><br /><b>E. Pococke stated in his book 'India in Greece' that the Cannanites were the people of Kanha, or Krishna, the Vedic God, who, after the devastation of the Mahabharata war, moved westwards from India. The name Krishna appears in the names of rivers in Israel, such as the river Kishon as well as the town of Kanah. </b></span><b>For more on this subject click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-rig-vedic-phoenicians.html">here.</a></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>The most ancient name for Lebanon is recorded in ancient Egyptian annals is '</b><span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Rmnn</span><b>'. The Egyptian sound 'R' stands for the Cannanite sound 'L'. Hence the ancient most name was pronounced as Laman or a cognate of Laman, most likely Lavan. </b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><span><b>The name of Lavana Ocean appears in the Mahabharata </b></span><span><b>(Astika Parva 1:5:27) as well as the Srimad Devi Bhagvatam (8:5-1-31). The Lavana Ocean or the Lavana Samudra is often identified as the Mediterranean sea, as the Hindu scriptures say that the Lavana Samudra is located in the centre of the world - exactly what the word medi-terranean means. </b></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Lavan (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">लवण्</span><b>) is a Sanskrit word with the meaning of 'salt' and its of great significance in the context. The </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mediterranean Sea water has one of the highest salinity levels of any sea in the w</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>orld. The Mahabharata states that the Lavana area was ruled by a demon king whose name was Lavanasura, but more about him a little later.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Like the Rig Vedic </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Pani,</i><b> the Phoenicians were traders, and built their cities on the wealth generated from trade of a variety of items which had their source in the Mediterranean Sea. </b></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whether it was the purple dye from the mollusks, or the glass from the sand, maritime commerce, and, of course, fish from the sea, they all had a major role in the development and prosperity of the Phoenician cities. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Some of the major Phoenician cities carry names that have the meaning of 'salt' in Sanskrit. One such city was Sidon. </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In Sanskrit, 'siddha' or 'siddham' or 'Sinduja' all have the meaning of 'sea salt', And it is from its trade of salt that the city of Sidon prospered. Sea salt is also known as 'lavana' </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">(<span style="color: #ffa400;">लवण</span>). Hence the name Lebanon.</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the coast of another ancient Phoenician port town, Anfeh, also called Amfeh and later Ampi, was located one of the oldest salt production sites in the world. This ancient salt-production heritage survives until this day. In Sanskrit Amlam-Lavan (</span></b><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">अम्लम्-लवण</span>) is the word for sea-salt. For more on Sanskrritic-Indic names of Phoenician cities click here: </span></b></p></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The ancient history of Lebanon provides enough clues that its ancient sites bear resemblance to the sacred sites of India. One such example is the temple of Baalbek. Baalbek was known as Heliopolis or the city of the Sun during the period of Roman rule and is the site of what is today known as the Temple of Jupiter. The Romans and Greeks built over the foundations of the more ancient 'Temple of Baal' also known as Temple of Bacchus. Baal was regarded as a Cannanite God but has many links with the Vedic gods of India, gods that the Pani or Phoenicians were familiar with.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Godfrey Higgins wrote in his book 'Anacalypsis, an Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis' (Vol. I) published in 1836, "<i>When all other circumstances are considered, it will not have surprised the reader to find the Hebrew God Baal the Bullheaded, among the Hindoo Gods. He is called <span style="color: orange;">Bala-Rama</span>. He is the elder brother of Cristna (Krishna)..</i>". Higgins further adds that Max Mueller was of the view that Baal is a modification of the god <span style="color: orange;">Sri Rama. </span></span></b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span></span></b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Both Godfrey Higgins and Max Mueller may be correct in their estimates. The Ramayana states that Lavanasura, the ruler of the Lavana Ocean, was an enemy of King Rama and was slain by his brother. The Garga-Samhita Verse, an ancient Hindu text composed by Sage Garg, states in Verse 8 of Chapter 13 that Balarama, the brother of Sri Krishna, was the enemy of Lavanasura. </b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Max Mueller stated that Baal was the </span></b><span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>connecting link between the persona of Sri</span></span></b></span><b> Rama and Krishna - in other words when the lore of Sri Rama and Krishna went westwards there was a transformation in how people perceived these gods. In Baal, there was a mix of the qualities of Rama and Krishna.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>As for the name Bacchus, it is said that the Greek god </b></span><b style="background-color: white;">Dionysus, the God of Wine and dance, was also known as Bacchus or Bacchos by the Greeks, due to a frenzy, called '<i>baccheia</i>' he was said to induce in his followers. The word <i>baccheia </i>is the same as the Sanskrit word ‘vaccheia’ or ‘Vashi-karan,’ which refers to a Tantrik practice of controlling a person’s thoughts by inducing a trance.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0bGc3no5XnEhacrtRV5wQHNKU-7GtbAO5voNmA-VVHvY3YaDA_teCf0LcYj6zB70RmZqs8Xp8gWdThk-w5LsjFOlWAiaQShCxrgSyP8C6qyyyd05ggtpnXJMP0x7fDWW6aIOkXPNhu953-3TaQfOe-uYDhF5ONgmbAzMgQqSOJR8rRssi8XPXNRl/s184/Balbek%20ceiling%20lotus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="184" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0bGc3no5XnEhacrtRV5wQHNKU-7GtbAO5voNmA-VVHvY3YaDA_teCf0LcYj6zB70RmZqs8Xp8gWdThk-w5LsjFOlWAiaQShCxrgSyP8C6qyyyd05ggtpnXJMP0x7fDWW6aIOkXPNhu953-3TaQfOe-uYDhF5ONgmbAzMgQqSOJR8rRssi8XPXNRl/w400-h318/Balbek%20ceiling%20lotus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The circle at the center with the petals is</b><br /><b>a representation of the lotus. The lotus<br />is the highest offering that can be made to god<br />in the Hindu traditional.</b><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV3Dan3xKLw_u5zti2bh5WHtFskDm9RV7vbS7c_b5e6T10WdTiRHTxBwcxeI49DxG6Z0Xciaw_UcDgAENduAUvv1zH6R7WANK_5nrU9B2WMZzCpSUeN_cB9uAJeLSJb92dmpi1aOrdVo/s1600/images+%252863%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"></a></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The same lotus motif appears elsewhere on the walls of the </b><b>Baalbek</b><b> temple and is more clearly visible in the picture below.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV3Dan3xKLw_u5zti2bh5WHtFskDm9RV7vbS7c_b5e6T10WdTiRHTxBwcxeI49DxG6Z0Xciaw_UcDgAENduAUvv1zH6R7WANK_5nrU9B2WMZzCpSUeN_cB9uAJeLSJb92dmpi1aOrdVo/s1600/images+%252863%2529.jpg"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV3Dan3xKLw_u5zti2bh5WHtFskDm9RV7vbS7c_b5e6T10WdTiRHTxBwcxeI49DxG6Z0Xciaw_UcDgAENduAUvv1zH6R7WANK_5nrU9B2WMZzCpSUeN_cB9uAJeLSJb92dmpi1aOrdVo/s640/images+%252863%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>A six-pointed star at Balbek, Lebanon</b><br /><b>is the 'shatakona' of the Vedas.</b><br /><b>The 'shatakona' has a lotus at the centre.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></span><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuHvseVYyyMRPDWiEvdxszC5zxEkFn4bdB6n27aDF5BvHMtDte7pCt_HNTLUhA63WR1qQkShyphenhyphenpvZLFT_uC-m8Q29ogGwKvX-HuIxlTrqKcdb7vRzI90rxULcHKymXKKzPTOZgN5UW5Rw/s1600/Hindu+Hexagram+%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuHvseVYyyMRPDWiEvdxszC5zxEkFn4bdB6n27aDF5BvHMtDte7pCt_HNTLUhA63WR1qQkShyphenhyphenpvZLFT_uC-m8Q29ogGwKvX-HuIxlTrqKcdb7vRzI90rxULcHKymXKKzPTOZgN5UW5Rw/s400/Hindu+Hexagram+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.2px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Shatkona , a Hindu symbol, represents the union of<br /> the male and feminine form. It represents<br />Purusha (the supreme being) or Shiva,<br />and Prakriti (causal matter) or Shakti.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The fine intricate design on the gate of the Baalbek Temple too has Hindu origins. In many places this art has been tampered with and the replacements do not have the same intricacy of design.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7AartgQR-J1nUn1K8n-TqYjBWGcWDGKl75l1YpBDbsxptSnhlcK5JN7uWI7icZxfoNIeRfZ4fhxErMwDrJVNrar7dWbqVTI2g51dm7I7VhjITpvJVTFrqSW9mV0XmjmnItaWySGRnZE/s1600/Balbek+Temple+Entrance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7AartgQR-J1nUn1K8n-TqYjBWGcWDGKl75l1YpBDbsxptSnhlcK5JN7uWI7icZxfoNIeRfZ4fhxErMwDrJVNrar7dWbqVTI2g51dm7I7VhjITpvJVTFrqSW9mV0XmjmnItaWySGRnZE/s640/Balbek+Temple+Entrance.jpg" width="464" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The entrance to the Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek.</b><br /><b>This entrance is remarkably close to the Hindu Temple gates<br />in architecture and design.<br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0RH4Ilm84P0fjduRjtRKU_qVM3sAg6yUWBv4wj1hbIVqRTrCfFSzJZTThNxkOHwPEr3nS0pD1tkQciDi7r4TZv8rkGLNhNxkHoj4jXV52PJE8RWUHdUyJvwTFNe8v8NIGQdxN5zuXyA/s1600/Balbek+Enterance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0RH4Ilm84P0fjduRjtRKU_qVM3sAg6yUWBv4wj1hbIVqRTrCfFSzJZTThNxkOHwPEr3nS0pD1tkQciDi7r4TZv8rkGLNhNxkHoj4jXV52PJE8RWUHdUyJvwTFNe8v8NIGQdxN5zuXyA/s640/Balbek+Enterance.jpg" width="523" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>An earlier picture of the entrance to the<br />Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek <br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIT4rW6z7AFxOP5u6qcL6NdPA2tVbYFudk-hZT99DtUqvSsHQRjghdVMI-fP9yWZ7dgFA-K_8uZ0g1vyMT1X9zM3RlrNDWJ_9RTWOgWZhme-6FSZnhKkv1NRJIcpdz6pOR9L2lV6Hggo/s1600/Lotus%252C+simha+and+swastika+at+Balbek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIT4rW6z7AFxOP5u6qcL6NdPA2tVbYFudk-hZT99DtUqvSsHQRjghdVMI-fP9yWZ7dgFA-K_8uZ0g1vyMT1X9zM3RlrNDWJ_9RTWOgWZhme-6FSZnhKkv1NRJIcpdz6pOR9L2lV6Hggo/s640/Lotus%252C+simha+and+swastika+at+Balbek.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Svastika and Simha (lion) carvings at the Baalbek Temple</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">About Baal, in an article published on the Graham Hancock website, author Bibhu Dev Mishra states,</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> "<i>The statements of the Greek writers, as well as a large number of symbolic correlations, indicate that Hercules was <span style="color: orange;">Balarama</span>, the elder brother of Krishna. As per the ancient sources, <span style="color: orange;">Hercules-Balarama</span>, on his arrival in Egypt, had stopped a flood on the Nile, deposed a tyrant king called Busiris, and established his own son Ramesses (also known as Aegyptus) on the throne of Egypt</i></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">...In<i> a subsequent period, the Phoenicians, who had emerged as a significant maritime culture in the Mediterranean around 1500 BC, worshipped a god called Melqart who was regarded as a powerful king, as the protector of the Phoenician colonies, and as a god of harvest. Melqart was also known as Belus, Baal Melqart, and the Tyrian Heracles which indicates that all of these epithets described the same person</i>." Quoted from <i>bibhudeva.blogspot.in. For more on this click <a href="http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/DMisraB7.php">here.</a></i></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9e_5eIPOO0_bjA19v5oVQ8tlHJi2y_Q5ACX6IF_NE7gY9QvfDdpwhD8fhExcmptezMk7kJg-uW4EMDVfUmX-wPAjPJR9Db2Q3z-ZTeGa6Gd805pARn5Ev8Ejbq2ieFh7OHULxi14HyzQ/s1600/Baal+God.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9e_5eIPOO0_bjA19v5oVQ8tlHJi2y_Q5ACX6IF_NE7gY9QvfDdpwhD8fhExcmptezMk7kJg-uW4EMDVfUmX-wPAjPJR9Db2Q3z-ZTeGa6Gd805pARn5Ev8Ejbq2ieFh7OHULxi14HyzQ/s1600/Baal+God.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #676767; font-weight: bold;"> </span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Figurine of the God Baal. The right arm is risen<br />upwards as if brandishing a weapon which<br />is lost. So is the left hand.</span></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></span></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsGUpArVm9T-oOUDA9oooUhspmjcfe2vK3n35P4tlqck-QX6FXmLbGyAMjTAQawEDQ9MwbWX8HUSDL0WG9-ZoLk29czuUPYmLGFKYS_NvILcbOgJj08yW9cuagPtQWXqIYTFQZNY99Ls/s1600/balaram2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsGUpArVm9T-oOUDA9oooUhspmjcfe2vK3n35P4tlqck-QX6FXmLbGyAMjTAQawEDQ9MwbWX8HUSDL0WG9-ZoLk29czuUPYmLGFKYS_NvILcbOgJj08yW9cuagPtQWXqIYTFQZNY99Ls/s1600/balaram2.jpg" width="170" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stone sculpture, Lord Bala-Rama, Odisha, India.<br />He holds a club in his right hand<br />and a plough in his left.<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeOT-YoE-Ddzy5vwsuLdnHYvKWT8DVtn3ZVYHzts-Sh4GLsghfYN38Bbi6hnfMpyOd3h5nSheUN8jwzp-YX44qJf-1pVjNlZVQhxzAGO0h0YB_Igvz4iQQxRuMeQjODST6noRiocY-WU/s1600/Balarama.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeOT-YoE-Ddzy5vwsuLdnHYvKWT8DVtn3ZVYHzts-Sh4GLsghfYN38Bbi6hnfMpyOd3h5nSheUN8jwzp-YX44qJf-1pVjNlZVQhxzAGO0h0YB_Igvz4iQQxRuMeQjODST6noRiocY-WU/s1600/Balarama.JPG" width="266" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another sculpture of God Balarama.<br />India</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Says Sadhguru, the Indian spiritual guru and the founder of Isha foundation, "If you study in a school in Lebanon, you will read about how Indian workers, Indian sculptors, Indian yogis came and built a Phoenician temple called Baalbek 4300 years ago, which is a phenomenal temple. Some of the foundation stones are over 300 tons by weight. There is no granite in Lebanon. They transported the granite all the way from Egypt across the canal and up the mountains and put it there with Indian elephants, Indian workers and sculptors."</span></b></div><div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The intricate carvings on the ceiling of the Baalbek temple are of Hindu origin. Sadhguru adds," There is enough proof of this. One of the proofs is visual, which is the lotus hanging on the ceiling. The Indian sculptor always puts a lotus in his work. Where would a Lebanese worker have seen a lotus?" More importantly, there is no significance of the lotus in the Canaanite or Lebanese tradition. The Vedic literature places the lotus as the highest offering you can make to God.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The carvings were tampered with at a later time. In the Roman and Greek periods, the lotus carving in the centre of the circular shape is replaced by figures which are of an entirely different sculptural style.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Suggested Reading:<br />1. <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=-sNBAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA259&lpg=PA259&dq=Baalbek+Balarama&source=bl&ots=PzSDhKMh1f&sig=6MjselNpQGpVbkcUaz1bNs3-AaI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dsm0VMHuLJOTuASDroKQBQ&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Baalbek%20Balarama&f=false">Anacalypsis: Godfrey Higgins</a><br />2. <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-rig-vedic-phoenicians.html">THE RIG VEDIC PHOENICIANS</a><br />3. <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-hindu-city-of-amrit-that.html">THE HINDU CITY OF AMRIT THAT PHOENICIANS BUILT IN SYRIA</a><br />4. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25610200?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents">On the Rise and Fall of Canaanite Religion at Baalbek: A Tale of Five Toponyms on JSTOR</a><br />5. <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Baalbek_1.png">Baalbek_1.png (1072×1580) (wikimedia.org)</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/2006/02feb/baalbekII.html">Baalbek: Lebanon's Sacred Fortress (redicecreations.com)</a><br /></span></b><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-1907815135254328842022-10-07T09:07:00.026-07:002023-09-03T10:17:40.803-07:00AYAHUASKA OF AMAZON BASIN IS THE SOMRASA OF INDIA'S VEDIC TRADITION<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Ayahuasca, a brewed drink of the Amazon basin, is a psychoactive drink which has been used as a ceremonial as well as a spiritual drink known to induce altered states of consciousness. Its history and source is unknown in the Amazon basin though its use is at least 1000 years old, as evidenced by the discovery of a bundle containing the residue of ayahuasca ingredients.</b><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his visit to South and Central America, Joannes Magnin (1701 – 1753) a Swiss Jesuit missionary, chronicler, cartographer, and explorer made the following observation in his book ' A Brief Description of the people of Quito, "...they have for that matter, <i>ojas</i>, roots, <i>sumos</i>, vines, such as hurupschi, ayahuessa, corahuana, Maviari or flowers of love, and others." He was referring to Ayahuasca - a traditional drink used as a medicine in the Amazon.</span></b></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>But what is most interesting here is that each of the various names of the drink that Magnin had heard and recorded in his writings between 1734-1740 are of Sanskrit origin. For example, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">ojas </i><b>(</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">ओजस्</span><b>) means vitality or splendor, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">sumos</i><b> is a variation of the Sanskrit <i>soma </i>(</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">सोम</span><b>) or <i>soma-rasa</i>, the elixir of life in the Vedic tradition. The name <i>Hurupschi </i>seems to be a variation of the Sanskrit </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">ahuti </i><b>(</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">आहुति</span><b>) which means invocation. A related Sanskrit word is <i>juhoti </i>(</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">जुहोति</span><b>), which has the meaning of sacrifice. It sems from the root word 'hu' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">हु</span><b>) meaning offering, sacrifice, invocation, worship and honour. Corahuana has the suffix 'havana' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">हवन</span><b>) which has the meaning of 'sacrifice, offering, invocation'. The presence of so many Sanskritic words indicates that there definitely was a connect with the Vedic-Indic tradition.</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ayahuasca is known to induce visual hallucinations and enhances altered interpretations of reality. It is said that Ayahuasca gives its user a clearer view of the spiritual world by establishing a link with it. People who have used this brew have experienced positive effects. It is not an easy brew to handle and it is therefore rarely used as an intoxicant. But it is no different from the soma-ras of the Hindus. In the Vedic texts of India, the 'soma-rasa' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सोमरस</span>) and amrit-rasa (<span style="color: #ffa400;">अमृतरस</span>) were regarded as the elixirs of spiritualism. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the fact that all the appellations used to describe the infusion in Central America originate from Sanskrit, establishes the fact that an ancient Hindu civilization perhaps existed in Central America.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The word 'Ayahuasca' in popular culture it is said derives from the ancient Quechua language compound word 'ayawaska', aya (meaning spirit, dead) and waska (meaning rope, rope). The explanation given for the significance of the word rope here is that in the worldview of the native peoples ayahuasca is the rope which allows the spirit to leave the body without it dying. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The word 'waska' is also the Quechua term for any species of vine and the word 'aya' refers to the 'soul' and to the 'spirit of a dead person', hence the two English translations of Ayavaska, 'vine of the soul' and 'vine of the dead.'</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>But the etymology of 'ayahuasca' or ayawaska may have an entirely different source, which provides it with a culture and tradition. One of the ingredient herbs of Ayahuasca is Justicia Pectoralis. And not so surprisingly, in Sanskrit the Justicia shrub is known as 'vasaka' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">वासक</span><b>) or 'vashaka' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">वाशक</span><b>) - and means 'that which brings you under its spell'.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The prefix 'aya' in Ayahuaska may also have a Sanskrit source. Its variation 'ayu' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">आयु</span><b>) has many meanings in Sanskrit including 'life', 'living being', 'divine personification presiding over life'. The word also takes the form 'ayur' in 'Ayurveda' - where 'ayur' stands for 'life'. The 'aya' of 'ayawaska' seems to be related to the Sanskrit 'Ayu' and 'ayur'- both in sound and in meaning.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>In Peru another medicinal plant goes by the name 'Ayahuma' and is recommended by the shamans of Peru for its medicinal properties and is sometimes used in preparing Ayahauca. Ayahuma appears to be a variation of the Sanskrit <i>ayur </i>and <i>soma</i>.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In India 'Ayahuma' is known as 'Parusa' or 'Neel-Parna' or 'Naga-Linga'. Its medicinal use in Ayurveda is well recorded - its extract possesses antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and analgesic qualities. 'Naga-Linga' is a sacred tree and is associated with Lord Shiva and is planted in many Shiva Temples.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Justicia_pectoralis_by_Scott_Zona_-_001.jpg/220px-Justicia_pectoralis_by_Scott_Zona_-_001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Justicia Pectoralis is one of the<br />ingredients of the South American<br />'Ayavaska' brew. In Sanskrit, plants of the<br />Justicia Genus are known as 'vasaka' or 'vashaka'.<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Another ingredient used in Ayahuasca in the Amazon is Brugmansia. Brugmansia contains deliriant hallucinogenic tropane alkaloids such as atropine. Its Sanskrit name is </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dhattura </i><b>and in the Indian tradition, in spite of it being highly toxic, its usage in preparation of medicines age old. Its name is mentioned in many ancient texts including the Kathasaritasagara and the Shivapurana. An offering of </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">dhattura </i><b>is made to Lord Shiva. Scriptures say that its extract was the drink of choice of ascetics for its hallucinogenic properties, its medicinal properties and its prominence in the lore of Shiva.</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZv45Tt2bgyij8rNaXqMsILv5sMjfEXnSdlas2MzB87F9mVqPh_EoowrK-VcAkZHJ20QuP9by65-S5pvccxkbp5CRuwr4OcFIpBgGL2nyCGpxWeGo0D8fY6UCv2M52rnNoBk3UUa5Qzs8/s1600/ayahua.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZv45Tt2bgyij8rNaXqMsILv5sMjfEXnSdlas2MzB87F9mVqPh_EoowrK-VcAkZHJ20QuP9by65-S5pvccxkbp5CRuwr4OcFIpBgGL2nyCGpxWeGo0D8fY6UCv2M52rnNoBk3UUa5Qzs8/s320/ayahua.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ayahuma is known as Nagalinga<br />in India. It is a sacred tree and<br />is planted in many temples dedicated to<br />Lord Shiva</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">yet another ingredient of the Amazonian Ayahuasca is Peganum Harmala, also known as African Rue and Syrian rue. It is also known as <i>espand </i>or <i>esfand </i>in Persian. These names arise etymologically from the Sanskrit '<i>spanda</i>' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">स्पन्द्</span>). Its usage is mentioned in the Kashmiri scriptures on Tantra including the Spandakarika which elaborates on the philosophy of 'spanda'. In Sanskrit 'spanda' has the meaning of vibration or pulse - the divine throb of the universe.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> In Kashmiri Hindu tradition 'spanda' or as it is called 'izband' is used in invoking god during meditation as well as in ceremonial and festive rituals.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Suggested Links:<br /><a href="http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JHE/JHE-15-0-000-000-2004-Web/JHE-15-1-001-084-2004-Abst-PDF/JHE-15-1-019-025-2004-Padhy/JHE-15-1-019-025-2004-Padhy.pdf">The Soma drinkers of Ancient India</a></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-43020880101178450482022-09-26T09:02:00.011-07:002023-05-07T09:00:24.908-07:00THE LOST SACRED SITE OF GARUDA-STHANA NEAR BAMIYAN IN AFGHANISTAN<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Bahlika, also called Valakhiliya, refers to an ancient district mentioned in the Mahabharata which corresponds to Bactria or modern Balkh in northern Afghanistan. Garuda, the Vedic 'King of the birds' was born in Bahlika say the Hindu scriptures. Scholars of the Asiatic Journal from 200 years ago have recorded the existence of a temple dedicated to Garuda close to Bamiyan in Afghanistan the memory of which is now almost completely lost.</b><br /><br /><b>The Mahabharata states that Garuda was born as a consequence of a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">yagya </i><b>or an ascetic penance of the Vahlikhiliyas. In every instance in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, whenever there is a mention of a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">yagya</i><b>, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">tapasya</i><b>, or an ascetic penance by </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">rishis</i><b>, that event is always followed by the occurrence of something extraordinary. Unsurprisingly therefore, in this instance of ascetic penance, the result is the birth of an extraordinary bird. This bird, an eagle to be more specific, in time comes to be known as Garuda. On first appearance Garuda seems like a bird, but as more features unveil in the description, it begins to dawn that Garuda was perhaps a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">vimana. </i><b>All though in the Puranas though, it is always considered a bird irrespective of all its features and feats. </b><br /><br /><b>The Mahabharata says that Kashyapa, the father of Garuda was assisted by </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rishis</i><b>, the gods, and the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gandharvas </i><b>(celestial beings) to enable the 'birth' of Garuda. The Mahabharata also says that Kashyapa appointed Indra himself to bring the 'sacrificial fuel' as well as to gather deities and the ascetics from Valikhiya (Bactria) to facilitate the 'birth' of Garuda. It is also mentioned that Garuda was not born of a mother. Yet it has a mother called Vinata. She too can fly, only Garuda is the next generation! And therefore, of more power! If Garuda was indeed a machine, ancient Afghanistan would have to be designated as a center for aviation research or manufacturing, but that is an entirely different debate. </b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In the Vedas, Mahabharata and Puranas, Garuda the eagle, is regarded as a demi-god bird. So, for now, in this essay one may begin by looking for any evidence of Garuda in either ancient place names or the sacred sites of Bahlika, that is Afghanistan. </b><b><br /></b><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ1rQFG-aFVRUuVLl17aLPl0cVKA6TnW_yvEzaNz5hL-7Tzd7wjlmf1iwFTZDxA1gP5W64U256KAqVYKjb2SqI_5_8cw7FaESaNIM6hTXRCx4b-O9m1S6_ou-LQR705hKsebnsXhKuDbsR50thrTRMvJeGEHslYJ_0sN2xxPfKM3OVEEqdspgt6Ra/s347/255px-Garuda_vanquishing_the_Naga_clan._Gandhara._Met.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ1rQFG-aFVRUuVLl17aLPl0cVKA6TnW_yvEzaNz5hL-7Tzd7wjlmf1iwFTZDxA1gP5W64U256KAqVYKjb2SqI_5_8cw7FaESaNIM6hTXRCx4b-O9m1S6_ou-LQR705hKsebnsXhKuDbsR50thrTRMvJeGEHslYJ_0sN2xxPfKM3OVEEqdspgt6Ra/s320/255px-Garuda_vanquishing_the_Naga_clan._Gandhara._Met.jpg" width="235" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>A Garuda artifact, dated to 2nd century AD</b><br /><b>Gandhara, Afghanistan</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Closer to our times, up until the 1800s at least, we find that Hindu pilgrims visited a place called <span style="color: #ffa400;">Garudasthana</span>, located in the province of Bamiyan, on the river Surkhab. This is attested to by Captain F Wilford who states in his essay 'Sacred Isles of the West' in the Asiatic Research journal, volume VIII published in 1808, "<span style="color: #ffa400;">Garuda's den is well known to this day to the pilgrims, and to the Hindus of these parts.</span> The place is called Shibr in Major Renell's maps, for Shabar; and it is not far from Bamiyan. There Garuda used to devour all the Shabaras who passed by; in the Puranas, all savage tribes are thus called. Amongst others were some servants of Mahadeva whom he devoured; this drew upon him the resentment of that irascible deity, whose servants are called Pramathas." (Page 258) </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Shabar in Afghanistan lies close to a place known as Gholghola in Bamiyan. Gholghola, or </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">'the city of woes',</i><b> they say was so named after the massacre unleashed by Genghis Khan when his grandson was killed in a battle at this site. However, the name Gholghola might have already existed, for it was the site of Hindu temples and perhaps that of the Garuda temple that Wilford mentions. Gholghola seems to be a variation of Garula, Pali form of Sanskrit 'garuda". Garudasthana already existed, came to be known as Garulasthan during Buddhist times, and was later tweaked to the Pashto Gholghola after the mayhem caused there by Ghengis Khan.</b><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Shabar exists on the present-day map of Afghanistan. It lies in the Bamiyan province, its name a continuation of its earliest name as stated in the Puranic legend </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>of Garuda. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Bamiyan itself had the name of Vama-nagari in antiquity and gave its name to the mountain range on which Bamiyan developed.</b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Captain Wilford was of the view that the true and original mountain range that came to be known as Caucasus lies in Afghanistan. He says that an extensive branch of the Caucassus was called P</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>arapannisus. He says in his essay in the Asiatic Researches "The word Parapannisus, or Para Fanisus, is obviously derived from the Sanscrit Para-Vami, or 'the pure and excellent city of Vami', commonly called Bamyan. It is called in Sanscrit Vaminagari, Vami-gram, and in a derivative form Vamiyan or the most beautiful and excellent city. It is a place of great antiquity; and was considered at a very early period, as the metropolis of the feet of Buddha; hence it was called emphatically Buddha-Bamiyan ; but the Musulmans have maliciously distorted this venerable title, into But-Bamiyan or 'Bamiyan of the evil spirit', or of the idols. Para which signifies pure and holy is also one of the thousand names of Vishnu."</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Shabar is located in the region of Bamiyan, not far from </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">the province of Gaur, also known as Ghor, Ghorid and Ghoristan. Ghoristan may well be the Garudasthana of the Hindu Puranas. Though there are many theories about the origin of the name Gaur, none other has the antiquitarian support of a scripture that the name Garudasthana has. Balkh or the Valakhiliya of the Mahabharata too lies in close proximity to Gaur. Hence all the Mahabharata sites are in fact tied together by both, legend as well as geography, in this area.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsrbnGjXtVuThAzO9DZjafKZAy7XByRRvBBoa3RL7fQStXiuC3hu9yBT-3_1a3h15BOt6ANndCmADq-PYpHBYa2Qfj6iCMaGABRC09hg_Z2YOHnDOMqZqjYvJZK6wv6kjC-QjV5AmdP14C8Jv-Iqh7k_ktse6Z01OHXfEXHdC8zE2ZUv_CAcQu-Ft/s1473/Afghanistan.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsrbnGjXtVuThAzO9DZjafKZAy7XByRRvBBoa3RL7fQStXiuC3hu9yBT-3_1a3h15BOt6ANndCmADq-PYpHBYa2Qfj6iCMaGABRC09hg_Z2YOHnDOMqZqjYvJZK6wv6kjC-QjV5AmdP14C8Jv-Iqh7k_ktse6Z01OHXfEXHdC8zE2ZUv_CAcQu-Ft/w640-h421/Afghanistan.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Lake Shiva lies in the Shive Province.</b><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;" /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Bamiyan was known as Vami Nagari in the Mahabharata</b><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;" /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Shibar gets its name from the Shabara of the Garuda Purana legend. There is also a Sheberghan in Jowzjan Provine. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Ghoristan name stems most likely from Garudasthan.</b><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;" /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Balkh gets its name from the Valikhiliyas of Mahabharata.</b><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>Ghoristan is not the only place which may have its etymology in the name Garuda or Garudasthan. Gardez is another one. It is here that a Ganesha idol was excavated by British archaeologists in the 1930s. The Ganesha idol is dated to 8th Century AD. Gardez lies close to Kabul, who's ancient name was Kubha, (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कुभ</span>), named after the river Kubha, or 'the curved one'.</b><br /><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLS1LSkXcGSCV__nyNnBcotHcUbh04LIJHae5X07w6OEpyplTd3MBHVkGftPKsrCa9Un22q9dYdAXkGTHdayikOitb8VwsQqaxTYN6VQNoZQnq5f5VGSY4efpm0y6KIYELWrQdkAxONzKvYqqEiAJuGM2p2MK_PyN1aRJShE7qVoAZlFyzH2WE6b3/s584/Ganesha_from_Gardez.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLS1LSkXcGSCV__nyNnBcotHcUbh04LIJHae5X07w6OEpyplTd3MBHVkGftPKsrCa9Un22q9dYdAXkGTHdayikOitb8VwsQqaxTYN6VQNoZQnq5f5VGSY4efpm0y6KIYELWrQdkAxONzKvYqqEiAJuGM2p2MK_PyN1aRJShE7qVoAZlFyzH2WE6b3/w194-h400/Ganesha_from_Gardez.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The 8th century Ganesha of <br />Gurdez, Afghanistan</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Parapamisus situated not far from Bamiyan on James Renell's map of Afghanistan. Gurdez lies to the south.</b><br /><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvdwTOY-sHABhzwYUQVTMpHy-uRlDWRTscp78Pf_4ojnN9IcY-WhTdaGwORFEV3ZlPzIrLAW3blp4oGc1nt_Y0jkoi_5bovrxsS4C7aokkt1zegsekW0_3P_BOzE9aWSixBCF8N_bWpADvaXVnlIHYblwOoCv_qTau2UdxrUNNHXI4cj_5mx3Tb-t/s800/Renell" smap.jpg="" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" smap.jpg="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvdwTOY-sHABhzwYUQVTMpHy-uRlDWRTscp78Pf_4ojnN9IcY-WhTdaGwORFEV3ZlPzIrLAW3blp4oGc1nt_Y0jkoi_5bovrxsS4C7aokkt1zegsekW0_3P_BOzE9aWSixBCF8N_bWpADvaXVnlIHYblwOoCv_qTau2UdxrUNNHXI4cj_5mx3Tb-t/w640-h340/Renell" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;">For a clearer view of James Rennell's map of Kabul, Bamiyan, and Gaur, </b><a href="https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/india-maps/rennell" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-align: start;">click here and scroll down to the last map and zoom in.</a><br style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: start;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>In the Asiatic Journal Vol VI, in his essay 'On the Mount Caucasus', author Francis Wilford states, " The few Hindus who live toward the Indus, insist that the lake near Bamiyan, is the real and original Mansarovara: and near Cabul a little to the north west of Sacardara is a small lake, which they call the lesser Man- sarovara, and which corresponds to a similar lake to the south of Bindu-Sarovara, called in the Puranas the eyes of Mansarovara." This Kabul Lake that the Hindus of Afghanistan regarded as Mansarovara, is today known as Band-e-Amir. </b><br /><br /><b>James Rennell (1742-1830), English geographer and historian, considered as the Father of Indian Geographical Survey, also identifies and marks a place called Naggur in the vicinity of Bamiyan on his map. This corresponds to the Devanagar of the Puranas. Devanagar's existence is unquestionable. It is here that the Devanagari script of the Sanskrit language is said to have been born. This name no longer exists on the map of Afghanistan.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5-_6_8waPCC1JeHhpHUQ-ufnxfdPUQkiIoTbz9af0po8IC0rV0ZVIYFWkm_A_nRodjCaIql_533-qekdGd5ZGn8MP8XGAG94MTi9xMmB_0Qc7k6SbPj55Uvq8D5bTBP0mRBqmL72sPWuq-RA2t2TLwd8P5FSPidQJgIscC9XxOiJd1y-vLVbHXHL/s1080/Naggur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="525" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5-_6_8waPCC1JeHhpHUQ-ufnxfdPUQkiIoTbz9af0po8IC0rV0ZVIYFWkm_A_nRodjCaIql_533-qekdGd5ZGn8MP8XGAG94MTi9xMmB_0Qc7k6SbPj55Uvq8D5bTBP0mRBqmL72sPWuq-RA2t2TLwd8P5FSPidQJgIscC9XxOiJd1y-vLVbHXHL/w312-h640/Naggur.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>James Rennel's Map identifies the location of Naggur,<br />once known as Devanagar. It is here that the<br />Vedic Rishis developed the Devanagari script. Naggur was<br />located close to Mooker- the present day Muqer.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b><b style="font-size: large;">There is a Puranic story about Naggur too though. Its complete name was Deva-nagar. It is said that Atri, a deva who sprang up from the mind of Bramha was given the task of establishing cities and entrusting Vedas in the people of those cities by Bramha. It is said that after establishing cities in the west and Sanchadwipa (Africa), Atri repaired eastward. In Asiatic Researches Vol III it is stated by Wilford, "After the arrangement he (Atri) left and went to the country, near the Sindhu, or Indus, settling on the Devanaca Mountains, where he avoided the morning twilight, which had before been unprosperous, and produced a race eminent in virtue, for whom, when they multiplied, he built the famous city of Nagara, emphatically so called and generally named Deva-nagara, which stood near the site of the modern Cabul (Kabul)." Page 348</b><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;">About Bamiyan, Wilford collated the following interesting information from travellers. He writes, " The city of Baimyan consists of a vast number of apartments, and recesses, cut out of the rock; some of which, on account of their extraordinary dimensions, are supposed to have been temples. They are called Samach'hh, in the language of the country, and Samaj in Persian. There are no pillars to be seen in any of them, according to the information I have received from travellers, who had visited them. Some of them are adorned with niches and carved work; and there are to be feen the remains of some figures in relievo, which were destroyed or miserably disfigured by Musalmans. Some remains of paintings on the walls are still to be seen in some of them: but the smoke, from the fires made there by the inhabitants, has all but obliterated them. It is said in the Ayeen-Akbery that there are about 12,000 of these recesses, in the Tuman or Tagavi of Bamiyan; this is also confirmed, from general report, by travellers. But what never fails to attract the notice of travellers, are two colossal statues which are seen at a great distance." These are the two Bamiyan Buddhas that were destroyed in 2001.</b><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;">But there are some additional interesting facts that Wilford relates. He states, "At some distance from these two statues, is another of a smaller size, being about fifteen cubits high. Natives and Persian authors, who have mentioned them, agree neither about their sex nor their names. The few Hindus who live in these countries, say, that they represent Bhi'm and his consort...". Later, the Buddhists, the Christians and the Muslims chose to believe they were sculptures of deities of their tradition.</b><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;">These statues were visited, at lead ten or twelve different times, by a famous traveler, called Me'yan- Asod-Shah, who was a man highly respected, both on account of his descent from Mohammed, and his personal character. He was well informed, and he said that the two statues were that of a male and a female. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Wilford writes that from Shah he learnt, "</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">One of the legs of the male figure is much broken : for the Musulmans never march that way with cannon without firing two or three shots at them : but from their want of skill, they seldom do much mischief. Aurangzeb, it is said, in his expedition to Bahlac (Balkh) in the year 1646, passed that way and ordered as usual a few shots to be </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>fired;</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> one of them took place, and almost broke its leg."</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>References:</b><br /><b>1. </b><a href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.195566/page/n297/mode/2up?q=garuda" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic Researches Or Transactions Vol. 8 : Not Available : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><b> Garudasthana</b><br /><b>2. </b><a href="https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.4197/page/n233/mode/2up" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic Researches - Vol.3 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><b> Devanagri, Parhmeti of Ptolemy found on Renall's map. This information is found in the Essay "on Egypt and the Nile'.</b><br /><b>3. Afghanistan Map</b><br /><a href="https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/india-maps/rennell" style="font-weight: bold;">Maps and Map-making in India | James Rennell: The Father of the Indian Survey · Online Exhibits (umich.ed</a><br /><b>Bamian and Paropamisus marked on the map but not Shibi or Shibr</b><br /><b>4. </b><a href="https://www.hindu-blog.com/2020/11/garuda-snake-vasuki-fight-to-bring-shiva-back-cosmic-sleep.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Garuda – Snake Vasuki Fight To Bring Shiva Back From Cosmic Sleep | Hindu Blog (hindu-blog.com)</a><br /><b>5. </b><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Devanagari" style="font-weight: bold;">Devanāgarī | writing system | Britannica</a><br /><b>6. </b><a href="https://sonkosankohsancho.blogspot.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Amori Sonko, and his people of Sankola, Kaabu, Mandinka of Sarakule (Soninke) origins. (sonkosankohsancho.blogspot.com)</a><br /><b>7. </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/mythology-inhabiting-peninsulas-neighbouring-religious/dp/0217804489" style="font-weight: bold;">The mythology of the Hindus; with notices of various mountain and island tribes, inhabiting the two peninsulas of India and the neighbouring islands, ... and religious terms, &c. &c., of the H: Amazon.co.uk: Coleman, Charles: 9780217804486: Books</a><br /><b>8. </b><a href="https://afroasiatics.blogspot.com/2012/" style="font-weight: bold;">Afro-Asiatica: An Odyssey in Black: 2012 (afroasiatics.blogspot.com)</a><br /><b>9. </b><a href="https://litres.com/raznoe/asiatic-researches-vol-3-371832/?uilang=en" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic researches. Vol. 3 – download as pdf at LitRes</a><b> complete</b><br /><b>10. </b><a href="https://litres.com/static/or3/view/or.html?art_type=4&file=694902&bname=Asiatic%2520researches.%2520Vol.%25203&art=371832&user=0&uuid=76a37c98-f856-102d-b528-b4a213751508&uilang=en" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic researches. Vol. 3 (litres.com)</a><b> The story of Garuda and Chakragiri mountai, Login with Bluelotus2006@hotmail.com if required</b><br /><b>12. </b><a href="https://archive.org/details/asiaticresearche151825cal/page/n5/mode/2up?q=cabul" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic Researches : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><b> Volume 15 An essay on the Hindu history of Kashmir</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>13. </b><a href="https://archive.org/details/asiaticresearche06asia/page/452/mode/1up?view=theater&q=Bamiyan" style="font-weight: bold;">Asiatic researches, or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal for inquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences and literature of Asia : Asiatic Society (Calcutta, India) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br /><b>book 6 </b><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-56778591790671472622022-09-02T05:18:00.003-07:002022-09-02T05:18:52.536-07:00ANCIENT INDIAN ROOTS OF PALESTINIANS AND THE PRE-GREEK CIVILIZATION OF GREECE<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Summary: </span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1. The pre-Greek inhabitants of Greece were known as Pelasgis who had migrated from Palakshakhanda (Bihar) of India.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>2. The Pelasgis came to be known as Philistines by the time they poured into Canaan (Present day Israel) from Greece. <br /></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3. The Pelasgis also came to be known as Pala over time, which corrupted to Pale later.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his article 'The Land of Pales, an Overview of Ancient Palestine', in the World History Encyclopedia, Dr. Joshua Mark, Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, states, "The name 'Palestine’ is thought to derive from either the word <i>plesheth </i>(meaning `root palash’, an edible concoction carried by migratory tribes which came to symbolize nomadic peoples) or as a Greek designation for the nomadic Philistines".</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>So where did this concoction of the root of 'palash' come from? And why would that name matter? For an answer to this question, one must turn to the pre-Greek civilization of the land that later came to be known as Greece. The name Pelasgians was used by classical Greek writers to refer to the predecessors of the Greeks, or sometimes to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergence or arrival of the Greeks.</b><br /><br /><b>In his research on the Pelasgis, German historian Ludwig Heeran (1760-1842) stated, "We can distinctly trace an overland communication between India & Greece, at an age long before the historic period." Heeran quotes an earlier historian Baron Cuvier here and says, "The Pelasgi were originally from India, of which the Sanskrit root words that occur abundantly in their language, do not permit us to doubt." </b><br /><br /><b>Baron Cuvier traces the route that the early Pelasgians from Indians might have taken to Greece. He was of the opinion that, "... they by crossing the mountains of Persia penetrated as far back as the Caucasus and then from there instead of continuing by land, they embarked on the Euxine Sea and made a descent upon the coast of Greece." The Euxine Sea is more commonly known as Black Sea and the Caucasus region encompasses the land that lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which holds Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and south-eastern Russia.</b><br /><br /><b>Another historian, Reverend Thomas Richard Brown, Vicar of Southwick, states in his work, 'Grammar of the Hebrew Hieroglyphs applied to the Sacred Scriptures, published in 1840, "It is generally allowed by historians, that the most ancient inhabitants of Greece were the Pelasgians. They were probably, originally settled somewhere in India, and from the fate of war, or an overflowing population, obliged to seek habitations elsewhere."</b><br /><br /><b>But why were they known as Pelasgians. The Pelasgians got the name from their leader Pelasgus. In turn he got his name from the land he originally hailed from. States Brown, "Here again we have, in true probability, the etymology from the Sanscrit". He adds, "</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">पलाशं </span><b>palasham is the ancient name of Behar (Bihar) in India and </b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">पलाशखंड </span><b>Palshkhanda, is the district of Behar, so named from the Palasha tree growing there in great abundance."</b><br /><br /><b>That Palasha-khanda was the name of ancient Bihar, more specifically, the kingdom of Magadha, is attested in all Sanskrit dictionaries such as the most authentic of them 'The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary' by Vaman Shivarama Apte. In fact, author E. Pococke traces the name Macedonia to Magadha via Makadonia in his book "India in Greece' published in 1852. </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The above-mentioned names still exist on the map of India. There is the village of Palasi in Bihar, which was called Pallasey by the British and was the location of the battle of Palassey. There is a Palashkhanda in Orissa, there is another in West Bengal, ana one in Bangladesh. The name Meghadh never went away. It was the name of the empire of Emperor Ashoka whose reign is well documented.</b><br /><br /><b>Author E. Pococke wrote in his book India in Greece, in 1852, "Pelasa, the ancient name for the province of Bahara (Bihar) is so denominated from the Pelasa, or 'Butea Frondosa'. Pelasha is a derivative form of Pelasa, hence the Greek 'Pelasgos' ". </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>'Butea Frondosa' is the botanical name for what is known in Sanskrit as the 'Palasha' (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">पलाश</span><b>) tree, commonly called 'the Flame of the Forest' in English. Decoctions are made from all parts of this tree in India since ancient times and it has been used has for the treatment of many conditions because it has well known anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, analgesic, antitumor and astringent properties.</b><br /><br /><b>It is this word 'Palasha' that distorted into the word 'plesheth', the syrup of which the Pelasgis carried as they made their way from Palshakhanda in India to Causcasus, and then to Greece. And it is this 'plesheth' that Dr. Joshua Mark is referring to as the source of the name Phillistines or Palestinians. </b><br /><br /><b>There are many scholars who have arrived at the conclusion that the Palestinians had a Greek origin. It appears that the Indic Pelasgians kept moving and arrived at the land of Cannan. Linda Sue Grimes states in her Literary Works, "Some historians claim that Palestinian history traces back to the Philistines. But the Philistines were not Semites nor were they Arabs. They were likely Greek in origin and came in several waves from Greece to the Israel/Palestine area in the Middle East." It is is for this reason that the word 'pleseth' took on the meaning of 'migratory'.</b><br /><br /><b>Greek philosopher Herodotus (484-425 BCE) was the first one who called the Cannans as Phillistines. The term `Palestine’ does not appear in any written records until the 5th century BCE in the Histories of Herodotus. After Herodotus, the term `Palestine’ came to be used for the entire region which was formerly known as Canaan. The Biblical meaning of </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Philistia was "land of sojourners"</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This view is further supported by the following fact. Author and researcher Linda Sue Grimes says, "The Philistines had no ethnic, linguistic, or historical connection to Arabia. The name applied by Arabs to the area "Falastin" was not, in fact, an Arabic name. This term is derived from Plesheth meaning migratory, as in having migrated to that area from Greece, and the term likely harkened back to the "Philistine" invasion along the coast."<br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It appears that the Pelasgis, kept moving and entered into ancient Egypt too. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Plesheth, which had its source in the Sanskrit 'palash', took on the meaning of 'migratory' along with the movement and spread of the Pelasgis, who were now known as Phillistine or Palestinians. Its earlier meaning of 'decoction' faded in usage.<br /><br />Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic records from the New Kingdom Kingdom (16th-11th century BCE) period list a group of the Sea Peoples called the Peleset or Pulasti, as invading Egypt in the mid-13th century BC. About a century later, pharaoh Ramesses III boasted of having defeated the Peleset, and allegedly relocated them to the southern abandoned coast of Canaan. The Pulsati are also generally identified as the Philistines.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suggested Readings and sources:<br /><br />1</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">.<a href="https://archive.org/details/ldpd_7285627_000/page/694/mode/2up?q=Palasha">The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary : Apte, Vaman Shivaram, : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a> Palash<br />2.<a href="https://brewminate.com/the-land-of-pales-an-overview-of-ancient-palestine/">The ‘Land of Pales’, an Overview of Ancient Palestine – Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas</a><br />3. <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/palestine/">Palestine - World History Encyclopedia</a><br />4. <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2014/mar/23/Soak-in-the-Goodness-of-Palash-This-Season-589536.html">Soak in the Goodness of Palash This Season- The New Indian Express</a><br />5. <a href="#">A grammar of the Hebrew hieroglyphs applied t</a><a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=3uMDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=Palasha+Bihar+ancient+names&source=bl&ots=X-7Bis7Gxu&sig=72wql2DTAGdOyEJwG4-6rH_GuZI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj56dnV543XAhVCNo8KHWycBscQ6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&q=Palasha%20Bihar%20ancient%20names&f=false">o the sacred Scriptures - Thomas Richard Brown - Google Books</a><br />6. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nineveh-ancient-city-Iraq">Nineveh | History, Map, & Significance | Britannica</a></span></b></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-972540372486769542022-08-27T04:32:00.004-07:002022-08-27T05:08:22.756-07:00MT. ANANTA IN SOUTH AMERICA AND PURANIC GEOGRAPHY OF PATALA<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Vishnu Purana states that the realm below the surface of the earth is seven layered, each realm extends downwards </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">10,000 yojanas. Yojana is a unit of distance and is the equivalent of somewhere between five and ten kilometres. The seven layers are collectively known as Patala Loka. </span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It appears that Patala Lo</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ka is a reference not so much to the land below the surface of the earth, but to the region in the direction 'below the surface' or the 'other side of the world', in the southern direction from Bharat Khanda (India). Hence, Patala has been identified as Latin America by Indic scholars.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Vishnu Purana lists the names of the seven levels of Patala as Atala, Vitala, Nitala, Ghabhastimat, Mahatala, Sutala, and the seventh which also bears the name Patala. Below these seven regions there exists a form or a shape which is described as the resting place of Vishnu. That form is shaped like a great celestial serpent and is known by two names, Sesha and Ananta. The Shesha or Ananta is also described as the bed on which Vishnu sleeps during the intervals of creation. This 'serpent shaped being' bears the entire world on its head like a jeweled crown.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are many interpretations to this Puranic lore. But the one that is rarely alluded to is that the seven regions of the Patala are a reference to the many regions within the South American continent. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One may argue that it is the continent of </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">South America which is the celestial snake 'Ananta' described in the Ramayana and the Puranas. These texts state that with a '1000 heads and a narrow tail' this serpent supports the world on its head. The continent is certainly shaped like a serpent with it's hood fanned out . </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuYqgMeFf_aCG2LacklzC3pc38Tg6iM8phJoXM1IwxxuXM7nik5NDOQyf8MpEDumBU6EHNrtUM_aFjQUzut6AvxAY4YgytfjhxcoDn4144GGw4bLk0o5_peQ6zgDkZUbX_X7URkk8mRw/s1600/South+america.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">South America is the Celestial Snake 'Ananta' who carries </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>the world on its head as described </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>in the Ramayana and the Puranas. </span></span></b></span><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>The continent is shaped like a serpent's head with its hood extended.</span></span></b></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></b></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuYqgMeFf_aCG2LacklzC3pc38Tg6iM8phJoXM1IwxxuXM7nik5NDOQyf8MpEDumBU6EHNrtUM_aFjQUzut6AvxAY4YgytfjhxcoDn4144GGw4bLk0o5_peQ6zgDkZUbX_X7URkk8mRw/s1600/South+america.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></b></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some of the names mentioned in the Puranic lore still exist on the present day map of South America. Here is a look:</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1. <span style="color: #ffa400;">Ananta</span>: The Puranic name Ananta survives in the name of Mt. Ananta in Peru. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ananta, located in the Andes Range at </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">13° 48′ 50″ S, 70° 37′ 14″ W, </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">lies to the east of the dormant volcano Ampato and south-west of the mountain Warank'anthi. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mt. Ananta is also sometimes known as Callangate, Calla is a distortion of the Ayamara 'qullu' meaning 'mountain', perhaps derived from 'kukila' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कुकिल</span>) Sanskrit for 'mountain'. The name Ananta (<span style="color: #ffa400;">अनन्त</span>) distorts to 'Angate' in Ayamara, hence the name Callangate. The affinity between Sanskrit and the Mayan languages such as Ayamara and Quechua is well established.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m1XG-Iu2wYJDIVRbBA3Dnqt-Ehy0GMWnHcPPYi5UeEPTtr4c5ZYgh0ZaAshkeGVKMjodzih1cZa3lDQsKAjhYRhGnL5EMCdS6MymLrDZAi2XPD4n5dwhwnecYTYxm1zfIF-jiTKoZ-UHejg2tgAbsMLYngraCapmaABJWWSkdWAOZEfYv0GUGXjz/s1024/Callangate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m1XG-Iu2wYJDIVRbBA3Dnqt-Ehy0GMWnHcPPYi5UeEPTtr4c5ZYgh0ZaAshkeGVKMjodzih1cZa3lDQsKAjhYRhGnL5EMCdS6MymLrDZAi2XPD4n5dwhwnecYTYxm1zfIF-jiTKoZ-UHejg2tgAbsMLYngraCapmaABJWWSkdWAOZEfYv0GUGXjz/w400-h300/Callangate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mt. Ananta lies in Peru, in the Vilcanota sub-range of the Andes.<br />It is also known as Callangate. <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Andes are not a single line of peaks but a succession of parallel</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> mountain ranges. Andes means 'shining mountain' in Ayamara and appears to be a corruption of 'adri', (<span style="color: #ffa400;">अद्रि</span>) Sanskrit for 'mountain'. The Andes are also part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that consists of a continuous sequence of mountain ranges forming the western “backbone” of North America, Central America, South America, and Antarctica. </span></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>2. <span style="color: #ffa400;">Ammerisque Range:</span> </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Cordillera also includes the Ammerisque range of Central America. The Amerrisque mountain chain runs like a central spine which extends throughout central Nicaragua for about 700 km from Honduras in the northwest to Costa Rica in the southwest. In her writings Helena P. Blavatsky had argued that the name Ammerisque is an extension of the word Meru (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मेरु</span>), Sanskrit for 'spine'. Interestingly the Ammerisque and Andes appear as one giant spine from Central to South America extending into the ranges of North America. The Puranas say that a meru- a spine or axis, connects the North Pole to the South pole.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2dKmRIctLtm1UreLRw7T4YoOTnnxW8002wGFHb52C1xo4U5fqnQvF5ME2GyJ5jg2l6f4HZDrxg-VAllRyp-w_O5n_NOMB4XBwkdJcTJ4fx6BGMOyQSeLwuber7viLzP8eRk8B_ZUopSTlLqg3K7NLAStKxIO34z0Qw1MhhA848FEOd-lL12vzA_Y/s1920/Range.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2dKmRIctLtm1UreLRw7T4YoOTnnxW8002wGFHb52C1xo4U5fqnQvF5ME2GyJ5jg2l6f4HZDrxg-VAllRyp-w_O5n_NOMB4XBwkdJcTJ4fx6BGMOyQSeLwuber7viLzP8eRk8B_ZUopSTlLqg3K7NLAStKxIO34z0Qw1MhhA848FEOd-lL12vzA_Y/w400-h225/Range.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Puranas state that Meru (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मेरु</span>), or the spine of the earth, extends from the Arctic to the Antarctic. The 'spine' is a reference to the mountain ranges of the American Cordillera extending from the north to the south. It is from Meru that the name America is derived.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 1888 Blavatsky stated in her book ‘The Secret Doctrine, “…the name of America may one day be found more closely related to Meru, the sacred mount in the centre of the seven continents according to the Hindu tradition, than Americus Vespucius.” In the same book Blavatsky quotes Dr. Alexander Wilder (1823-1909), an American physician and Neoplatonist who in his writings had commented earlier, “It is most plausible that the state of Central America where we find the name Americ signifying (like the Hindu Meru we may add) great mountain, gave the co</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>ntinent its name.” In popular culture it is widely believed that America is named after explorer Americus Vespucius.</b></span></div></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />Guyanan novelist and educator Jan Carew (1920-2012), in his book titled ‘The Caribbean Writer and Exile’, took a different route to the Sanskritic link to the name Amerrique. Carew quoted Marcou’s Augustus Le Plongeon, an anthropologist, who had studied the Mayan culture in Yucatan, and wrote, "The name America or Amerrique in the Mayan language means, a country of perpetually strong wind, or the Land of the Wind, and sometimes the suffix '-ique' and '-ika' can mean not only wind or air but also a spirit that breathes, life itself."<br /><br />Interestingly Vedic scriptures add collateral to Carew’s interpretation. First, there is ‘Maarutta’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मा</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">रुत</span>), the Rig Vedic ‘god of Wind’. His name derives from the Sanskrit word for ‘breath’ and ‘wind’ which again is ‘marutta’ (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मारुत</span>), thus establishing a Sanskritic-Vedic connect to the Mayan meaning of the name Amerrique. For more on this subject click <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2021/09/tulum-mexico-temple-of-shiva.html">here</a>.<br /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Meru also appears in Peru as Maru in the name of the ancient site Aramu Maru, an abandoned stone carving near Lake Titicaca. Aramu Maru is regarded as a 'Gate of the Gods'. Today the site is a destination for tourists interested in 'paranormal pilgrimages'. Legend has it that an Incan priest in possession of a golden disk, placed the disk in a small depression in the 'door' or the niche carved into the rock, and this caused the door to open. <br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Sanskrit names in the Arequipa region of Peru: </span><br />First, the name Peru itself may be a distortion of the word Meru. Second 'peru' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पेरुः</span>) is Sanskrit for 'sun', 'ocean' and 'fire' and its name may be derived from any of these words. This may appear as conjecture but the Arequipa region of Peru alone throws up so many Sanskritic names that this view cannot be dismissed. There is Mt. Ananta and Laguna Ananta. Then there is the Rio Jarrinan. 'Jhari' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">झरी</span>) is Sanskrit for river, a word which appears in some form or the other in many, many rivers around the world, such as 'jor' in 'Jordan', as 'ger' in 'Niger', as 'gara' in 'Niagara' and so forth.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />'Jor' derives from Aramaic 'yarden' and means 'flowing', Niagara stems from the Native American Oniah-gahrah and means 'thunderer of waters' in the Huron language, and 'ger' the suffix in the name Niger means 'gushing water' in the Tureg language.<br /><br />However, Jarinnan has no appropriate meaning in the Ayamara language and can only be decoded with Sanskrit. Jarinnan is a stream that flows in Matarani, a coastal region of Peru. The suffix 'tarini' in the name Matarani means 'river' in Sanskrit and is an appropriate name for a town on the coast.<br /><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Four town in Arequipa have very curious names. Sancaro, Chivay, Rinramayo, and Sanumana are towns in close vicinity of Ananta. None of these names have any meaning in Ayamara, however with slight tweaking they all turn into names of Vedic-Puranic gods. Shankara, Shiva, Rama and Hanuman. Once again this may appear as conjecture. But there is evidence that all these names are well known in the Mayan culture. One of the highest gods in the Mayan culture was Xibalba, pronounced Shivalva, a cognate of the Sanskrit Shiva, who was is also known as Shankara. Hence the Ayamara name Sancaro.<br /></span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />Rinramayo is a reminder of the name Rama. The name Rama is not unknown in the Mayan tradition. The Rama are an indigenous people living on the eastern coast of Nicaragua. A majority of the population lives on the island of Rama Cay. There is another ancient tribe of Brazil by the name 'RamaRama'. The RamaRama were a Tupi speaking group, living in the Brazilian Amazonian area in a place called Rondonia and inhabited the banks of the Machadinho and Ahara rivers.<br /><br />Then there is the 'Kaiapo' - a powerful and well-known Brazilian tribe who lives in villages along the Xingu River across the Central Brazilian Plateau. The name Kaiapo was given to them by the neighboring native tribes, which means 'resembling apes'. It is interesting that 'kaipo' is a cognate of the Sanskrit 'kapi' (कपि) which means 'monkey' - in fact the etymological source of the English 'ape' is unknown and is sometimes attributed to the Sanskrit 'kapi'. In the Ramayana, the 'kapi'- the vanara tribe was lead by the highest of them all - Hanumana. The word Hanumana is only one letter away from the place name Sanumana located in Arequipa. Monkey gods were not unknown to the Mayans either.<br /></b></span></div><div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNgOfnxug9gM6Jd16KELr2Yg1Zd0zb1_uzHZINKgNUMQjw1xx7Dm6ebzYY9_Bx6o-cnyPKyV_bO3i9LMrhNf7qMf1xi0rFFu5bLcJMnfnKl07N-1-x5DbKZW74Ap88ce-02jOqVcOAQwr7Bok_qpXowI4RxZ0-kWo77g8VH-FvteM3Q1Dq-pba6oX/s275/Monkey%20God,%20Copan,%20Hondurus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNgOfnxug9gM6Jd16KELr2Yg1Zd0zb1_uzHZINKgNUMQjw1xx7Dm6ebzYY9_Bx6o-cnyPKyV_bO3i9LMrhNf7qMf1xi0rFFu5bLcJMnfnKl07N-1-x5DbKZW74Ap88ce-02jOqVcOAQwr7Bok_qpXowI4RxZ0-kWo77g8VH-FvteM3Q1Dq-pba6oX/s1600/Monkey%20God,%20Copan,%20Hondurus.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Monkey God, Copan, Hondurus<br />is the spitting image of Hanumana</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi6g7rkugmv-6SIln8W3Y_wdrp5-N0v21--LuhYBD-y86TbHcFG2-_cTHLz32_oPeksiciBfJ1-5RmG6rb-Q-ZmkOHPTuc_5d6QaObvXf3G67e51LQJ2zp30uPqYy_8QVjSEZthCj360t001gj_6nbUs8aO743QFTmQoFUZIj5c3ISfc7TovJ8Anc/s600/Ancient%20shivalinga,%20Tulum,%20Mexico.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi6g7rkugmv-6SIln8W3Y_wdrp5-N0v21--LuhYBD-y86TbHcFG2-_cTHLz32_oPeksiciBfJ1-5RmG6rb-Q-ZmkOHPTuc_5d6QaObvXf3G67e51LQJ2zp30uPqYy_8QVjSEZthCj360t001gj_6nbUs8aO743QFTmQoFUZIj5c3ISfc7TovJ8Anc/s320/Ancient%20shivalinga,%20Tulum,%20Mexico.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ancient Shivalinga, Tulum, Mexico<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-3B90kYMxIVYLCGC_UmOK3u_s9AAXKBPJjG1bWYntpIY7mUU5__pR0T6GChdxSEQZKC_f1H09Z_CzODQ-6qU7a0vToW9L_1QXsUn2gDdqXbqnXJjAfcwX1theQaklDJXgCpefcEeASJ_Qp3VrlN80uPAnLhOj9XP7TyD4-gIH03IRXCHjcpUBShJ/s640/The%20base%20of%20the%20ShivaLinga.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="640" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-3B90kYMxIVYLCGC_UmOK3u_s9AAXKBPJjG1bWYntpIY7mUU5__pR0T6GChdxSEQZKC_f1H09Z_CzODQ-6qU7a0vToW9L_1QXsUn2gDdqXbqnXJjAfcwX1theQaklDJXgCpefcEeASJ_Qp3VrlN80uPAnLhOj9XP7TyD4-gIH03IRXCHjcpUBShJ/s320/The%20base%20of%20the%20ShivaLinga.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The base or the Yoni of the Shivalinga at Tulum, Mexico</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Patala and Atala:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g9j7LSFD4ZgiFOxJnh1zOVn-3voZw9WsBbmT6N2VsNHHl-O6fJRBlvsRnGsiVTn_F2BsUr4GFKQkvTpCKdlYI5FLucA5QDiZ_LYT6SJ_Z49tna8-ec13K3Y7PR8uqZSDZfqc-7rllouSWXk9BnYFt1XuI_FFsGPDVsXN0HmV_ejI-RMCBcbN4gGW/s1828/Patala%20Atalaya.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1828" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g9j7LSFD4ZgiFOxJnh1zOVn-3voZw9WsBbmT6N2VsNHHl-O6fJRBlvsRnGsiVTn_F2BsUr4GFKQkvTpCKdlYI5FLucA5QDiZ_LYT6SJ_Z49tna8-ec13K3Y7PR8uqZSDZfqc-7rllouSWXk9BnYFt1XuI_FFsGPDVsXN0HmV_ejI-RMCBcbN4gGW/w640-h464/Patala%20Atalaya.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Patala and Atalaya on the present day map of Peru</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suggested readings:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1. <a href="https://vediccafe.blogspot.com/2013/09/india-south-america-on-ancient-world.html">Vedic Cafe : INDIA & SOUTH AMERICA - ANCIENT WORLD MAP & THE RAMAYANA</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. <a href="https://archive.org/details/works00wilsgoog/page/n219/mode/2up">Works... : Horace Hayman Wilson : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=vvQnWEJNy4MC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Guarani+Sanskrit&source=bl&ots=0fP5icKDJ7&sig=hg0qUipmIntyHt-sNUcmZ1JAbmw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBGoVChMIrM7MkI_ixgIVxwSOCh1wwQaS#v=onepage&q=Guarani%20Sanskrit&f=false">Pass to Gran Quivira (Kheevira), NM and Baboquivari, AZ - Google Books</a><br />4. <a href="https://www.onlinetranslationpro.com/english-to-aymara-translation">English to Aymara Translation Online - FREE & BEST! (onlinetranslationpro.com)</a><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-31131235763768273722022-07-01T07:09:00.020-07:002022-07-12T07:13:47.575-07:00THE HINDU CITY OF AMRIT THAT PHOENICIANS BUILT IN SYRIA<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Phoenicia was an ancient civilization composed of independent city-states which lay along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretching through what is now Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. The Phoenicians were known for their mighty ships. Phoenicia thrived as a maritime trader and manufacturing center from 1500 to 332 BCE. The Phoenicians were regarded highly for not only their skill in ship-building but also glass-making, the production of dyes, and in the manufacture of luxury and common goods. Above all they were astute traders.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The various names given to the Phoenicians, like Poeni by the Romans and Phoinike by the Greeks, resemble the Vedic terms such as Pani (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पणि</span>) meaning bargainer or trader, Paani (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पाणि</span>) meaning shop, Vani (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वणी</span>) and Vanik (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वणिज्</span>) both meaning bargainer and trader. Many scholars have identified the Vedic Panis with the Phoenicians because of the many similarities between them. Most have argued that the Paanis of the Rig Veda were none other than the Phoenicians.<br /><br />In the 'Social History of Kamarupa' (1922), historian Nagendranath Vasu states," It is these Panis of the Vedic age who have passed as Phoenicians in the western civilized world. The ancient Greeks and Germans called them Fonic or Fenec and even Punic". E. Pococ<span> </span>ke states in his India in Greece, "The Phoenicians originally dwelled in Afghanistan."<br /><br />The Panis were Vedic Hindu traders who were wealthy but were regarded as irreverent and uncouth. The Panis did not recognize the priest-class as superior, nor did they pass on alms from their earnings to the priest-class as was the tradition. As a result they were regarded as miserly, lowly, rude of language, cow thieves and were referred to as 'mleccha-s' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">म्लेच्छ</span>) - the ignoble, as against the arya (<span style="color: #ffa400;">आर्य</span>) or the noble. <br /><br />The Panis naturally therefore are not spoken of very highly in the Vedas though their skills are recognized. They were ultimately driven away from the Sapta-Sindhu region after a battle, and their defeat was at the hands of none other than Indra himself, who was recognized as the highest of the earliest Vedic gods. With time the word Pani distorted to Kani and became the endonym that the Phoenicians gave themselves. By the time the Panis appeared on the Mediterranean coast, they called themselves Kani, or Kanana, who were referred to as the Canann-ites. The name Cannan appears in the Bible. It was the name for the area of ancient Palestine west of river Jordon, the promised land of the Israelites. In western sources the name Cannan is traced to Hebrew Kenaan and means a 'pack'. <br /><br />In this post we trace just a couple of the cities that the Vedic Panis built in the Mediterranean. Amrit and Tartous. Amrit is an ancient Phoenician site located on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. After the Phoenicians had settled the island of Arwad, a short distance offshore, the Phoenicians subsequently established a number of settlements on the mainland. <br /><br />Arwad was mentioned as Irtu in the Annals of Thutmose III, at the Karnak Temple in Egypt. Thutmose III was the 6th King of Egypt's 18th Dynasty and reigned around 1430 BCE. Irtu eventually came to be known as Arvad, Arpad, and Arphad and then as Arwad. Irta (<span style="color: #ffa400;">ईर्ते</span>) is Sanskrit for 'elevate' and perhaps it was named so since an island is an 'elevation in the sea'. However, this is only conjecture though one might say that phoenetically 'irta' is a Sanskrit sound.<br /><br />Tartous and Amrit were two of the settlements located closest to the island of Arwad. Amrit, known to the Greeks as Marathos, is thought to have been used as a suburb or religious center. There are many theories regarding the etymology of Tartous, the most commonly accepted is that Tartous, ancient name Tortosa, got its name from the Greek Anti-Arados or Antarados or Anti-Aradus, meaning 'the town facing Arwad'. However, Arwad was known as Irtu in antiquity and Arwad is only a much later Arabic distortion of the original name Irtu. So that derivation of the name does not count. <br /><br />Tartous is a port city and its ancient most known Phoenician name is Tartosa, the one given by the Vedic pani-s. Taratos may have to do with water or tara (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तर</span>), Sanskrit for 'tide' or 'swim across', tosha (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तोष</span>) trickle, and toja (<span style="color: #ffa400;">तोज</span>) water. To this day there is an ancient town known as Baniyas on the coast of Syria- the source of its name unknown but certainly linked to the Pani-s and the variations of their names including kani, vanik </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">or banik . In the Rig Vedic tradition amrita is equated with a 'celes</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">tial drink of immortality' or the 'nectar of the gods'.<br /><br />Arwad and Tartous remain occupied today, but Amrit was destroyed in the third century B.C. and only a few physical remains survive. Its ancient most name is said to be Marat (Phoenician: 𐤌𐤓𐤕, mrt), but since in the earliest form of Phoenician writing the vowels were never written, the word 𐤌𐤓𐤕 or mrt , may just as well have been a truncated form of Amrit rather than Marat- the interpretation given by mainstream researchers.<br /><br />In their paper 'The spatial organization of the Phoenician city of Amrith (Syria)', authors Michel Al Maqdissi and Christophe Benech state, "The site is crossed by two rivers, a fact possibly linked to the religious tradition of Amrith in which the water has an important role. There is the Nahr el Amrith, which runs past the main temple (Ma’abed), and the Nahr el Kuble, not far from the place where the Syrian archaeological mission has discovered a second temple."<br /><br />One of the most important excavations at Amrit was a Phoenician temple, commonly referred to the "ma'abed," . It is said that the temple was dedicated to the god Melqart of Tyre and Eshmun. One must first remember here that the ancient most name of the Phoenician city of Tyre was 'Sur'. The Pani-s, it must also be remembered, were considered both as 'mleccha-s' and perhaps liked to designate themselves as 'sura-s' rather than be equated with the 'asura-s as they were when they lived in the Sapta Sindhu during the Rig Vedic era. The Rig Veda states that the then highest god of the Sura-s Indra had himself driven the Pani-s out in a massive battle. The Pani-s perhaps equated themselves to the Sura-s.<br /><br />The name Sur has survived in many forms since the Phoenician build the city of Sur, the Old Tyre. In the book A Description of the East and Some Other Countries', authors Robert Pococke, Hubert Francois Gravelot, and Charles Gringion state, "New Tyre is now called Sur, which is the ancient name of Tyre, and this having been the chief city of the whole country, possibly Syria might receive its name from Sur". It may therefore be inferred that Assyria, the older name of Syria, derives its name from asura.<br /><br />The colonnaded temple, excavated between 1955 and 1957 at Amrit, consists of a large court cut out of rock surrounded by a covered portico. In the center of the court is a well-preserved cube-shaped covered area. What is of note is that the open-air courtyard around the cube-shaped structure was filled with the waters of a local, traditionally sacred spring. This unique feature of this site is true of all ancient Shiva temples of India.</span></b><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8uMJpMENc66_oyCkUf88BTrHv686MrDJVotbpSU2tkSHoCY406HPpPuLt0fIhXzpYCcBk5c0TAVsK8Op2VHdgHm89rKu1cfiGKtmTHF61v6z0QC8tjtxWADbWaaNjbTKN-PG3kq16C49a2VEPM_I_11UN6nXdYSIiRs34Q9ZwiHBa7o65iN9T71f/s1280/phoenicians-amrit-fb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1280" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8uMJpMENc66_oyCkUf88BTrHv686MrDJVotbpSU2tkSHoCY406HPpPuLt0fIhXzpYCcBk5c0TAVsK8Op2VHdgHm89rKu1cfiGKtmTHF61v6z0QC8tjtxWADbWaaNjbTKN-PG3kq16C49a2VEPM_I_11UN6nXdYSIiRs34Q9ZwiHBa7o65iN9T71f/s320/phoenicians-amrit-fb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">The cube shaped structure was surrounded by the <br />waters of a scared spring<br />The Phoenician temple of Amrit, Syria<br />near the Nahr el Amrit river</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B_HMR1ZFVSSQuv0bEISI70ohKJBOWYqTEEP5XT_r4436JdWR8j9eMK8F1tFSLfPhn1g0Zlp8m8wwEyuEloOrFppOBabNfp0FbEiyyoOg_rvu5hdGZJ_IJyzLsANZ4vk4fD7fQ4yVoKLMCKuE4wajeXMsFS4yGGYJ_x7Jg6OhlIkAJxqddQqqAYqE/s450/spring%20temple%20Amrit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B_HMR1ZFVSSQuv0bEISI70ohKJBOWYqTEEP5XT_r4436JdWR8j9eMK8F1tFSLfPhn1g0Zlp8m8wwEyuEloOrFppOBabNfp0FbEiyyoOg_rvu5hdGZJ_IJyzLsANZ4vk4fD7fQ4yVoKLMCKuE4wajeXMsFS4yGGYJ_x7Jg6OhlIkAJxqddQqqAYqE/w426-h640/spring%20temple%20Amrit.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the rectangular structure at the Water Spring</b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Temple of Amrit, Syria was housed</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>a deity wearing a lionskin. The area around the structure</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>held water fed by a water spring.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>It was in all liklihood a Shiva Temple constructed by</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>the Rig Vedic Panis of India</b></div></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In their book 'The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies, authors Peter Mattheus, Maria Gerardus Akkermans, Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, and Glenn M. Schwartz state," Preeminent among the sites within the Arwad vicinity is Amrit noted for its impressive open-air temple ["Maabed"] the best preserved monumental structure from the Phoenician homeland."<br /><br />Describing the water-temple site of Amrit, they further state," ...the extraordinary rock- cut structure consisted of a colonnaded portico enclosing a large rectangular basin.. A large ritual pit contained limestone votive statues.....depicting a young man wearing a lionskin and brandishing a club." Though the idol here is equated with the Phoenician god Malqaart, the attire is much like the Indic Shiva who wears lionskin and holds a trident, as of course is the layout of the Phoenician temple which corresponds to Indic Shiva temples where water plays an important part.</span></b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPaMCfFtUS---WxCnvNAf_Qpzmks4jzUY64MZuIk1VhGT7Sa-qPS1H8RvorH3GRHb92CHW0VZJlh_SgIW4h-y3d8j61j-2xCufaWHolfvs2rFhF7iD89jgOGpTN8txvtJZNwL2cmrZZG5UZnLn5m7YBlf-gA-EZ3E8a-91Zk0f1k46RvdiQcARapK/w640-h252/Syrian%20hoenician%20water%20temple.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">A reconstruction of the Water-spring Temple,</b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>at Amrit, Syria. The cubic structure in the centre </b></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>housed a deity dressed in a lionskin and was surrounded by water<br /></b></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGw--UTEuP4CFwLkVbf-Qw9mMKGNMlDkBxg8XF-hVvVCb20QZmv5K3L9yFuP0-wrPUWNfTvDSL8xXzXrBt8FlZJklCIHhb6cpfhkHUWUcjx07VHQwQJNQUfLf_0DFa6Mut2RICj9cjy02M_q10QoR0yvqZKSzRq5xQax9nZKPK9586B-iv50Qu2mi/s1439/210-2107167_shiva-siva-namasivaya-sivan-lord.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGw--UTEuP4CFwLkVbf-Qw9mMKGNMlDkBxg8XF-hVvVCb20QZmv5K3L9yFuP0-wrPUWNfTvDSL8xXzXrBt8FlZJklCIHhb6cpfhkHUWUcjx07VHQwQJNQUfLf_0DFa6Mut2RICj9cjy02M_q10QoR0yvqZKSzRq5xQax9nZKPK9586B-iv50Qu2mi/s320/210-2107167_shiva-siva-namasivaya-sivan-lord.png" width="187" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Indic Shiva wears lionskin <br />and holds a trident</b></td></tr></tbody></table></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Other examples of Phoenician Temples at Arwad, such as the one a few miles away from the main Phoenician Temple of Amrit, has led historians such as N.M. Billimoria and Nagendranath Vasu, to the conclusion that what we see in ancient Phoenician architecture are the images of gods from ancient India, including Rig Vedic deities and Shiva.</span></b></div></span></b></div><div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large;" trbidi="on"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Fl5XJf7opQKVZ8Ktr15rcgXN15coRiNnjGKpIfwrGd_plmN0h9TFnUL2yHL1PBqga3q7bB_H58LLGfrC4BdxDGuc3EPw78eHh5Zg38k0XF9r9xKI_3TxcPVnyFH5YEnrpuuwB7hPgc1DUYrj3fmJS2SnnEWfRO-s7nav0EbICgF9hRjj1cItaNI/s1145/socialhistoryofk01vasuuoft_0107-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="965" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Fl5XJf7opQKVZ8Ktr15rcgXN15coRiNnjGKpIfwrGd_plmN0h9TFnUL2yHL1PBqga3q7bB_H58LLGfrC4BdxDGuc3EPw78eHh5Zg38k0XF9r9xKI_3TxcPVnyFH5YEnrpuuwB7hPgc1DUYrj3fmJS2SnnEWfRO-s7nav0EbICgF9hRjj1cItaNI/w540-h640/socialhistoryofk01vasuuoft_0107-1.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span>The Phoenicians were the Vedic Pani-s.<br />They built many cities on the Mediterranian Sea.<br />Here is a structure, perhaps a 'shivalinga', from<br />the Temple at Amrit in Syria</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large;" trbidi="on"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohtzEF1YAAvTaFS3kssD73hMYOrFKOVI39cf5xxySEwWHfx2i0ekDQRRL44pxV1x1gbnmXvcc5tsrS_0mfcEH5CuHqDffGtVM4DmXHAcTHeoCWR687Wmw55Lm8aZfccbdOBIT9DLG56H9S3eDfdOugWMJcSIVArk-VGDEzPbXURng9fRh5_rfotLW/s600/syria-amrit-marathos-ancient-phoenician-city-14331562.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohtzEF1YAAvTaFS3kssD73hMYOrFKOVI39cf5xxySEwWHfx2i0ekDQRRL44pxV1x1gbnmXvcc5tsrS_0mfcEH5CuHqDffGtVM4DmXHAcTHeoCWR687Wmw55Lm8aZfccbdOBIT9DLG56H9S3eDfdOugWMJcSIVArk-VGDEzPbXURng9fRh5_rfotLW/w400-h291/syria-amrit-marathos-ancient-phoenician-city-14331562.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archaeological site at Amrit, Syria</td></tr></tbody></table></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">About the city of Tyre, who's ancient most name is Sur, and of which all names such as Syria and Assyria are variations, N. M. Billimoria states in the 'Panis of Rigveda', "It has not been ascertained when the Panis left India by sea and established the colony of Phoenicia along the coasts of Syria. From the account left by Herodotus, however, it is found that the very ancient capital of Phoenicia, the city of Tyre, was founded 2,300 years before him, </span><i style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">i.e.,</i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> 2,756 B.C. In these circumstances it may fairly be concluded that the Panis must have deserted the shores of India long before that date. From a consideration of the legend telling how Sargon I (about 3,800 B.C.) crossed the eastern sea, it will also appear that the Panis colonised themselves in Syria so long back as 5,717 years from now. And subsequently they gradually extended their sway as traders and rulers over Egypt and Asia Minor."</span></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suggested reading:</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">1. <a href="https://archive.org/details/socialhistoryofk01vasuuoft/page/n101/mode/2up?q=Phoenician">The social history of Kamarupa : Vasu, Nagendranath : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">2. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Eshmun">Temple of Eshmun - Wikipedia</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">3.<a href="https://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/1596">The spatial organization of the Phoenician city of Amrith (Syria) (openedition.org)</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">4. <a href="https://www.wmf.org/project/amrit-archaeological-site">Amrit Archaeological Site | World Monuments Fund (wmf.org)</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">5. <a href="https://phoenician-language.weebly.com/">Home (weebly.com)</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">6. <a href="http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_48_1939/Volume_48%2C_No._190/The_panis_of_the_Rig_Veda_and_script_of_Mohenjo_Daro_and_Easter_Island%2C_by_N._M._Billimoria%2C_p_92-103/p1">Journal of the Polynesian Society: The Panis Of The Rig Veda And Script Of Mohenjo Daro And Easter Island, By N. M. Billimoria, P 92-103 (auckland.ac.nz)</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">7. <a href="https://archive.org/details/gri_33125009339611/page/n21/mode/2up">A description of the East, and some other countries : Pococke, Richard, 1704-1765 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">8. <a href="https://archive.org/details/rigvedaahistory00guptgoog">The Rig Veda, a History Showing how the Phoenicians Had Their Earliest Home in India : Rajeswar Gupta : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">9. <a href="https://archive.org/details/rigvedaahistory00guptgoog/page/n12/mode/2up">The Rig Veda, a History Showing how the Phoenicians Had Their Earliest Home in India : Rajeswar Gupta : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">10. <a href="https://cularthis.blogspot.com/2016/05/amrit-was-ancient-phoenician-city.html">CULTURE - ART - HISTORY: >> Amrit was an ancient Phoenician city, founded in the third millennium BC (cularthis.blogspot.com)</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;" trbidi="on">11.<a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=_4oqvpAHDEoC&q=Amrit+syria&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=Amrit%20syria&f=false">The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban ... - Peter Mattheus Maria Gerardus Akkermans, Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, Glenn M. Schwartz - Google Books</a></div></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><br /></b></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-27455520384557564972022-05-27T00:03:00.000-07:002023-09-05T23:13:27.394-07:00<div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-57676795556629327962022-04-22T04:18:00.794-07:002023-12-16T06:17:52.976-08:00ANCIENT PURANIC PLACE NAMES OF KASHMIR, THE CHANGING OF THE COURSE OF RIVER JHELUM AND THE CREATION OF SOPORE<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>What's there in a name? Plenty. </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>The much-criticized author E. Pococke had presented in his book 'India in Greece' three postulates about the naming of a place in the context of the etymology of place names in Greece. He had stated, “ 1. Let it be granted that the names given to mountains, rivers, and towns, have some meaning. 2. Let it be granted that the language of the Name-givers expressed that meaning. 3. Let it be granted that the language of the Name-givers will explain that meaning.” It therefore derives that all place names in antiquity, at the time of their naming, had a meaning in the language of its time. Pococke then goes on to pose a question. He states, “As a Greek, let me translate Stympha, - I cannot, Dodona - I cannot, Cambunnei Montes - I cannot, Hellopes - I cannot, Aithices - I cannot, Bodon - I cannot, Chonia - I cannot, Crossaea - I cannot, Corinthes, Ossa, Acaranania - I cannot. Arcadia, Achai, Boeotia, Ellis, Larissa - I cannot... What then can I do?"</b><br /><br /><b>No critic of Pococke has been able to answer that question. Yet the reason is simple. If the name of a place holds no meaning it is a corruption of its original name. </b><br /><br /><b>Hundreds of Sanskrit place names have with time, and the Islamization of Kashmir, taken distorted forms and lost their original meanings. Kashmir had up to the medieval times been a land of Vedic rishis. With its academic </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">peethas </i><b>and sacred sites it was a thriving centre of Shaivism. The Vedic and Puranic rishis of Kashmir bestowed upon India a vast array of Sanskrit treatises, literature and manuscripts. A host of Vedic-Puranic-Sanskrit place names of those times have existed till recent times and are well recorded.</b><br /><br /><b>The process of dissolution of these ancient place names had commenced with the advent of Islam in Kashmir in the 1200s and had accelerated during the reign of Sikander Butshikast a century and half later in the mid 13-14000s. This process rose and ebbed for many centuries. In the current times terrorism and violence rose significantly in the 1990s which resulted in the last exodus, in a chain of seven exoduses of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley, and with that the custodians of Kashmir's Vedic-Sanskritic past is finally gone. What the future has in store for Kashmir is unknown, but the present remains bloody and violent.</b><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Satisara</span>: The Puranas say Kashmir was built by draining the waters from a lake called Satisara which occupied the land of Kashmir. Geologists too confirm that the land that came to be known as Kashmir was totally submerged under a lake some 50000 years back. However, their belief is that the water receded from the valley due to a tectonic shift. No matter what the claims are, the names recorded in the ancient texts tell us that there certainly was human involvement in the reclamation of the land of Kashmir.</b><br /><br /><b>The Nilmata Purana dates to a time when people still had a memory of the time when the water was drained out by the engineers of those times. There are some details of this operation in the Nilmata Purana such as that the draining of Satisara was carried out by piercing a mountain with the help of a tool shaped like a ploughshare. </b></span><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Legend has it that it was Lord Vishnu who took the form of a boar, <i>varaha </i>in Sanskrit, to complete the task. As this marvel was being carried out, it is said that a host of gods took up their positions to witness the event from the vantage point on the peaks of the Naubandhana Tirtha, above lake Kramasaras, which is the present-day site of Kausarnaga. <i>Krama </i>(</b></span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><b>क्रम</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>) Sanskrit for foot or step, alludes to Vishnu's footsteps, and is a reference to Vishnu's presence here. The place where Vishnu pierced the mountain came to be known as Varahamoola (Baramulla). Varahamoola became the site of a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">tirtha </i><b>known as Adi Varaha. The name Naubandhana, a name that occurs more than a few times in the Puranas, has a link to an engineering mission every time. For example, in the Matsya Purana when Vishnu takes the avatar of a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">matsya</i><b>, or a fish, Vishnu saves mankind from the great deluge when the water, it is said rose to the peaks of the Himalayas, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Naubandana </i><b>was the site where the boats were anchored, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">nau</i><b> (boat), </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">bandhana </i><b>(tie). The same is true of the draining of Satisara, when the devas watched the draining from the peak of Naubhandana.</b><br /><br /><b>The word </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">varaha</i><b> (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">वराह</span><b>) </b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><b>is commonly translated as boar. Yaksa, the Sanskrit grammarian and etymologist from the 3rd Century BC, stated that 'varaha' has its root in the word 'vhr' meaning to uproot or 'tear up'. Boars are known for tearing and rooting, hence they are known as </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">varaha</i><b>. In the Varaha avatar Vishnu is known to have undertaken many feats to protect the earth, which required either digging deep, such as to excavate a </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">linga</i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><b>which had appeared underground and required digging deep to exhume it, or when he started the new eon after mother-earth was taken to </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">rasātalam </i><b>(in the Ocean) and was saved by Vishnu when he pulled </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">the earth about the surface of the water with his teeth. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The draining of the Satisara lake falls in the list of such projects undertaken in antiquity. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">The channel that carries the water from Baramulla out of the Kashmir valley was appropriately named Vitasta (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">वितष्ट</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">), Sanskrit for 'carved' or 'hewn', a river that was carved out from its source at Verinag. The Nilmata Purana states, "Sankara himself named her as Vitasta. Because Hara (Vishnu) had excavated with the spear or a carving or hewing device a ditch measuring one Vitasti, through which the good river – gone to the Nether World – had sprung out, so she was given the name Vitasta by Svayambhu. Then, O king, the people in all the countries heard that the goddess Sati, after assuming the form of a river, had appeared in Kas’mira." (Nilmata Purana 260-262).</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Vitasti (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">वितस्ति</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">) is an ancient unit of measure and according to the Vayua Purana one vitasti was equal to 12 </b><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">angulas (</i><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">fingers</b><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">) </i><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">and 64000 Vitastis make up for a single Yojana. If we consider a single Yojana to be 8 miles (~12.87km), one Vitasti would correspond to roughly 7.95 inches (~20.12cm). This corresponds to the present day unit called 'span'.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b>We refer to the Vitasta river today by a relatively meaningless name Jhelum, incapable of adding any detail to its history. Folklore in neighboring areas of Jhelumabad says that Jhelum is a corruption of Jala (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">जल</span><b>) water, and 'hima' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">हिम</span>) or snow referring to its path through the Himalayas, but the authenticity of such claims is questionable since this is not mentioned in any of the old texts.</b><br /><br /><b>As the water drained and the valley emerged, it left in its wake the remnants of Satisara in the form of thousands of smaller lakes, scattered throughout its territory. When Kashmir became habitable, the indigenous Naga (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">नाग</span><b>) race became its first dwellers. Naga (</b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-weight: bold;">नाग</span><b>) is Sanskrit for 'serpent'. The Nagas were described as a highly intelligent ancient race with serpentine features. Nila was the king of the Nagas of Kashmir. The Nilmata Purana itself gets its name from Nila, the name of this Naga king. The ancient name of Verinag, the source of the Vitasta, was Nilanag, the spring of King Nila. Verinag is a later name which dates to the 1600s when new names were added by Muhammadan rulers. </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A few points of note may be made here. First, serpent like intelligent races are known to have existed around the world and are no longer dismissed as myths by open minded alternate historians. The Mexican Indians call their shamans ‘nagals’, several Central American deities and culture-bearers are depicted as feathered serpents, there are Snake tribes among the North American Indians, and a gigantic Serpent Mound, 420 metre long, was constructed by the mound-building peoples of ancient Ohio. Obviously, this reverence for the snake comes from the memory of a race with serpentine features and to dismiss them </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">as myths is a slight on the intelligence of the ancients.<br /><br />Second the word 'naga' has more than one meaning in Sanskrit. In the Sanskrit language there are 2000 root words, called <i>dhatus </i>or building blocks. One such dhatu is 'na' which means water, when it joins with 'ga' which means 'flow' or 'go', it forms naga, 'that which moves in water', hence naga means both a 'serpent' or a 'water spring'. The Kashmiri word 'nag' meaning 'spring' stems from Sanskrit. Not surprisingly the word 'naga' appears in the names of water bodies around the world. For more such names click <a href="#"> here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Vitasata</span>: The Vitasta River is known to have at least three sources. The first of course is Verinag. Verinag is also known as Panzeth Springs. This name derived from the more ancient name Panchahasta, which is sometimes translated as five-hundred springs, but more likely has the meaning of 'shaped like five hands.' </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The second point where the Vitasta emerged was at Narsimhashrama. This name is related to Panchahasta mentioned above. Narasimha as an avatara of Vishnu, has to do with fine arts or the <i>shilpashastra. S</i></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>hilpashastra</i></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">which includes the five principle hand (hasta) gestures of <i>natyashastras</i>- including <i>siṃhamukha</i>-hasta, <i>tripataka</i>-hasta<i>, nrtta-hastas, vardhamāna hasta, </i>and the<i> anjali-hasta. </i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>shilpashastra.</i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The third spot is called Vitastara. This name is related to the name Vitasata and carries the same meaning.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Mahapadma </span>Lake: Of the thousands of lakes that sprang up after the draining of the Satisara, one of the most important was the Mahapadma (<span style="color: #ffa400;">महापद्मा</span>) or the 'giant lotus' lake! It goes by the name Wular today. The Wular which once extended to what is now known as the Mansabal lake, are both known even today for the abundance of lotuses. Hence the name Mahapadma, though the Nilmata states that a naga took on the name of Mahapadma and the lake is named after him, it just may be the other way round.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />We now look at these names in greater detail:</span></b><div><div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWFNvDKfQIvcGnCIoIA9uJtV9-2Y7csAowCmyXtC2oqMXhfCJXM9HjX4cAl3NgUzeC-HSs6Ldtxtuk3wSl5NWo2ZtbOS_zKhuPD4oHYsOBQlTdPKBv58tpQ0NfucC0Z-weETtvjLAcTzRdci-s7NdpSHF_tjF4yydi1xueC5cErxxZwrgr0KSoA3s/s1110/khurhama2222.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1110" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWFNvDKfQIvcGnCIoIA9uJtV9-2Y7csAowCmyXtC2oqMXhfCJXM9HjX4cAl3NgUzeC-HSs6Ldtxtuk3wSl5NWo2ZtbOS_zKhuPD4oHYsOBQlTdPKBv58tpQ0NfucC0Z-weETtvjLAcTzRdci-s7NdpSHF_tjF4yydi1xueC5cErxxZwrgr0KSoA3s/w640-h386/khurhama2222.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Ancient names around the Mahapadma (Wular) lake</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Wular</span>: Neither the word Wular, nor its Kashmiri version Volur has any meaning. Wular or Volur is a distortion of one of the earlier names of the lake. The Wular was once also known as Ullola (</b></span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>उल्लोल</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>), Sanskrit for 'with beautiful waves'. How poor and insipid is the name 'Wular' in comparison! The Wular, the largest fresh water lake in Asia until recently, was given to choppy waves during afternoons.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>The present district of Wular corresponds to the ancient Holada. its etymology stems from holaka (</b></span><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b>होलाक</b></span><b>) 'vapour-bath' referring to the mist over the lake. A corresponding word is 'holadhi', 'treasure of vapour' and falls in the same category. The Nilmata Purana also mentions two towns Chandarpura and Visvagasvapura near the Mahapadma lake. These correspond to present day Chandar Gir (in Sonavari) and Viji Pora (also in Sonawari). The close by town of Khuyasrama too is an ancient Puranic site and now goes by the name Khurhama.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What is today known as Bandipura Nala that flows into the Wular was once known as Madhumati River. This name still survives and in despite resistance the Bandipura Nala is also sometimes referred to as Madhumati Nala. But how unfortunate that a river once known as Madhumati (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मधुमती</span>) or 'like honey', is referred to as a 'nala' or a 'drain'.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Baramulla</span>: In the vicinity of the Mahapadma Lake was city of Varahamula, its name derived from, as mentioned above the Sanskrit Varāhamūla (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वराहमूल</span>), a </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">combination of <a href="#">varaha</a> (boar) and mūla (root or deep). According to the Nilmata Purana it was here that Sri Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and struck a mountain to make way for the the water of the Satisara to flow out. This makes complete sense because whoever drained the water from Satisara would have to drain it out at Varahamula or Baramulla. It is here that the Vitatsa moves out of Kashmir valley. There is no other outlet. </span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Varahamula is a very ancient place and the temple of Varaha here is repeatedly mentioned by Kalhana in his Rajatarangini. I</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ts sacred image was destroyed by Sikander Butshikast who ruled Kashmir between 1389-1413. Butshikast has to his credit the tag of having destroyed innumerable temples including the ones at Parihaspura (City of Laughter), King Lalitaditya's capital.The town today is known as Paraspora, a corruption of its original name.</span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The modern Baramulla, or Varmul as it is called in Kashmiri, or Varahamula-ksetra or Varaha-ksetra, in the ancient days, was a suburb of Huviskapura , modern Ushkur also called Ushkara. Huviskapura dwindled to a mere village with time. It is a village that Hiuen Tisang, the Chinese writer and explorer had spent some nights at. Ushkara is the point till the Vitasta is navigable after which it enters its mountainous course and becomes unnavigable. The name Huvishka stems from the Sanskrit root word 'vishka' (</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">विष्क</span>), </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sanskrit for 'bolt of a door'. Vitasta could not be navigated beyond this point. Hence the name. meaningless. </span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Sopore</span>: Sopore lies close to where the Vitasta (Jhelum) exits the Kashmir Valley near the Mahapadma (Wular) lake and flows towards Baramulla, Khadniyar and the ancient sacred town of Gingal. The ancient name of Sopore was Suyyapur. Historical accounts in Kalhana’s epic Rajatarangini composed in 1150 AD mentions a landslide in the second half of the ninth century that blocked the flow of the Jhelum downstream from Varahamoola. Rising waters restrained by this natural dam eventually flooded the Kashmir Valley, not only in the Wular area but all the way up to Vijeshwara (present name Bij Behara), near Anantnag. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The flood waters were abated by breaching the landslide dam by King Avantivarman’s engineer Suyya. Suyya who is attributed with the design and completion of numerous drainage and irrigation schemes in Medieval Kashmir some of which can be still identified, undertook the mammoth task of draining out the </b><b><span>water. The details of this whole operation is given in Kalhana's Rajatarangini are given at the end of the post.*<br /><br />It is said that the city of Sopor (Suyyapur) was named after Suyya. But this appears to be a slight twist of the truth.</span></b><b> Suyyapur was built on the land reclaimed after the flood water of Vitasta was released by rebuilding the dam and regulating the water. Suya (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सूय</span>) is a Sanskrit root word meaning 'extract', 'restrict', 'bind', or 'regulate'. These words relate to the actions taken to restrain the Vitasta. Hence, the town came to be known as Suyapur or Suyyapur (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सूयपुर</span>). The engineer came to be referred as Suyya after his engineering feat. </b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>So where was this engineering feat undertaken by Suyya? M.A. Stein traces the spot. Stein states, "Close to the western end of Baramulla a rocky ridge with a precipitous slope runs down into the river bed....At this point there stood till last year (1897) an old ruined gateway known to the people as <i>Drang </i>or 'watch-station'....Through the structure I had seen....there can be little doubt that it marked the ancient 'gate' of Varahamula.....About two and a half miles below 'Drang' the hill sides recede slightly, leaving room for a small village called 'Naran Thal'. Near it stands a little temple with a spring close by which is visited by pilgrims and is probably identical with the Narayanasthana of Nilmata (Purana)." This spot is where the river takes a two way diversion forming an island. This is where the Eco Park has come up today obliterating any memory of Narayansthana or the water springs there and replacing them with cafes and tourist huts.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Adds Stein, "About a mile below this point and close to the village of Khadniyar, the river turns sharply round a steep and narrow spur projecting into the valley from the northwest...The road crosses the spur by a deep and narrow cut, known as Dyargul. Kalhana's Chronicle knows this curious cutting as Yakshadhara, 'the demon's cleft'. According to the tradition there recorded the operation by Suyya, Avantiramana's engineer, lowered the level op the Vitasta, extended to this point of the river bed."</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn77dcXklhxMz8QTN_Wju1We4VrohOzh-57bEsR5p9UtIgraKzUysnIypWCeXr90Wd-sSrqK8G2cHpJ59uNOFsukT92nAAJIucaEsiB5X3yyIPFUZTRJPaRxZYuhETKPnj9pYBq9dKbxmYY8CXozPEze51EHTMVnh4trNbzFQEsaicV86tZhgLPcL-/s2213/0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="2213" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn77dcXklhxMz8QTN_Wju1We4VrohOzh-57bEsR5p9UtIgraKzUysnIypWCeXr90Wd-sSrqK8G2cHpJ59uNOFsukT92nAAJIucaEsiB5X3yyIPFUZTRJPaRxZYuhETKPnj9pYBq9dKbxmYY8CXozPEze51EHTMVnh4trNbzFQEsaicV86tZhgLPcL-/w640-h396/0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <b><span>It was at the spot that was named Yakshadhara (demon's cleft)<br />that Suyya, King Avantiraman's engineer performed his engineering feat.<br />Suyya (<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">सूय</span></span>) is Sanskrit for extract, bind, direct or regulate.<br />Hence, the engineer came to be known by the name 'Suyya'.<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">Yakshadar later came to be known as Dyaregul and the stream flowing at Yakshadara is now called Sheen nallah. That 'sheen' is Kashmiri for 'snow' is well known, its less common knowledge that 'sheen' (</span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>शीन</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">) is Sanskrit for 'ice'. The name Khadniyar too is a corruption of Sanskrit Khadda (<span style="color: #ffa400;">खद्दा</span>) means a 'gorge'. Two miles below this area is the town of Zehenpur or Zehempur, and was in ancient times a sacred site. So was Gingal and ruins of ancient temples still existed during the times of Stein. Further ahead on this route is the town of Boliasa, the Baliasaka of Rajatarangini. The corrupted forms of the above names have no meanings.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In his exploration, Stein had always hoped to discover the western entrance to the Kashmir valley from Muzzafarabad, known as Udhabanda in antiquity. He says in antiquity the path from Udhabanda lay along the right bank of the Vitasta, hence the crossing of the river could be completely avoided when traveling to the valley. Uda (<span style="color: #ffa400;">उद</span>) is water, 'bandh' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">बन्ध </span>) is to 'tie' or 'control'.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><b>The higher ground of the Kashmir Valley which consists of peculiar plateaus. Though they are now known as 'karewas', a word which stems from Persian, they were until recently known by their K</b></span><b>ashmiri term <i>udar </i>which originates from Sanskrit uddara, the root word of which is the 'uddhR' (</b><span><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">उद्धृ</span>) </b></span><b>meaning raised up, and for example one may note, appears in the name of a village Damodar Udar.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are scores of other place names which now bear distortions of their earlier names of which some are listed below. Each one of these too has a story to tell and will be the subject of later posts:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1. Kishtwar - Kashtavata (</b><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">काष्ठवाट</span></b><b><span>)-city of wood</span></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. Badravah- Bhadravasaka (<span style="color: #ffa400;">भद्रवासक</span>)- splendid abode</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3. Chamba - Campa (कम्प) - Vibrate a reference to a flowing river</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4. Ballavar- Vallapura </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">5. Agror- Urasa</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">6. Karnau- Karnaha</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">7. Drava tract- Duranda</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">8. Sardi- Sharada</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">9. Darad- Daraddesa/Daratpuri</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">10 Leh - Lohh</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">11. Kamraz-Kramarajya and Maraj - Madhav Rajya. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Note: Since ancient times the Kashmir valley was drawn into 2 parts. The part north of Srinagar was called Madhvrajya, and the part south of it was Kramarajya.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">13 Pandrethan- Puranadhi-sthana</span></b></div><div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">14. Banihal - Banasala</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">15. Bichlari River - Visalata River<br />16. Bahramgala - Bhairavgala</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">17. Kritshom - Kriti-asrama <br />18. Drang - Karkota Dranga<br />19. Konsarnag - Krama-sara<br />20. Rahjauri - Raja Puri<br />21. Pusiana - Pusia-nanda<br />22.Bahram gala - Bhairav Gala<br />23. Kakodhar - Karkota dhara<br />24. Chambar - Sabambara<br />25. Uskur - Huska Pura<br />26. Naran That - Narayan Pura<br />27. Khadniyar -Yakshadhara<br />28. Dvarbidi - Dvaravati<br />29. Uskur -Huskapura<br />30. Pir Panjal Range - Panchala Dharmath<br />31. Jhelum river- Vitasta<br />32. Chenab River- Chandrabhaga<br />33. Poonch - Parnotsa<br /><br /></span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Most of these names are mentioned in the chronicles of Kalhana with an explanation of how the places got these names. Unsurprisingly, </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Kalhana who wrote the Rajatarangini (</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Chronology of the Kings) himself gets his name from the work he did. The name Kalhana has two parts - <i>Kala </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">काल</span>) time or chronology, and <i>ahaana </i>(<span style="color: #ffa400;">आहणा</span>) composition, he composed a book on the chronology of the kings. Kalhana simply means 'historian'. This is a name he earned for himself. Just like Suyya. </span></b></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">____________________________________________________</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Footnotes:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">*The following is a description of Suyya's Vitasta operation as chronicled in Kalhana's Rajatarangini in the words of Prof M.A. Stein:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Quoting from this treatise M.A Stein states, "The operations commenced in Kramarajya at the locality called Yakshadhara where large rocks which had rolled down from the mountains lining both river banks, obstructed the Vitasta. By removing the obstructing rocks the level of the river was lowered. Then a stone-dam was constructed across the bed of the river, and the latter thus blocked up completely for seven days. During this time the riverbed was cleared at the bottom, and stone walls constructed to protect it against rocks which might roll down. The dam was then removed, and the river flowed forth with increased rapidity through the cleared passage. What follows in Kalhana’s account is so matter-of-fact and so accurate in topographical points, that a presumption is raised as to the previous statements also resting, partially at least, on historical facts."<br /><br />He further states, "Wherever inundation breaches were known to occur in times of flood, new beds were constructed for the river. One of these changes in the riverbed affected the confluence of the Vitasta and Sindhu, and this is specially explained to us in verses 97-100. The topographical indications here given by Kalhana are so detailed and exact that they enabled me to trace with great probability what I believe to have been the main course of the Vitasta before Suyya’s regulation.<br /><br />"These have shown that while the new confluence which Kalhana knew in his own time, is identical with the present junction opposite Shadipur, the old one lay about two miles to the south-east of it, between the village of Trigani and the Paraspur plateau The latter is the site of the great ruins of Parihasapura... Trigam marks the position of the ancient Trigrami and a short distance south of it stands the temple ruin which I identify with the shrine of Visnu Vainiyavamin. </span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">'Kalhana mentions this temple as the point near which “the two rivers, the Sindhu and Vitasta, formerly met flowing to the left and right of Trigrami, respectively. Standing on the raised ground before the ruin and turning towards Shadipur, we have on our left a narrow swamp about a quarter of a mile broad which runs north-east in the direction of Trigam. In this swamp and a shallow Nala continuing it towards Shadipur, we can yet recognize the old bed of the Sindhu. On the right we have the Badrihal Nala which divides the alluvial plateau of Trigam and Paraspor. This Nala is clearly marked as an old river-bed by the formation of its banks and is still known as such to the villagers of the neighbourhood.....<br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">"By forcing the Vitasta to pass north of Trigam instead of south of it, the reclamation of the marshes south of the Volur lake must have been greatly facilitated."</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-76007857154336277622022-03-15T03:19:00.008-07:002022-03-19T10:12:08.934-07:00SANSKRIT ORIGINS OF THE NAME KASHMIR <b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kalhana's Rajatarangine establishes that Kashmir was once a premier centre of Sanskrit scholarship. Sanskrit was the chosen language of communication, literature and culture in ancient Kashmir and remained so till it began to erode with the advent of foreign Mohammaden </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">invaders.<br /><br />Etymology of the name Kashmir:</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>In his book 'Ancient Geography of Kashmir', M.A. Stein states, "</b><b>The name, Kasmira in its original Sanskrit form, has been used as
the sole designation of the country throughout its known history. It
has uniformly been applied both by the inhabitants and by foreigners.
We can trace back its continued use through an unbroken chain of
documents for more than twenty-three centuries, while the name itself
undoubtedly is far more ancient. Yet notwithstanding this long history
the current form of the name down to the present day has changed but
slightly in the country itself and </b><b>scarcely at all outside it."<br /><br />However Stein was of the view that linguistic science can furnish no clue to the origin of the name Kashmir, nor even analyze its formation'. But this is not true. The Nilmata Purana very clearly presents the development and the construction of an abode along with hermitages of the gods in the land the builders called Kashmira It also describes the details of the etymology of the </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">name.<br /><br />Legend says Kashmir was originally a lake the details of which are related at great
length in the Nllamata Purana. According to this earliest traditional account the lake called
Satisaras, ‘the lake of Sati/Durga' occupied the place of Kashmir from the beginning of the Kalpa. In the period of the seventh Manu
the demon Jalodbhava (‘ water-horn ’) who resided in this lake, caused
great distress to all neighbouring countries by his devastations. Rishi Kasyapa, the father of all Nagas, while engaged in a pilgrimage
to the Tirthas in the north of India, heard of the cause of this distress
from his son Nila, the king of the Kashmlr Nagas. The sage promised to vanquish the evil-doer and proceeded to Brahma to seek his help for the purpose. His prayer
was granted and the whole host of gods started
for Satisaras and took up their position on the lofty peaks of the Nauhandhana Tirtha above the lake Kramasaras . The
demon who was invincible in his own element, refused to come forth
from the lake. Visnu thereupon called upon his brother Balabhadra
to drain the lake who pierced the mountains with his
weapon, the ploughshare. When the lake had become dry, Jalodbhava
was attacked by Visnu and after a fierce combat was slain. Kashyapa then settled the land of Kashmir. The gods took up their abodes in it as well as the Nagas, while
the various goddesses adorned the land in the shape of rivers. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About the construction of the hermitages in Kashmir Verse 186-187 of the Nilmata Purana states, "To</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> the north of that which is proclaimed as Visnupada in Kramasara, Brahma – the best of the gods – himself erected a hermitage. The
venerable sage Kasyapa constructed a hermitage in the western half." The lake Kramasara gets its name from Sanskrit 'krama' or step, 'sara' is lake, hence Kramasara means (Vishnu's Step lake. 'Vishnupada has the same meaning, 'pada' is foot, the place where Vishnu placed his footsteps.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kramasara is identified as the present day Kausar Nag, its name a distortion of its original name Kramasara, located in the Pir Panjal Range at coordinates 33 degrees N, 74.7688 East, about 50 km south of Srinagar. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kasyapa is one of the Prajapati's. Bramha had created 21 Prajapatis, as the 'creators of the world'. Kashyapa was one of them. According to the Nilmata Purana Verse 226, "Prajapati is called Ka, and Kasyapa is also Prajapati. Built by him this country will be called Kas’mira." Since 'k' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">क</span>) represents water in Sanskrit and 'Mir' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">मीर</span>) is Sanskrit for 'lake', 'ocean' or 'sea', Kashmir simply means 'water-lake'.</span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Verse 227 states, "Because water called Ka was taken out by Balarama (the plough-wielder) from this country, so this will be called Kas’mira in this world."</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Sanskrit 'Kasmira' took the form 'Kasvira' in Buddhist Prakrit texts. Ptolemy recorded the name Kaspira in his Greek writings.</span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By the time of Kalhana, the author of the treatise 'Rajatarangini' in 1150 AD the language of communication had changed into an Apabharmsa dialect of Sanskrit. The process of erosion of the original Sanskrit accelerated with the advent of the invaders and the Apabharmsa dialect gradually developed into Kashmiri. Many of the place names changed but are still recognizable.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Stein's Map of Ancient Kashmir. For an enlarged view of the same map scroll down to the bottom of the post.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP5fU8DTZvcxrAI36WorvCu89J6TyHRq-pL9xfHOTVMZGCYA_nOA7YCseHwbLTT8lV4WfVc38dUdAKmhIfloe1Pz-8sF8elBNPWRa5pZE1euuo1RhcUEh_Jhj81_cLRyrNPk1r6mH3ozFXcqGkSwAZjaMRhB8JETsRogQr9cUYVfMNABKVpbalbU3h=s5731" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4638" data-original-width="5731" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP5fU8DTZvcxrAI36WorvCu89J6TyHRq-pL9xfHOTVMZGCYA_nOA7YCseHwbLTT8lV4WfVc38dUdAKmhIfloe1Pz-8sF8elBNPWRa5pZE1euuo1RhcUEh_Jhj81_cLRyrNPk1r6mH3ozFXcqGkSwAZjaMRhB8JETsRogQr9cUYVfMNABKVpbalbU3h=w640-h518" width="640" /></a></div></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kalhana's Rajtarngini provides us with a sound basis for the historical geography of Kashmir. In his book 'Ancient Geography of Kashmir', Professor M.A. Stein, a scholar of the Asiatic Society of India and the Principal at the Madrashah College of Calcutta, states, " Kalhana's local names can on the whole safely be taken as the genuine designations of the localities originally given to them. We have ample evidence to show that Sanskrit was the official and sole literary language of the country, not only in Kalhana's own time but also in those earlier periods from which the records used by him may have dated. This official use of Sanskrit was known to have continued in Kasmlr even in Muhammadan times. It assures at once that the vast majority of village and town names must from the beginning have been given in Sanskrit. A detailed examination of Kalihana’s local names will easily demonstrate, on the one hand that these names are of genuinely Sanskrit formation, and on the other, that their modern Kasmiri representation are derived from them by a regular process of phonetic conversion. We look in vain among this class of old local names for any which would allow a foreign, i.e. non- Aryan origin and might be suspected of having only subsequently been pressed into a Sanskritic garb. <br /><br /> As Sanskrit was used as the language of all official records for many centuries previous to Kalhana’s time, the Sanskrit names originally intended for great mass of inhabited places could be preserved in official documents anyhow without any difficulty or break of tradition. And from such document most of Kalhana’s notices of places were undoubtedly derived, directly or indirectly."<br /><br />In the 1890s M.A. Stein collated a list of place names of Kashmir and matched them with their original as listed by Kalhana in Rajatarangini. Here are a few examples, though there are many more:<br /><br />Kashmiri names- Original Sanskrit Name<br />1. Amarnath<span> </span><span> </span> - Amreshvara<br />2. Banihal <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>- Banasala</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3. Bichlari River<span> </span>- Visalata River<br />4. Bahramgala<span> </span> - Bhairavgala<br />5. Kritshom - Kriti-asrama <span> </span><span> </span><br />6. Baramula<span> </span><span> </span><span> -</span>Varahamula<br />7. Chambar<span> </span><span> -</span> Sabambara<br />8. Drang<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> - </span>Karkota Dranga<br />9. Konsarnag <span> </span><span> -</span> Krama-sara<br />10. Rahjauri <span> </span><span> - </span> Raja Puri<br />11. Pusiana<span> </span><span> -</span> Pusia-nanda <br />12.Bahram gala<span> </span> -Bhairav Gala <br />13. Kakodhar<span> </span><span> -</span>Karkota dhara <br />14. Chambar<span> </span><span> -</span>Sabambara <br />15. Uskur<span> </span><span> </span><span> -</span>Huska Pura <br />16. Naran That<span> -</span>Narayan Pura <br />17. Khadniyar <span> -</span> Yakshadhara <br />18. Dvarbidi<span> </span><span> </span>- Dvaravati <br />19. Uskur -Huskapura<br />20. Pir Panjal Range - Panchala Dharmath <br />21. Jhelum river- Vitasta<br />22. Chenab River- Chandrabhaga <br />23. Poonch - Parnotsa<br />The complete list of ancient placenames of Kashmir will appear in the following post.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About the name Banihal Stein states, "It takes its modem name from a village at the south foot of the pass which itself is mentioned in Kalhana's Chronicle by the
name of BanasAla. The castle of Banasala was in Kalhana’s own time
the scene of a memorable siege (a.d, 1130) in which the pretender
Bhikaaoara was captured and killed. Coming from the Cinab Valley
he had entered Visalita, the hill district immediately south of the
Banihal Pass with the view to an invasion of Kasmir." The word Visalita is </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">today preserved in its distorted form as the name of river Bichlari located near Monu Manaat Nadi, Nachleni and Hingni. It is also nearby Sagan and Makrota.<br /><br />About 8 miles straight to the west of Kramasara, now Konsernag, the range is crossed by a pass, over 14000 feet high, now called Sidau and sometimes Budil. In its original form Sidau was Siddhapatha. To the west of Siddhapatha lie two mountain passes Rupri and Darhal which one crosses to reach Rajauri, the Rajapuri of past. Near the Darhal Pass lies Nandana Sar, the Nandana Naga of Nilmata Purana. Five miles north of Nandana Sar lies the lowest point of the Pir Panjal Range, the valley of the Rimbiara river, once known as Ramanayatavi. And it is from this name that another river of Jammu Kashmir gets its name. The name of river Tawi on which Jammu is located, is atruncated form of the Ramanyatavi of antiquity.</span></b><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Pir Panjal, of course derives from Pir Panchala. Panchala is a Mahabharatan name, the land to which Draupadi belonged. The first part of the name, that is Pir, meaning sage or fakir, is a direct translation of 'deva'. The Chronicles of Srivara record the name of the Pir Panjal Pass as 'Panchal Deva'. Panchal changed to Panjal and 'pir' was inserted in the name as a direct translation of 'deva' during the Mohammaden times. Today 'pir' in this region has taken on the meaning of a 'mountain pass'. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Stein's Map of Ancient Kashmir- Enlarged. Scroll down and across for detailed view:</span></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyemR7jKF5Tmxd-9Dhd4LAykP3NfLLII5NYdX56YJtULsMXvdYNyxIQkpcIXHG8JxGKXtbvPtzoaFz_Eyvo9l6K5nM04uJ75Cjn1C-T0JEtnAnPiumicQWKaDmXkM2an8hxg5xQeOOJsyoGo4vh5L5HdQQdr-IKylBTmLBdhwGNJur_etJj3Hgiq5Z=s7641" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6184" data-original-width="7641" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyemR7jKF5Tmxd-9Dhd4LAykP3NfLLII5NYdX56YJtULsMXvdYNyxIQkpcIXHG8JxGKXtbvPtzoaFz_Eyvo9l6K5nM04uJ75Cjn1C-T0JEtnAnPiumicQWKaDmXkM2an8hxg5xQeOOJsyoGo4vh5L5HdQQdr-IKylBTmLBdhwGNJur_etJj3Hgiq5Z=s16000" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suggested readings:</span></b></div><div><span>1. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Chaman Lal Gadoo's Writings (ikashmir.net)</a></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>2. <a href="https://ignca.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Vihangama_September-_October2017.pdf"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Vihangama_September-_October2017.pdf (ignca.gov.in)</span></b></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-66106595957814272782022-02-25T08:25:00.003-08:002022-09-15T05:18:13.901-07:00SANSKRITIC-PURANIC SOURCE OF TAJIK AND UZBEK PLACE NAMES<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Samarkand, located on the ancient Silk route between China and Europe, is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Several theories propose that it was founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. <br /><br />By the time of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, founded by </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, Samarkand was the capital of the Sogdian satrapy, which territorially corresponds to present day province of Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan and Sugdh in Tajikistan. Prior to the times of Cyrus the Great, the city was known as Maracanda or <span style="color: #ffa400;">Marakanda</span>. This information was recorded by the Greek historian Lucius Flavius Arrianus (better known as Arrian born in 87 CE) in his book Indike. Arrian stated that </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">at the time when the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE the name MarAkanda was well known. </span></b><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979) States, "From the fourth century B.C. to the sixth century A.D., the site was occupied by the city of <span style="color: #ffa400;">Maracanda</span>, the capital of Sogdia-na, which later became part of the Turkic Kaganate".</span></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex states, "Built on the site of Afrosiab, which dated from the 3d or 4th millennium B.C., Samarkand was known to the ancient Greeks as <span style="color: #ffa400;">Marakanda</span>; ruins of the old settlement remain north of the present city." Afrosiab is the oldest part and the ruined site of ancient Samarkand.<br /><br />At some point the name changed from Markanda to Samarkand, and a new meaning was attributed to its name - </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the Sogdian samar, "stone, rock" and kand, "fort, town. However, this is incorrect. Samarkand is a distortion of its original name Marakanda</span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">. This is not surprising given that the ancient most Iranian Civilizations right up to the times of </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sogdia established in 600 BC and located between Amu River and the Syr River had very deep Indic links, if not their very source in the Indian civilization. The history of these links is preserved in ancient Sanskritic place names of Uzbekistan, Tajiksitan and Iran as mentioned in the Purana texts of India as well as in Sogdian art and artifacts. </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The details of the geography of this region appears in two or three Puranas including the Vayu Purana and the Markendeya Purana which is one of the oldest of all Puranas. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Markandeya was the name of an ancient rishi in the Vedic-Puranic tradition and his name is deeply associated with that of Lord Shiva. And it is perhaps also the the source of the name Maracanda of Uzbekistan. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><div><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Sanskrit-Puranic origins of the name Maracanda does not occur in isolation. Professor Syed Muzafer Ali had done an extensive study on the existence of ancient Indic-Sanskritic-Puranic place names in Tajikstan, Uzbekistan and the entire middle eastern track the result of which was presented in his book 'Geography of the Puranas' published in 1966. He revealed that Puranic names existed on the map of this region till medieval times, some appear on the map of the region even today. Here is a list of these names as compiled by Prof. Ali. </b></span></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b> Puranic name<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Medieval name</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>1. Alya Kurd<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Al-Kurz </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>2. Gomanusya <span> </span>Gonaridh</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>3. Janga<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Janga Kath</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>4. Kapotaka<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Murghab </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>5. Karuncha<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Karun</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>6. Krasnamgammani<span> <span> </span></span>Karatagh</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>7. </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Punjka<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> <span> </span>Karatagh </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">8. Kuta Kamb<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Kala Khumb </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">9. Karmbhava<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Karmina</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">10. Kuca<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span> </span>Kuza (Panjdeb)</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">11. Krsnapada<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Kabadiam on the Kafirnigan River</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">12. Kumudabhan<span> </span><span> <span> </span> </span>Khvar, Khuz </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">13. Kala<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Rasht Kala</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">14. Kisinikapada </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Bhaumika </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Basin of Kashka Darya</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">15. Madhauriya<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Madhz </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">16. Mohanga<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> Mashan </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">17. Madhyachal Kutka Madya Mijkut </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">18. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Matha Kasika <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Kushka Basin </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">19. Sunkasa<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Sunka</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">20. Surecaka<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Sarakhs </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">21. Saravana<span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>Sarvan </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">22. Vanasguj<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Viasagird, near Kafirnigan town </b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">23. Yalatha<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Yulatan, </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">near Merv<br /><br /><br /></span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his book Professor Syed M. Ali states, "It is said that Samarkand was founded in about 3000 BC. Sogdiana can therefore, be reckoned among the most ancient sites of human settlement. The spatial relationship of Sogdiana with the two major ranges Nib and Sveta and with the adjoining region Bactria...leads us to the conclusion that the Ramanaka Varsa of the Puranas is the Sogdiana of the ancient times. It may be that the name Rometan (a district of Bokhara) is a reminder of the Puranic name of Sogdiana, i.e. Ramanaka or Romanaka or Ramyaka." Today Rometan is also known as Ramitan.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcvwlkn4HzvSPIqYI3X6nKgJ1-DxuIhsyqKzS_y0qoOuuNF2Si8pngt-jk4U70WbjIroDKJjCMnMMqAXjW2NmnwpX9TRdwd59Z1S2vpr8tJo8clcWlkygjkBc9OjoeVKOBiJaXGLeHihISnptZuISt2JjOZLm5pntFCkrGJTpsFFmeSVppbp2b5WHA=s1772" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1772" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcvwlkn4HzvSPIqYI3X6nKgJ1-DxuIhsyqKzS_y0qoOuuNF2Si8pngt-jk4U70WbjIroDKJjCMnMMqAXjW2NmnwpX9TRdwd59Z1S2vpr8tJo8clcWlkygjkBc9OjoeVKOBiJaXGLeHihISnptZuISt2JjOZLm5pntFCkrGJTpsFFmeSVppbp2b5WHA=w640-h408" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />The Ramanaka Varsha of the Puranas appears on current maps as Rometan or Rometin in Bukhara district (Map: Syed Muzafer Ali)<br /></b></span><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvHpa4cKSxHmhURqEbg4RuXvWDEry7nDvioyAvK2hxi7c3B90gxOVQ1lH0rYqurcXjSLv_U5u2F0R-OLSnhF8n9QhuMhBSV9FSTLS_3tTKVVJuo2PYb5CAWTnRyX1BCnfKRQmQWb_vNkk3zvoDAB5DATWKEbGX_Cqzd1y02p64ILbnZgd0Z-yUeH5R=s2339" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1653" data-original-width="2339" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvHpa4cKSxHmhURqEbg4RuXvWDEry7nDvioyAvK2hxi7c3B90gxOVQ1lH0rYqurcXjSLv_U5u2F0R-OLSnhF8n9QhuMhBSV9FSTLS_3tTKVVJuo2PYb5CAWTnRyX1BCnfKRQmQWb_vNkk3zvoDAB5DATWKEbGX_Cqzd1y02p64ILbnZgd0Z-yUeH5R=w640-h452" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The name Kapinjala of the Puranas now appears as<br />Kuramin on current maps (Map:Syed Muzafer Ali)</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b><b></b></div></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Indic influence is also seen in Sogdian art. Sogdian art flourished in the settled areas of the Zeravshan (Northern Tajikstan) and Kashkadarya (south-east Uzbekistan) valleys, as well as in Ustrushana north of the Turkestan mountain range. The Encyclopedia Iranica states, "At Panjikant, a very large</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> number of wall paintings have been found, which are supplemented by discoveries at Varaksa, Samarkand, and Sahrestan. Three genres are known: divine, with very elaborate representations of the many Sogdian gods, which borrow many features from the <span style="color: #ffa400;">Indian iconographic tradition</span>; heroic, with cycles of epic combat, including Rostam but also other heroes of whom all knowledge is lost; and lastly fables, with images from the <span style="color: #ffa400;">Panchatantra </span>(Marshak and Raspopova, 1987; idem, 1990; Marshak, 2002)."</span></b></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Five Hindu gods were known to have been worshipped in Sogdiana including Brahma as Zrav</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">an, Indra as Abdab and Shiva as Veshparkar, as well as Narayana and Vaishravana. </b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> Azarpay is of the view that what we see in these paintings is a result of the influence of the Vedic and Buddhist cultures, but the Sanskrit etymology of ancient place names in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan reveal that the Indic-Vedic culture extended right into Tajikstan and Uzbekistan and was in fact well entrenched in this entire area extending from India well into the rest of Asia in all directions.</b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One of the best known murals of the Sogdians is that of their god Veshparkar. The Sogdians worshipped Lord Shiva as Veshparkar, and so engrained was the lore of Shiva was in the Sogdian culture that it lasted well after Buddhism came and vanished from this region.</span><br /></b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOn_rZlbENVf3pvj8_jrOQyijE1Gh6paHliRsp_7StZ5cVDCrb5wLlbNRf215nsjJioP578NyCniE4SBhDaivfQm3Z7HbWZCFIgOwLXgl8CM_kXfYMlA7ty1YadDh8UkWgoCwWTXBvcc/w640-h506/Sogdian+Shiva+known+as+Veshparkar.jpg" width="640" /></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A mural of Lord Shiva, with a crescent in the top-knot, from Panjikent.<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /> </b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo1ddCvwojLuS1VnSzbEryXlcjn8mdDg4hUJ0LmFuKT6OjD7u39kuSCBpg-BZGurdww88WArv_oj9PIfWM1pH9MvP2iKEABT-eczXYMUMXfN5u_CoJxUZoW7HlYWsR_6Un4ff9lznZDA/w640-h610/Sogdian+God.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A mural of Sogdian God Veshparkar and his consort from Penjikant.<br />Lord Shiva was worshipped as Veshparkar<br />during the reign of the Sogdians in Bactria<br /><br /></span></b><br style="text-align: start;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Uzbek archaeologist R. H. Suleymanov in his writings has drawn many Indian parallels in ancient cults of Sogdiana such as funeral rites similar to the Vedic tradition or the cult of fire worship called Mithraism similar to Vedic fire rituals.</b></div><div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Other Sogdian places that have names that have their etymological source in Sanskrit include Khiva, also pronounced as Xiva in Uzbek, and Xiveh in Persian and is associated with Lord Shiva. </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another place name is Kanka situated about 4 km south of Angren River, a tributary of the Syr Darya. The Puranas mention the town of Kanka situtaed in the Kanaka mountains. The name Kanka seems to have its etymological </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">source in Sanskrit 'kanaka' ( कनक ) gold. According to S.M. Ali, "The Kanaka mountain is obviously the Darwaz range which has been
famous, since ancient times, for large formations of gold-bearing conglomerates. Even today the flourishing gold mining industry of Tajikistan is located near Kahu-Khumb which lies on the southern slopes of the range." </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Soghdian civilization arose in the land that lay between Amu Darya and Syr Darya. In classical antiquity, the river was known as the Oxus and its name is a clear derivative of Vakhsh, the name of the largest tributary of the river. The name is obviously derived from its more ancient Vedic Sanskrit name, the Vakṣu (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वक्षु</span>). The Brahmanda Purana refers to the river as </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chaksu. <br /><br />In Vayu Purana, the region between the Amu Darya (Oxus River) and the Syr Darya Jaxartes River) was known as Kumuda-dvipa. Just as the name Oxus derives from the Sanskrit Vakshu, the name Jaxartes derives from the Sanskrit name Yakshu (<span style="color: #ffa400;">यक्षु</span>). The Avestan texts too refer to the River Jaxartes as Yaksha-arte. Also, the name Kumuda (dvipa) changes from Sanskrit to Komedes in the Greek and Latin texts.<br /><br />States S.M. Ali, "The Kum</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">uda mountain is the Ak-Tan Rangan Tau range which lies between the Kafirnigan river and the Vaksu river. It is tempting to associate Kumud will the Greek term 'Kumedai', a Saka tribe which, according to Ptolemy, inhabited the mountainous tract which undoubtedly corresponds to the term Kumedh. Yaqubi and Ibn-Rusta refer to a locality of which the name may be restored as Kumedh. Yaqui says that Munk was the frontier towards the lands of the Turks, towards the locality called Rasht, Kumedh and Bamir (Pamir). Ibn Rusta certainly places the Kumedh downstream of Rashtd (Upper Vaksh valley). The author of Hindud-al-Alam says Kafirnigan river rises from the limits of the Kumji. ln fact, in the early medieval period Kumedh signified the mountainous region of Jitym Tau-Rangan Tau between the Vaksh and the Kafirnigan rivers inhabited by the Kumji Turks and formed as a sort of buffer state between the Chaganian and the Khuttal, two important principalities of the upper Oxus basin. Thus it would not be unreasonable to presume that by the Kumud mountain the Puranas probably mean the mountain of Kumedha, i.e, the ridges between the Vakhsbab and Kafirnigan rivers."</b></div><b><br /></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLoXU3hrLUNbzwi7QlKyLxeimhvzvUO7ejyShw77hp2o4ziMiV-R_MHY7ye6XikmJcN67U7j8SpkCfg2q4NUomnE8dGAnKZBmw53hKuDy-dsi67yCJng4tziA34nvVO4iosWraLhaxiuKHjbqgU7FvQ5bU1p7Z1X-_8f8tfImgyHj1PYdDZKJ1EdBi=s672" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="672" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLoXU3hrLUNbzwi7QlKyLxeimhvzvUO7ejyShw77hp2o4ziMiV-R_MHY7ye6XikmJcN67U7j8SpkCfg2q4NUomnE8dGAnKZBmw53hKuDy-dsi67yCJng4tziA34nvVO4iosWraLhaxiuKHjbqgU7FvQ5bU1p7Z1X-_8f8tfImgyHj1PYdDZKJ1EdBi=w640-h496" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suggested Readings: </span></b></div><b><br /></b><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1. </span></b></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://esamskriti.com/e/History/Indian-Influence-Abroad/Sanskrit-on-the-silk-route~Introduction--1.aspx">Sanskrit on the Silk Route Introduction</a></span></b></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2. <a href="https://www.advantour.com/uzbekistan/tashkent/history/kanka.htm">Ruins of ancient Kanka in Tashkent regio</a>n</span></b></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3. <a href="https://manzaratourism.com/tourist_gems_uzb/kanka-site-excavation">Excavations on Kanka site</a></span></b></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>4. I<a href="https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/issues-of-history-world-civilization-in-the-scientific-research-of-r-h-suleymanov/viewer">ssues of History World Civilization</a><br />5. <a href="https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/brill/iranica-et-vedica-YX1H3W1LU0">Iranica et vedica, Indo-Iranian Journa</a>l<br />6. <a href="https://manzaratourism.com/tourist_gems_uzb/kanka-site-excavation">Country of a Thousand Castles" | Excavations on Kanka site</a><br />7. <a href="https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sogdiana-iii-history-and-archeology">SOGDIANA iii. HISTORY AND ARCHEOLOGY</a><br />8. <a href="https://www.advantour.com/uzbekistan/tashkent/history/kanka.htm">Ruins of ancient Kanka in Tashkent region (advantour.com)</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-66129013375735690532022-01-08T10:23:00.005-08:002022-01-08T10:48:00.134-08:00SALISBURY. WHAT THE SANSKRIT ETYMOLOGY OF THE NAME REVEALS<div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Salisbury is an ancient town located in the Wiltshire county of England. It is situated nine miles south of the iconic prehistoric stone circle Stonehenge, which stands on the grassland of Salisbury Plain. The town is steeped in history and is known to have been inhabited since 3000 BC. It sits on the confluence of five rivers, Nadder, Wylyle (pronounced Whylee), Bourne and the Ebble, all of which flow into the river Avon at Salisbury, which then travels south to Christchurch where it falls into the sea.<br /><br />Salisbury derives its name from Old Sarum, the site of the original town of Salisbury, located about 5 km away from present day Salisbury. Old Sarum, located on the Avon river, is also the site of an old Hill Fort, which was variously occupied by Romans, Saxons and Normans since 3000 BC.<br /><br />At various times in history apart from Sarum, names such as Searoburg, and Sarisberie have emerged for towns in this area- these names a variation of an even older name, now forgotten. Though many theories exist, none of them satisfactorily explain the etymology of these names or the meaning of their names.<br /><br />Sometimes their etymologies are traced to Latin, Roman and Middle English. For example, the form 'Sarum' it is said, is a Latinization of Sar, a medieval abbreviation for Middle English Sarisberie. The name Salisbury, which was first recorded around the year 900 as Searoburg, is considered a partial translation of the earlier Roman Celtic name Sorbiodūnum. The Brittonic suffix -dūnon, meaning 'fortress', a reference to the fort that stood at Old Sarum, was later replaced by its Old English equivalent -burg. It is generally accepted that the first part of the name, that is Searo or Sorbio, is of obscure origin. <br /><br />But what is altogether ignored is the fact that the meanings of the various versions of these names can easily be explained by Sanskrit. In the name Sarum, Sanskritic influence cannot be ruled out at all. One can draw this inference from the fact that ancient, and even current towns and cities in India, located near lakes and rivers, often have compound names, with 'sara' as the suffix in their names, such as in the name Amritsara. <br /><br />Salisbury is located on the confluence of 5 rivers. Therefore, the etymology of the names Sarum and Salisbury must have a connection with 'water'. It seems improbable that the name of these towns would have emerged from any other feature of this land. 'Sara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सर</span>) is Sanskrit for lake, sari (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सरि</span>) is cascade or waterfall. And this perhaps explains the name name Sarum. <br /><br />The present name Salisbury seems to be a corruption of the medieval Latin and Norman forms of the name Salisbury, such as the Sarisburie that appeared in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. Sarisburie is a quite obviously a distortion of Sara and 'puri' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">पुरि</span>), 'City of Springs', if one were to look at it through the Sanskrit lens, though western sources often interpret 'burie', 'borough', 'burg' as 'town', 'dwelling' or 'city' but link its etymology from Prto-Germanic 'burg' meaning 'fort' which seems to be a variation of the Sanskrit 'durg' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">दुर्ग</span>) or 'fort'.<br /><br />About the suffix -dunon in the town's Roman Celtic name Sorbiodunum, it is said that 'dunon' refers to the fortress that stood at Old Sarum. But the name most likely predates the construction of the fortress. It is common practice to give ancient names new meanings to make the names relevant when the older meaning of the names are forgotten.<br /><br />Britain abounds in place names 'dun', or 'don' or 'down' as the initial, final, or sole names of places. Western scholars have made the observation that the names 'dun', 'don' or 'down' were extensively connected to 'hilly' or 'mountainous' regions. However they were unable to pin-point the source of these words to any Sanskrit root word. It is likely though that these words have more to do with the Sanskrit word for 'valley' which is either 'dari' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">दरी</span>) or 'droni' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">द्रोणि</span>) rather than any Sanskrit word for 'hill' or 'mountain'. Salisbury lies in a valley and therefore it is quite likely that the suffix dunum in Sorbiodunam is explained by the Sanskrit 'droni'.<br /><br />The Rivers of Salisbury: The names of the five rivers mentioned above can be easily decoded with some Proto-Indo European languages, but the names are best explained by Sanskrit.<br /><br />For example, Avon derives its name from Celtic abona or 'river' from the root *ab which is the same as the Sanskrit apa (<span style="color: #ffa400;">अप्</span>) or water. <br /><br />2. Ebble is also a variation Osbourne etymology 'abona', and has its root in Celtic *ab and Sanskrit 'apa'.<br /><br />3. Bourne meaning small stream has its root in Old English brunna, burna "brook, stream," from Proto-Germanic *brunnoz "spring, fountain" (source also of Old High German brunno, Old Norse brunnr, Old Frisian burna, German Brunnen "fountain," Gothis brunna "well"), ultimately from PIE root <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">*bhreu-</a> "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." All the words mentioned here seem to be a distortion of the Sanskrit 'purni' which has the meaning of 'stream' and 'flood' in Sanskrit. 'Purni' takes the form 'purna' which appears commonly in the names of rivers such as the river Purna, a tributary of Godavari. <br /><br />4. Nadder appears to be a distortion of Sanskrit 'Nadi' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">नदी</span>) or river, though western sources says that Nadder, is an earlier form of the word adder which derives from Old English (West Saxon) næddre (Mercian nedre, Northumbrian nedra), "a snake; the Serpent in the Garden of Eden," from Proto-Germanic *naethro "a snake" (source also of Old Norse naðra, Middle Dutch nadre, Old High German natra, German Natter, Gothic nadrs), from PIE root *nētr- "snake" (source also of Latin natrix "water snake" (the sense is probably by folk-association with nare "to swim"); Old Irish nathir, Welsh neidr "snake, serpent"), which are all cognates of Sanskrit 'naga' which has the meaning of 'snake'.<br /><br />5. Whylee or Whyly is probably a Celtic word and has the meaning of 'tricky' though it is not quite apt for a river name. The closest cognate in Sanskrit is 'vari' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">वरी </span>) or 'river' though there is no reason to consider vari as the source of Whyly.<br /><br />Other early names of Salisbury include Searoburh, Searobyrig, and Searesbyrig, which western sources claim are translations of indigenous Brittonic name with the Old English suffixes -burh and -byrig, denoting fortresses or their adjacent settlements but as stated above all these words have their source ultimately in either the Sanskrit 'puri' or 'durg'. Western sources give no clear explanation for the first part of the names Searoburh, Searobyrig, Searesbyrig or of the word 'Sarum.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Further Readings:<br />1. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Old Sarum, England. (ancient-wisdom.com)</a><br />2.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Celtic place-names in Aberdeenshire : with a vocabulary of Gaelic words not in dictionaries ; the meaning and etymology of the Gaelic names of places in Aberdeenshire ; written for the Committee of the Carnegie Trust : Milne, John, 1831-1915 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive</a><br />3. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Ancient Celtic History, Origin and Culture - World History Encyclopedia</a><br />4. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Old Sarum, England. (ancient-wisdom.com)</a></span></b></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874300125015554777.post-91534488184175532492021-11-18T01:56:00.009-08:002021-11-18T02:07:44.018-08:00SANSKRIT NAMES OF RIVERS, LAKES AND MOUNTAINS OF ESTONIA<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>The Sanskrit word 'sara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सर</span>) meaning lake or pond and sometimes even sea is seen in names of ancient cities and towns around the world. It appears repeatedly in names of water bodies as well as towns and settlements in Estonia.</b></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Examples include Kurressare a coastal city in western Estonia. It lies close to Sur Laht, a bay area in Harjumma province of Estonia. Then there is the Estonian Island of Osumussare. Both the words, Ssare and Sur are variations of the Sanskrit 'sara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">सर</span>) meaning 'lake'. Many lake cities and towns around the world bear the suffix 'sara' or some variation of it in their names. </span></b></p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWDqjlBgN5LDQEsxTGQpGMm2pUFxLBwOnP7TjMmoRDOXtbXXcVNxhp5njj-nYSX7mxtQrfu4vofrmtLeCpJBWOyY8gsCx2q6VbmQ03JjCskiYbQpmwGo538NHzdMAc-GDfz-6jyDNLcI/s1280/0smusare+estonia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWDqjlBgN5LDQEsxTGQpGMm2pUFxLBwOnP7TjMmoRDOXtbXXcVNxhp5njj-nYSX7mxtQrfu4vofrmtLeCpJBWOyY8gsCx2q6VbmQ03JjCskiYbQpmwGo538NHzdMAc-GDfz-6jyDNLcI/w640-h360/0smusare+estonia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Osmussare, Estonia</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sara is not the only Sanskrit word that appears in names of cities and water bodies in Estonia. West of Kurressare lies a coastal city called Mandjala, jala (<span style="color: #ffa400;">जल</span>) is Sanskrit for water. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jala appears in names such as Vaskjala, Hakjala and Koljala and Laimjala town located on river Kaugi. Both </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Koljala and Laimjala lie in the Saare county. </span></b></p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TJWkGNPYgL3-ttWNAgUpZ_f139rUO2OB2ioaj585myfXfdTL82mbfmR73UG3szzPxXAhdj922bN-D1K0P3Cl3ZDe1io689Wwwsai15DVWbznfUOKsEzABNntxrT7EaEvcq6zCKQhXnU/s1024/Vaskjala%252C+Estonia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TJWkGNPYgL3-ttWNAgUpZ_f139rUO2OB2ioaj585myfXfdTL82mbfmR73UG3szzPxXAhdj922bN-D1K0P3Cl3ZDe1io689Wwwsai15DVWbznfUOKsEzABNntxrT7EaEvcq6zCKQhXnU/w640-h426/Vaskjala%252C+Estonia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Vaskjala, Estonia</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Then there is 'kula' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">कूल</span>), Sanskrit for 'river'. Some miles away on the same coastline lies the city of Ansekula, kula is a word that appears on riverside or seaside towns, of not only India but many far of places such as Florida in the United states where the coastline is lined with town names which contain the word kula, distorted to Cola or kulla,- such as Pensacola or Wakulla Springs or Apachicola! </b></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But back to Estonia. In Estonia other sea-side or coastal towns with the suffix kula include Metskula, Launakula Randkula, Vanakula, SuurNaamkula, Perakula, Udikulaid, Reekula, and Asukula town located on river Aula.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another interesting name is Someru Kula, and even though the closest cognate 'seeme' in Estonian means seed, the Sanskrit meaning 'beautiful mountain' is more apt, especially because of the proximity of Estonia to legend says Sumeru was located close to or on the North Pole. In antiquity the ice cap of the Arctic Circle must have extended right up to Scandanavia. The Puranas describe these places as the land of Brahma in who's land a day and night was one year long - a reference to the Arctic 'six months of light and six months of darkness' myth. </span></b></p><p></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Estonian map displays many Ramayanic names including that of Rama, Kusha, Lava etc. Then there are other Indic names such as Maha and Indra, Raja and Rani.</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1032" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvuZ7bFNQy11V25Dog4X1pYfI7DOzWl4dn64QLg2r7Lu5SQjvOSsYiz49szmIYKnYXJHubXH_rg8fWO1GzcVrIzzSmLCHaBsTlbMDr4hLpMxzBtvis0OZUOwJnrzw4fgeGygpi0yOA5E/w640-h634/Estonia1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Present day map of Estonia shows<br />the location of towns named after Rama also knows as Raghu,<br />Luva and Meru and other names such as Raja, Rani, Maha and Indra of the Indic tradition</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvuZ7bFNQy11V25Dog4X1pYfI7DOzWl4dn64QLg2r7Lu5SQjvOSsYiz49szmIYKnYXJHubXH_rg8fWO1GzcVrIzzSmLCHaBsTlbMDr4hLpMxzBtvis0OZUOwJnrzw4fgeGygpi0yOA5E/s1032/Estonia1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQlLyyqebf5_4YqMn-zeNVe3iTj2cy8JdPVzFXtlhKTuTp6hd5LQ9Z6xXaorlkF5oyzVDV3OLP-_nFz3yvEbFPWbCJFPwEII0BGP2WJOAQ5R1L5hbDsKyU2qdHHiV8mQqo_O1rN4D_Mo/s2048/rama+kusala+lava+estonia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQlLyyqebf5_4YqMn-zeNVe3iTj2cy8JdPVzFXtlhKTuTp6hd5LQ9Z6xXaorlkF5oyzVDV3OLP-_nFz3yvEbFPWbCJFPwEII0BGP2WJOAQ5R1L5hbDsKyU2qdHHiV8mQqo_O1rN4D_Mo/w640-h360/rama+kusala+lava+estonia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Not too far from Raamatukaru lie the towns of Kusalapuu<br />and Lavamaa. Kuslapuu appears to be a distortion of Kushapur or<br />Kashalpur. Both names are Ramayanic. Lavamaa is perhaps<br />named after Lava, the twin brother of Kush</b>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /><span face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif">The word jhari (<span style="color: #ffa400;">झरी</span>) or 'jhara' (<span style="color: #ffa400;">झर</span>) , Sanskrit for any waterbody, including a lake or a pond or a stream too appears frequently in different forms on the map of Estonia. In Estonian too jarv has the meaning of lake and appears in names such as Kalina jarv, Rummu Karjaar, Jarvkandi etc.</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZUx7voDSmQBB0GOFdCpHEZMK5Kb0dNc12ndza0-1mInV0zTb_Okr_ZJd54kJqHqguClJjKDKkLLZGgF8wba1KKbzeHhVR6ZzyP_z0b4ANN0X6UpSIdO05tscmpvHJWQfByryT6TbYd8/s1010/Kalina+Jarv%252C+Estonia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1010" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZUx7voDSmQBB0GOFdCpHEZMK5Kb0dNc12ndza0-1mInV0zTb_Okr_ZJd54kJqHqguClJjKDKkLLZGgF8wba1KKbzeHhVR6ZzyP_z0b4ANN0X6UpSIdO05tscmpvHJWQfByryT6TbYd8/w640-h428/Kalina+Jarv%252C+Estonia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kalina Jarv, Estonia</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey_NOjDWPckpN5TMFPB4wBvcGZtvahnX0fldlLWyYpPh96tFQxQjI-3ZcyLyMkUvbRTX2Ngyl7-IGMRbC9-WB-GY43wpcMErTc4SXm5sd7KI0pyK9EiSbsXndCACeDCLpJLRqfvNFw8Y/s2048/Rama+sita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="2048" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey_NOjDWPckpN5TMFPB4wBvcGZtvahnX0fldlLWyYpPh96tFQxQjI-3ZcyLyMkUvbRTX2Ngyl7-IGMRbC9-WB-GY43wpcMErTc4SXm5sd7KI0pyK9EiSbsXndCACeDCLpJLRqfvNFw8Y/w640-h386/Rama+sita.jpg" width="640" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About 1800 km away in Romania lies the town of Sita</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">
Copyright Material</div>Neeta Rainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14833603095066318171noreply@blogger.com0