KUTUB MINAR - ITS NAME - THE SANSKRIT CONNECT

In the year 1977, Professor M.S. Bhatnagar flew over the top of Kutub Minar in a helicopter to get a close glimpse of the tower from the skies. A study of the pictures that were taken revealed that the top of the column was shaped like a 24-petaled lotus. He found that, like the base of the column, the entire column is shaped like a lotus flower. Each of the 24 petals represents what is known in Sanskrit as a  'hora' (होरा),  which is the same as the English 'hour'. Around the tower lie the ruins of a 27 temple-complex, each temple dedicated to the 27 nakshatras or star constellations. Obviously, the tower is an observatory.

That there are major discrepancies in the popular beliefs regarding the construction of the tower, its origin, its name and so forth is well known. One of the myths is that it was built by the slave dynasty ruler of Delhi, Kutubuddin Aibak - which is absolutely unconvincing especially because the site predates the birth of Kutubuddin Aibak by many centuries!! Besides, Aibak only reigned from 1206-1210, and that was not ample time for the construction of the tower. What was attempted during the reign of the Allaudin Khilji, another Turik Afghan invader who ruled from 1296-1316, was the construction of a column, which Khilji ambitiously wanted to be double the height of the ancient stambh. which stood at 72.5 metres. But unsurprisingly he failed, the column design was a disaster and could not reach beyond a height of 27 meters though he reigned for 20 years to the 4 years that Aibak had stayed in power. Every ruler of the times wanted to claim that he was the builder. Illtutmish, the successor of Aibak who ruled from 1211-1236  was no different. 

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan states in his book 'The Monuments of Delhi', "There is a controversy about its (Kutub's) construction. It is famous amongst the Mohammadans that this minar was built by Illtutmish and often in the books of history, e.g. the Tarik-i-Fiiruzshahi of Asif and in fact in the inscription of Sikander Lodhi, son of Bahlol Lodhi, carved on its entrance, its construction is ascribed to Iltutmish....". There are even more theories. Sir Syed Khan notes, "Some books, e.g., Taqvim ul Baladan mentions it as madhana (Madhina - the tower from where the call to prayer  is given) of the mosque. The Futuhat-i-Firuzshahi of Firuz Shah  Tuglak refers it to as the Minar of Sultan Mu'izz' uddin (Mohammad bin Sam)." Mohammd bin Sam is more commonly known as Mohammad Ghori. To summarize, every Muslim invader of the time claimed to be the builder of this pillar.

In his analysis of the history of Kutub, historian P.N.Oak quotes Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (the founder of Aligarh Muslim University) who had in his own research come to the conclusion that the Kutub tower was a Hindu building. There are many who are skeptical about what Prof P.N. Oak, and vehemently oppose what Oak has written, but here are the actual passages quoted from Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan's Urdu Text 'Asar-ul-Sanadid' translated into English by Fatima Quraishi who works as Assistant Curator at the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi.

Sir Sayyid Khan writes, "The Kutub cannot be a minaret because the column’s door is north-facing similar to Hindu temples, while the doors of minarets are always east facing.... The structure’s first level also shows evidence of stones being placed at a later stage and there is evidence of the bell-and-chain motif of Hindu temples on the first floor. Additionally, the inscription on this pillar is similar to that of Qutbuddin Aibak and Muʿizzuddin’s conquest on the converted temple-mosque."

The text also states," ...there is nothing odd in the fact that epitaphs have been inscribed where idols once were.....when the Muslims conquered the temple, they added their own epigraphs upon the building'."

About the so-called Islamic inscriptions carved on the Kutub Minar, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan wrote, "..... Often, the shape of letters has been made out, but close inspection reveals that they are incorrect, in some cases just imitations of alphabets, and in other cases words which have little to do with the subject of the inscription. Until today, the inscriptions of this monument have not been read. I have read all of them with the aid of a telescope".

But even more glaring is what Professor P.N.Oak points out and states hence, "The frieze patterns on the tower show signs of tampering, ending abruptly, or in a medley of in-congruent lines. The Arabic lettering is interspersed with Hindu motifs like lotus buds....". This is a fact that can be easily verified.

Here is a Hindu 'Bell and Chain' Motif inscribed on the walls of the Kutub Minar that Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan had written about:

Notice the 'Hindu 'Bell and Chain Motif on the
Kutub Wall that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan wrote
about in his book 'Great Monuments'

The Bell and Chain Design
on the Temples Columns of Kutub Complex

The Bell and Chain Motif on Kutub Temple Walls

The Bell and Chain Motif on the ruins of ancient temples of Kutub

The same 'Bell and Chain' motifs that are seen
on the ancient temples of the complex are seen
on the walls of the Kutub Tower.

Scholars who have read the Surya-Siddhanta have, in their writings, explained the concept behind the construction of this column-shaped observatory. Kutub Minar is a model of Sumeru. Sumeru is a mountain that one may imagine to be located on the axis of the earth.

The semi-vertical angle of the column is equal to the difference between the true and mean latitude of the point at which the column stands. According to Surya-Siddhanta, a pillar divided into 12-units, known as the 12-angula Shiva Linga or the Shankhu, can be used to measure the latitude and the time at any point on the surface of the earth. The smallest shadow of the Shankhu or the column will obviously occur at the time when the sun is directly over the tip of the column. The shape of the shadow will be like a funnel or like the 'kutupa' as a funnel is known in Sanskrit. The time or the muhurut at that instance is known as the kutupa or the kutuba mahurat. The word kutupa was therefore always linked with this pillar or stambh.

The 25-inch tilt of this stambh ensures that on 21st June, the day of the summer solstice, at the time of the kutupa mahurata, there is no shadow of the tower anywhere. This is a claim that can be verified by observation.

Originally. this kutupa-mana, (mana मान, is Sanskrit for measure) or the Observatory of Kutupa, was named Vishnu-dwaja or Vishnu-Stambh meaning Vishnu's tower. This name is inscribed in Sanskrit in the Bramhi script on the non-rusting pillar in the temple Complex of Kutupa-Mana which Islamic rulers had tried to blast at least once but luckily for present day researchers, had failed to do. The temple complex hillock was called Vishnupad Giri. Many of these names had died a temporary death at the hands of the then rulers but are now being reinstated. 

In any case the Islamic rulers of India were masters at creating deception by distorting words and giving them new meanings. And there are many such examples. One such example of this is the name Qutubbudin. As mentioned above, the word 'kutupa' was always associated with this structure. It is only a myth that Vishnu stambh got its name Kutub Minar from that of so-called ruler Qutubuddin Aibak. That Aibak, who was of Turkish descent, gave himself the name Qutubbudin after seizing Vishnu Stambh, is obvious from the fact that the Turkish word for pillar or pole is 'kutb'. He undoubtedly gave himself the name Qutubbudin, after he captured the 'pole' or 'kutb' while at the same time camouflaging under 'kutb' the Sanskrit 'kutupa'. No matter what the history books say, it is highly unlikely that Aibak was called 'pole' as a child. The name only makes sense in the form 'Qutubbudin', meaning 'the conqueror of the pole'.The name Mehrauli, the location of the tower, is said to be a distortion of 

the Sanskrit Mihiravali - named after astronomer Varahamihira. who is regarded as the architect of the ancient Kutub. Unlike the word 'Mehrauli', which has no meaning in any language, Mihiravali is a compound Sanskrit word; 'mihira' (मिहिर) means 'sun' and 'avali' (आवलि) means a 'row', 'a line', or 'lineage'. Mihiravali is known to have been astronomer Varahamihira's residence. Varahamihira is one of the most prominent known Vedic astronomers and pre-dates Aryabhatta by a few centuries.

A diagram made from the picture takenby Prof. M.S. Bhatnagar 
flying over the Kutub Minar in 1977, reveals
the 24-Petal Lotus shape of the Tower.
To read more about it, click here. 

Above Plates: Courtesy: Satyashodh.com/kutub.html

Suggested Links:
1.Great Monuments by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
2. Mihirawali - The original name of Mehrauli
3. About the Temple of Kutub
4. Meru
5. Kutub Minar - Its Origins

Footnote: The rotation axis or the spine of the earth is known as 'meru' (मेरु) in Sanskrit, just as our spinal nerve is known as meru-cheta (मेरु-चेता). The eighth muhurut of the day, when the sun is right on our heads, is known by many names, including Abhijit Muhurat, Chaturtha Lagna, Kutub Muhurat, Kutupa Mahurat and Swami Tithiyansha Muhurat. And herein lies the explanation for the name of the column-observatory known as Kutub-Minar.

HINDU ANCESTORS OF THE GREEKS

In Greek history, Pelasgus was the ancestor of the Pelasgians, a population that in turn were the ancestors of the Greeks - that is, they preceded the Greeks  and were the source of all knowledge that characterized the Hellenic or Greek civilization.

Where did the Pelasgians come from and what does the name 'Pelasgus' mean in Greek? There is no translation for the name 'Pelasgus' in Greek which is not surprising because the Pelasgians spoke a language that pre-dated Greek. 

Much later, in around 700 B.C., Asius one of the poets of Greek civilization had this to say about the Pelasgian race:

"Godlike Pelasgus, on the mountain chase,
The sable (black) earth gave forth her mortal race."

The couplet is originally in Greek, and Asius uses the Greek word 'gaia' in the couplet which interpreters translated as 'earth'. But Pococke in his book 'India in Greece', written in 1851 AD, clarifies and says that it was the word 'Gaya' that was tweaked by interpreters into 'gaia' in Asius's work - it was Gaya (in Bihar in India) that 'gave forth Pelasgus its race'. And there are reasons which lead credence to Edward Pococke's claim. 

For one, the etymological origin or the source of the Greek word 'gaia' is unknown - which is strange. Even Proto-Indo-European which was reconstructed by reverse engineering has not been able to trace a source word for 'gaia'!

Pococke was of the view that the Greek scholars for want of an explanation had no option but to create a meaning for the word 'gaia' as well as invent legends and myths to support their contention. Pococke, in his book, 'India in Greece' published in 1851 wrote, "It is entertaining to view the process by which the Greeks first misunderstood a Pelasgic term, then fitted out a tale upon on their own translation of what they imagined to be Greek...."

For example the word 'gaia' was not only misinterpreted to mean 'earth', it was then put forth as the 'personification of Mother Earth' and in time Gaia became Goddess Gaia.

Unlike the Hindu Goddesses where each of the names has a meaning in Sanskrit (for example Durga from Sanskrit 'durg' (दुर्ग) meaning 'difficult' - she is the goddess who give strength against difficulties, Parvati from Sanskrit 'parvat' (पर्वत) meaning 'mountain' - she is the daughter of the Himalayas, or 'Lakshmi' (लक्ष्मी) - meaning 'good fortune'- Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, the Greeks have been unable to decode any of the names of their Goddesses in their language. And they also fail to explain the source words for either Pelasagus or Gaia.

In his book, "Mysteries of Ancient Greece, Coen Vonk writes, "The history and origin of ancient Greece were not clearly written down by the Greeks themselves, but ancient Indian writings such as the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Rajput genealogies may hold keys to solving some of these questions."

Which brings us back to Pelasagus and Gaia. In his research work, E. Pococke had traced the movement of tribes from India in years far before when the Greek civilization had begun to take roots.

The ancient Sanskrit texts Mahabharata, Yogini Tantra, and the Vayu Purana mention the city of 'Gaya' in Bihar, then called 'Pelasa'. According to the Vayu Purana the city of Gaya was named after an asura by the name 'Gayasura' - who practiced asceticism by praying to God Vishnu. He chanted and sang praises in the name of Vishnu, hence 'geya' (गेय) or 'song' - from Sanskrit 'gai' (गै), to 'sing', 'chant', or 'sing praises'.

And if indeed there was a race that in its slow migration towards the West took along with itself the glories of ancient Gaya, they have left their footprints on way. For en-route in their journey is the temple of Rekim-Gaya! The original Aramaic texts (Aramaic was the language that Jesus Christ spoke) say that the name of Petra, the ancient temple of Jordan, was Rekem-Gaya. 'Rechin' Gaya translates as Red-Gaya from Sanskrit - 'rechin' (रेचिन्) means 'red' as against the 'black' Gaia that Asius, the Greek poet wrote about in his verses on Pelasgus. Click here to read more about the Sanskrit connection to the name 'Petra' and 'Rekem-Gaya'.

The Petra Temple in Jordan has also been
identified as Rekem-Gaya
which means 'Red-Gaya'. 

As for the name Pelasgus, E. Pococke writes, "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'". 'Butea Frondosa' is the botanical name for what is known in Sanskrit as 'Palasha' (पलाश) tree, commonly called 'the Flame of the Forest' in English. Pococke traces the exodus of a huge number of people from Bihar (then called by various names including Pelasa and Magadh) towards the Western reaches of the world. In fact, he traces the name Macedonia to Magadha via Makadonia.

'Palasha' (पलाश)
The Sanskrit name for 'Butea Frondosa'
The Greek name 'Pelasagus' originates
from Sanskrit 'Palasha.

Pococke, who did extensive research on the Pelasgus tribe and their language which lead to the development of Greek language, had this to say, " The Greek language is a derivation from Sanskrit, therefore Sanskrit speaking people, i.e Indians must have dwelt in Greece, and the dwelling must have preceded the settlement of those tribes which helped to produce the corruption of the old language; or in other words, the people who spoke that language - i.e., the Indians, must have been the primitive settlers, or at least, they must have colonized the country so early, and dwelt their so long, as to have effaced all dialectic traces of any other inhabitants...".

Suggested Links:

1. The word 'Gaya'
2. Encyclopaedia of Ancient Indian Geography
3. Mysteries of Ancient Greece by Coen Vonk
4. India in Greece by Edward Pococke
6. Maha Bharata

REMNANTS OF ANCIENT VISHNU TEMPLE AT HUMAYUN TOMB SITE, NEW DELHI

A photo taken some time before 1893 is reproduced here from page 78-79 of  the book 'The World of Ancient India' which indicates that the site where the Humayun Tomb stands today was the site of an ancient Vishnupada Temple. The book, 'The World of Ancient India' is the English version of Dr. Gustave Le Bon's original French work titled 'Les Monuments de L'Inde' which was published in Paris in 1893. The English translation was published by David Macrae, Tudor Publishing Co., (New York) in 1974.

'Vishnu Pada' (विष्णुपद) or 'Vishnu Charan' (विष्णुचरण) temples are significant in the context of the legend that Vishnu, in the avatara of Vamana, strode across the world and planted his feet at three sites on earth. These sites are unknown but many temples in India commemorate this legend of Vishnu. 'Pada' and 'Charan' both mean 'feet'. The destroyed Vishnupada temple at the site where Humayun Tomb stands today was one such site.

Oblivious of this fact, the Hindus still believe that the only significant Vishnupada temples that ever existed were the one at Gaya in Bihar located on the Niranjana river now known by the meaningless name 'Falgu', and the other, which too was destroyed by the Slave Dynasty rulers of Delhi, at the Kutub Complex in Delhi.

However, there is evidence of a third site of a Vishnupada temple which was built in antiquity on the original course of the Yamuna river. The tract of land that connects the site of the present-day Humayun Tomb and Purana Kila is more or less accepted as the site of the Indraprastha city of Mahabharata.  The Yamuna River course has of course, since then shifted. 

Here is the evidence in the form of a photograph of the Vishnu footprint slab, or Vishnu-pada taken at the Humayun Tomb site in Delhi which appeared in Dr. Gustave le Bon's English version of the French book Monuments De L'Inde. The slab had survived at least until 1893 when the picture was taken. The photograph was captioned in the English version of the book 'The World of Ancient India' as 'Vishnu's "Footprints", Tomb of Humayun'.

Vishnu's Footprints from the ancient temple at Humayun Tomb, photographed around the year 1893 at the Humayun Tomb.
From Gustave Le Bon's  book 'Les Monuments de L'Inde'

Above is the caption from the English version of Le Bon's book
titled 'The World of Ancient India'

A page from Le Bon's book

There are other indications that the Humayun Tomb was constructed by the Moghuls on the site of an ancient Hindu temple. Some remnants of those ancient structures still remain.

Ancient Temple Pillars were used as construction material.

Here we see eroded carvings of elephant trunks on the pillars of Humayun Tomb rampart.

Another view of the pillars taken from destructed Hindu Temples
and used for construction of Humayun Tomb. In the background
is a section of a typical Moghul fortress wall at the Isa Khan Tomb within the Humayun Tomb Complex.

Notice the 'elephant head' engravings at the bottom of the pillar -
a characteristic of Vedic and Hindu art.

A closer view of a less eroded
'elephant head' engraving.

Ancient Temple Pillars were used as construction material at Humayun Tomb. Notice that the pillars were placed upside down in this 'canopy structure' by the artisans in Moghul times.

The white quartz structure which is a remnant of the ancient temple is far more eroded than the red-sandstone rectangular structure dating to Moghul times. Sandstone erodes faster than quartz. The fact that the sandstone piece is in better shape than the quartz structure proves that the quartz pillars are much older than the sandstone piece.

Eroded engravings on Temple Pillars, which were used for the construction of the tomb of Isa Khan at the Humayun Tomb Complex, indicate that they belong to a different era.

That Humayun Tomb was built over the site of a Hindu temple is beyond doubt. But as Gustave Le Bon states in his book 'The Crowd', " The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste. preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master, whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim."

THE COSMIC DANCE OF SHIVA AND THE BIRTH OF SANSKRIT

Dr Fritjof Capra, an eminent American Physicist, who wrote the book 'The Tao of Physics' in 1975, connects the rhythmic pulsation of the subatomic particle with the Cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.  He says, “Every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance, a pulsating process of creation and destruction, without end. For the modern physicists, then Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter...... Modern physics pictures matter, not as passive and inert, but as continuously dancing and vibrating. This is very much like the Eastern mystics description of the world. Both emphasize that the universe has to be grasped dynamically. It structures are not static, rigid ones, but should be seen in terms of dynamic equilibrium.”

The Cosmic Dance of Shiva
Statue presented by Indian Government in June 2004 to
CERN (European Centre for Research in Particle Physics),
Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is the seat of the Hadron Collider

Lord Shiva performs the Tandava Nritya (ताण्डव नृत्य) which is a divine dance. Rudra Tandava is described as a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. The Rudra Tandava marks the destruction of one cycle of creation followed by the beginning of a new cycle. 

नृत्तावसाने नटराजराजो ननाद ढक्कां नवपञ्चवारम्।

उद्धर्त्तुकामो सनकादिसिद्धादिनेतद्विमर्शे शिवसूत्रजालम्॥
At the end of His Cosmic Dance,
Shiva, the Lord of Dance,
with a view to bless the sages Sanaka and so on,
played on His Damaru fourteen times,
from which emerged the following fourteen Sutras,
known as Shiva Sutras or Maheshwara Sutras.

The new beginning is marked by Shiva playing his 'damru' from which the first sounds appear in the newly born universe. The sound is popularly known as Maheshwara Sutra. Amazingly the fourteen verses of Maheshwara Sutra that emanate from Shiva's Damru at the beginning of the new cycle of Creation are also the phonemes of the Sanskrit language. A phoneme is a basic unit of a language's phonology, which is combined with other phonemes to form meaningful units such as words.

Thus, as per the Rig Veda, the Maheshwara Sutra is the first organized sound on earth. To listen to it click here. Hence, it is believed that the sound of Sanskrit words and the science of Sanskrit grammar (much like mathematics) has existed eternally. The ancient Vedic grammarians Panini, Katyayana and many more conceived and visualized Sanskrit grammar and merely re-established the revealed knowledge in their treatises.

The mouth of the Hadron Collider, Geneva
An Interpretation
Courtesy: 'AboveTopSecrets.com'

THE TAMING OF THE GANGES

The unfinished task Though King Sagara, the dynamic ruler of the Ikṣvāku dynasty and forefather of Śrī Rāma, had prepared a channel for the descent of the Gaṅgā and even constructed a reservoir to hold her waters, the greater task remained incomplete. The sacred river surged unchecked in many directions, while the carved channel lay barren and dry. The epic remembers this pause not as failure, but as the moment when human effort reached its limit and divine intervention became necessary. To read more about the 'Channelling of the Ganges', click here. 

The long vigil of the dynasty: Sagara ascended to heaven, and his grandson Anshuman could not advance the work either; the task remained formidable. Another generation passed; King Dileepa, though he spent long years in the Himalayas studying the challenge, made no progress. The channel lay waiting, carved into the earth, its reservoir upheld by the four pillars, yet dry and silent. The Gaṅgā surged elsewhere, untamed, her waters flowing in many directions, while the prepared course remained barren.

At last, when his son Bhagirath came of age, the dynasty was prepared to attempt the undertaking, but only under the guidance and power of Lord Shiva. The Ramayana tells us that thousands of years had elapsed—a metaphor for the long passage of time—since King Sagara had completed the first phase of the work. Now, at last, the ashes of his sons—incinerated by Sage Kapila for disturbing his sadhana—were destined to be sanctified by the descent of the Ganga.

Brahmā’s counsel and Śiva’s acceptance: It is said that Brahmā and the other celestials counselled Bhagiratha to seek the aid of Lord Śiva, for the task was beyond the reach of lesser beings. Brahmā decreed that the Gaṅgā must descend to sanctify the ashes of Sagara’s sons, yet warned that her torrent was too mighty for the earth to bear. 

Lord Śiva accepted the plea and resolved to master the descent of the Gaṅgā. He planned to break the river’s furious torrent upon the Himalayas, tempering its force, and then guiding the waters gently down to the plains, where they would flow into the channel already carved by the sons of King Sagara.

Śiva’s channelling of the torrent: It is said that Lord Śiva first bound the Gaṅgā within the coils of his matted locks—perhaps a metaphor for the ridges, ravines, rocks, and roots of the Himalayas—and thus broke the force of her descent. He tempered the torrent by channelling it through lakes and reservoirs, dispersing the waters into many streams before releasing them to flow onward. In this way, the barren course carved by Sagara’s sons was at last filled, the reservoir brimming, the sacred river flowing as both myth and reality.

Bindu Sarovar: The great lake created to slow the descent of the waters bound in Shiva’s matted hair came to be known as Bindu Sarovar. Its vast expanse tempered the river’s force, allowing the torrent to settle. From there, the waters were divided into seven streams: three flowing eastward, collectively known today as the Brahmaputra; three directed westward, forming the Sindhu; and the seventh, the Bhagirathi—the Ganga herself—guided into the central channel prepared for her descent.

The gods beheld the descent of the Ganga from the skies, and Valmiki’s description is wondrous. He writes: “Some of the gods, in aerial craft vast as cities, some astride prancing horses, and some upon mighty elephants, entered the firmament at the sight of the plunging Ganga.” [Valmiki Ramayana 1‑43‑18b, 19a].

Bhagirath directs the water: From the verses that follow, it is evident that the celestials watched from above, borne in aerial vehicles. Even Bhagirath himself guided the river’s release from an airborne chariot—not a horse‑drawn conveyance, but a hovering craft. Had he been earthbound, the torrent newly freed would have engulfed both chariot and charioteer in an instant.

Bhagirath flew ahead of the surging Ganga, tracing her course over the channel already prepared. Behind him, the river followed—swift in some stretches, slower in others, at times colliding with her own waters—yet always pressing forward along the path he marked.

Bhagirath hovers over the river's course
As he directs the waters into the previously dug channel

In one legend, Skanda, son of Śiva and Gaṅgā, is said to have been born upon the banks of the sacred river, radiant with six faces and nourished by the milk of six divine nurses. Yet the imagery of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa evokes a deeper vision. Beyond Bindu‑Sarovar stood a mighty dam, its gates releasing torrents of water. 

Skanda’s six faces may thus symbolize not merely nurture but creation itself — the six gates of the dam through which the celestial waters were tamed and directed.

Skanda, being nourished by six divine nurses.
Perhaps he is just overlooking the
flowing milky waters of the Ganga

Skanda seems to embody the very act of construction—the myth perhaps arising from scenes like the one captured above, of water gushing forth from the gates of a dam. Skilled in engineering, Skanda is said to have drilled a tunnel through Mount Kailash in another of Shiva’s undertakings. He was not only the son of Shiva, but his helper and collaborator in works of immense scale.

Śiva tamed the torrent, Skanda engineered its course, and Bhagiratha summoned its descent — together shaping the Gaṅgā’s sacred passage from heaven to earth.

THE CHANNELING OF THE WATER OF THE GANGES - 1

The descent of the Gaṅgā: The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa narrates in detail the celestial descent of the Gaṅgā, describing how the sacred river was brought down from the heights of svarga—the Himalayas—to the plains of Bhāratavarṣa. This episode situates the Gaṅgā not merely as a geographical river but as a divine current linking heaven and earth.

The role of King Sagara Long before Śiva was entrusted with bearing the force of the Gaṅgā’s fall upon his matted locks, the preliminary task was undertaken by the sons of King Sagara. Sagara, renowned as one of the mighty rulers of the Ikṣvāku dynasty—of which Śrī Rāma was a later scion—stands at the center of this narrative of dynastic duty and cosmic consequence.

The sons of Sagara: Sagara had one biological son, Asamañja, born of his senior queen Keśinī, and many other sons born of his junior queen Sumati. The Rāmāyaṇa describes these latter sons as nurtured in jars filled with ghṛta (clarified butter), sustained by nurses until their birth. The text gives their number as sixty thousand, a figure that should be read symbolically as “innumerable.” The reference to ghṛta may be understood as a metaphor for a life‑sustaining fluid, a poetic rendering of embryonic nurture.

Sumati, their mother, had received a boon that her progeny would be “highly energetic and of great renown,” while Keśinī’s boon ensured that her single son would carry forward the royal lineage. Thus, the narrative juxtaposes multiplicity with continuity: countless sons embody vigour and fame, while one son embodies dynastic succession.

Asamañja’s training of the brothers: In due course, Asamañja—the elder son of Keśinī—was charged with instructing his jar‑born siblings. The Rāmāyaṇa portrays him as cruel, noting his practice of immersing the boys in water until they surfaced gasping for breath. This harsh discipline suggests that the brothers underwent a form of rigorous initiation, preparing them for the monumental task ahead. The narrative foreshadows their destiny: once their mission is fulfilled, they are consumed by fire and reduced to ashes.

The Aśvamedha Yajña: The great undertaking begins with the Aśvamedha yajña. The brothers are commanded to follow the wandering aśva. Although conventionally translated as “horse,” the behavior attributed to the aśva in the epic does not correspond to that of a mere animal. Its mysterious movements invite interpretation: Vālmīki may be encoding a symbolic or technological referent, with the aśva functioning as a ritual or cosmic marker rather than a literal steed.

Present-day Ashva

The vanishing of the aśva The aśva repeatedly disappears from sight, only to reappear later. At one point, it vanishes for so long that rumors spread of Indra’s theft. Yet the brothers themselves witness it plunging into the earth, raising clouds of dust as it descends. This enigmatic behavior compels them to pursue it beneath the surface, transforming their ritual duty into a cosmic excavation.

The 'ashva' disappearing into the earth?

The vast excavation: Driven by necessity, the brothers dig relentlessly. Their search for the vanished aśva expands into an immense excavation, stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Vindhya range, and onward until they reach the ocean. The scale of this endeavor is staggering, consuming an immeasurable span of time and effort, and inscribing their labor upon the very geography of Bhāratavarṣa.

The channel.

King Sagara’s vigil Throughout this enterprise, King Sagara remains steadfast. He declares that he will wait, together with his grandson Anśumān, until the brothers have penetrated the depths of the earth. Their quest extends to rasātala, the penultimate subterranean realm, lying just above pātāla. The excavation spreads far and wide, reaching the limits where the earth is encircled by the oceans. In this way, the epic situates the sons’ labor within a cosmological framework, binding dynastic duty to the layered structure of the universe.

The ashva as excavator As the search for the vanished aśva continues, Vālmīki’s description begins to suggest that the brothers themselves are not digging, but rather operating the aśva, which performs the excavation. The narrative shifts from human labor to a symbolic or mechanized agent, underscoring the enigmatic nature of the aśva.

The channel and the pillars The excavation produces a channel, and the imagery expands: the mountains are likened to elephants supporting the earth. Once the waters are released, the structure functions as a reservoir. The aśva digs so deeply that massive supports—likened to elephants yet appearing as mountains—must be erected to uphold the four quarters of the earth. These supports are named Virūpākṣa, Mahāpāda, Sumanāsa, and Bhadra, cosmic pillars stabilizing the terrestrial plane.

The surrounding mountains are like 'elephants'
the pillars that hold the Earth.

The confrontation with sage Kapila With the channel complete, the ritual of Sagara reaches its climax. The brothers discover that the supposed horse‑thief is not Indra but the sage Kapila. When they accuse him of repeated thefts, Kapila utters a single syllable—hum—and reduces them to ashes. The logic of the narrative reveals that there was never truly a theft: the jar‑born sons were created solely to labor, and once their task was fulfilled, they were dissolved.

The transition to Śiva’s role Although the channel is prepared, King Sagara cannot proceed with the second phase of the project. At this juncture, the task of bringing the Gaṅgā from the Himalayas into the plains is entrusted to Śiva, who has already demonstrated his cosmic capacity in undertakings such as the Sāgara‑manthana. The divine intervention marks the transition from human effort to celestial agency.

Dynastic succession and Bhagiratha’s vow Sagara’s jar‑born sons perish, and his elder son Asamañja is banished for cruelty. The lineage continues through Anśumān, who resolves to bring the Gaṅgā down to earth to sanctify the souls of his uncles. Yet it is only his grandson Bhagiratha who, through perseverance and with Śiva’s guidance, succeeds in accomplishing this task after a long interval. The Gaṅgā’s descent thus becomes inseparably linked with Bhagiratha’s name.

The reservoir and its legacy:  When the Gaṅgā is finally released, the four massive pillars serve as the reservoir’s supports. The epic imagery resonates into later tradition: temples bearing the names Virūpākṣa, Mahāpāda, Sumanāsa, and Bhadra stand as enduring reminders of this cosmological architecture. In this way, the mythic engineering of the Gaṅgā’s channel is memorialized in sacred geography and temple nomenclature.

SUDAN - THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION

The ancient Nubian Civilisation was located in Northeast Africa, which is today within the political boundaries of Sudan. The land of the Nubians was referred to as Nubia, or the Kingdom of Cush or even Ethiopia (not to be confused with the modern-day Republic of Ethiopia).

Biblical sources trace the earliest ancestry of the Nubians to Noah, and later to Noah's son Ham. Ham was the father of the greatest ever Nubian ruler, Cush, who ruled from his capital city Kerma. Genesis says, "The country Cush was named after the man Cush, the first son of Ham, son of Noah" (Genesis 10:6). The existence of Cush's reign is tentatively estimated at around 3000 BC.

The Nubian names Ham and Cush have led some to conjecture that their legend might have its source in the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana. The Ramayana is the story of the great ancient Indian God-King, Sri 'Ram', who is said to have ruled the world from the city of Ayodhya. Interestingly, Sri Ram had a son by the name 'Kush'.

The Ramayana traces the lineage of Sri Ram to Manu, the first man on earth, much like how later the Nubian texts trace the lineage of Ham to Noah, the first man.

Sri Ram had two sons, Kush and Lava. In Sanskrit, 'Kush' is translated as 'grass'. It is said that 'Kush' was 'created' by Rishi Valmiki (also the author of the Ramayana) from 'grass'. One morning, Valmiki is requested by Sita, the mother of Lava, to look after Lava when she goes out to the river. Valmiki is absorbed in composing the Ramayana. Noticing his preoccupation, Sita considers it best to take Lava along as she goes out. Valmiki soon realises that Lava is missing. Before Sita's return from the river, Valmiki creates a clone of 'Lava', from grass twigs. The clone gets the name 'Kush' (कुश), Sanskrit for 'grass'. What is interesting is that in ancient Indian texts, Africa was known as 'Kusha-dwipa' (कुश द्वीप), 'the island of grasslands'.

In the Nubian texts, the etymology of the name 'Cush' has not been deciphered. However, it has been suggested that 'Cush' might mean 'dark-skinned '. Some sources say that 'Cush' might mean 'spindle' but no particular reason is given for this. Uncannily, the Nubian king Cush had a grandson by the name 'Ramaah'.

The capital city of the Sudanese Kingdom of Cush was known as 'Kerma' (dates vary from 3000 BC to 1785 BC). The name 'Kerma' is probably a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Karma' (कर्म) meaning 'action'. A close cognate, 'Kurma' (कूर्म), means 'turtle' or 'tortoise'. 'Kurma' is the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Indian Puranic context. 'Kurma Purana' contains a description of the self-begotten Manu and his dynasty, the Ikshvakus, of which Lord Rama and Kush were later descendants.

Biblical sources say that the name of the father of 'Cush' was 'Ham'. It is highly likely that these sources are inadvertently referring to Lord Rama. Unlike the name Ham, whose origin has never been deciphered, the name ram has a known etymology. It stems from the Sanskrit 'rama' (राम) and means 'charming', 'pleasing', 'beautiful', 'handsome' and 'delightful', which summarises the qualities of the God-King Rama. It is known that the name Ham was originally spelt as 'Rham' and later, with time, the letter 'H' was dropped.

Another important Nubian city was 'Meroe'. A close cognate of 'Meroe is 'Meru' (मेरु) which translates as 'Divine Mountain' from Sanskrit. Meroe is the site of the 35 ancient pyramids, which were discovered in 2010 in Sudan. The link between Meroe and Meru is not that far-fetched, considering that Tanzania too has a mountain by the name of Mt. Meru, the second-highest peak after Mt. Kilimanjaro.  

'Uttara Ramayana', the Indian text that traces the story of Luva and Kush, mentions that Kush had a great-great-grandson by the name Nabha'. In Sanskrit, NAbha (नाभ) means 'centre' or navel, and Nabha (नभ) means 'sky'. Additionally, 'naabh' (नाभ्) means 'spring'. Many scholars from India have argued that Lord Rama's son, Kusha expanded his empire westward into Africa. Hence, Africa was known as Kushadwipa to ancient Indians. Though his capital city was 'Ayodhya', Kush also made a city by the name 'Kushapur'. 

What is interesting is that there is yet another Kush in the lineage of the Ikshvaku's, the dynasty, to which Lord Rama belonged. And he precedes the birth of Lord Rama. In fact, the Valmiki Ramayana, considered the oldest text in the world, says that Lord Brahma, the creator of the world, had a son by the name 'Kusha', referred to as the one with the 'Highest Soul'. Kusha had four sons, whom he encouraged to rule and govern piously. Kusha's four sons developed four cities, including one that was named Kusha Nabha. The source of the word 'Nubia' is not clear, and it is difficult to say whether or not the word Nubia has a link to 'Kusha Nabha'. 

Up north from Sudan in Egypt lies the ancient archaeological site by the name 'Nabta Playa'. Nabta Playa is an ancient stone observatory aligned to the Sun and constellation Orion. The entire sky can be mapped from Nabta Playa, and therefore the link with Sanskrit word 'Nabha' which means 'sky' is conclusively ascertained.

The Sudanese culture too has been greatly influenced by the Indian culture and much has already been written about it.

A Nubian Lady from Sudan
dressed in a sari-like wrap called 'thobe',
wearing a 'tika' and a 'nose-ring'.
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Henna on the hands of a Sudanese Bride.
The hand jewelry is identical to what is
prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent culture
Photo Courtesy: tumbir.com

Suggested Links:
1. 'None but India' by Jagat Motwani
2. About Nubia
3. Ancient Kingdoms in Land of War
4. Ancient Sudan : Nubia
5.Dravadin, Mande and Elamite by Clyde Winters
6. Nubia and Nubians
6.Son of Ham: Cush
7. http://w045b.htmlww.ccg.org/english/s/p