Something you probably didn't know about the Harappans

[TTCUSM]

From page 46 of Archaeology and World Religion by Timothy Insoll:

Both animal sacrifice and human sacrifice in some form have also been inferred for the Harappan civilization. A scene on a seal from Harappa shows a man trying to kill a buffalo, and in the same scene there is a seated figure suggesting the presence of a deity. A seal from Kalibangan shows a human figure being struck down before a deity. Animal sacrifice is common in modern Hinduism, and human sacrifice was not entirely unknown in ancient India.

From page 89 of Cultural HIstory of India by Om Prakash:

A sealing from Harappa shows on the obverse a nude female figure, turned upside down with outspread legs and a plant issuing from the womb. On the reverse of this sealing is depicted a man with a sickle in his hand and a woman seated on the ground with hand raised in the posture of prayer. Obviously this depicts human sacrifice in honour of the Mother-goddess.

From page 173 of A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh:

A triangular terracotta cake found at Kalibangan has a carving of a horned deity on one side and an animal being dragged by a rope by a human on the other. The latter has been tentatively interpreted as suggesting the practice of animal sacrifice. A Kalibangan cylinder seal shows a woman flanked by two men who hold her with one hand and raise swords over her head with the other; this may represent a scene of human sacrifice. The most striking evidence suggesting ritual practices comes from the 'fire altars' found on the citadel mound of Kalibangan.

From page 164 of Prehistory and Harappan Civilization by Raj Pruthi:

An interesting sealing from Harappa shows a nude female figure, turned upside down, with out-spread legs and a plant issuing from the womb. The reverse side has a man with a sickle-shaped knife in hand and a woman seated on the ground with hands raised supplication. Obviously this depicts a human sacrifice to the Earth Goddess, portrayed on the obverse with two genii. A similar figure of the Gupta Age has been discovered in the United Provinces with a lotus issuing out of then neck of the goddess. Perhaps the sealing represents a river gushing out of the goddess's womb. The representation of a figure standing in the bifurcated branch of a pipal tree also appears to depict the Mother Goddess. To this goddess the worshiper brings a goat, probably for sacrifice, and a number of people standing in the lower register appear to be taking part in the sacrifice. The Pipal tree is still held to be sacred in India, but not associated with the cult of the Mother Goddess. The goat sacrifice has survived in the worship of Sakit, another form of the Mother Goddess, in which the sacrifice of animals is the most characteristic feature. It is still uncertain whether the female deity represented by pottery figurines was regarded as a virgin goddess or as the consort of the male god on the seal amulets.

From page 47 of World history from early times to A D 2000:

A large number of terracotta figurines of a female elaborately decorated with a crescent-shaped head-dress have been found in many Indus cities. So, it is assumed that these figurines represent the Mother Goddess. To substantiate further, another seal from Harappa contains a scene depicting a human sacrifice being offered to the Goddess Earth. Many historians believe that the Shakti cult was then very popular, particularly during the pre-Aryan age.

From page 223 of Encyclopedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Volume 100:

Another object which throws light on the cult of the Mother Goddess is a sealing from Harappa, on one side of which is depicted a nude female figure upside down with legs drawn apart. A plant is issuing from the womb of the female and a pair of animal "genii" is also seen on the same side of the sealing. On the reverse is a man holding a sickle-shaped knife, and a woman is seated on the ground in an attitude of supplication. This scene is said to represent a human sacrifice offered to the Earth Goddess depicted on the obverse.

 

[zenzero]

Friend TTCUSM,

Thank you for the info and am sure prior to the Harrapans men were cannibals too.
This is what *evolution* is all about.
The gross keeps dropping and the inner keeps growing.
Tomorrow am sure humans may stop eating flesh of animals; will not be surprising.

Love & rgds

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Lots of interesting speculation with very little facts to back them up.

 

[Valjean]

I always suspected those Harappans were a dodgy lot.....

 

[TTCUSM]

Friend TTCUSM,

Thank you for the info and am sure prior to the Harrapans men were cannibals too.
This is what *evolution* is all about.
The gross keeps dropping and the inner keeps growing.
Tomorrow am sure humans may stop eating flesh of animals; will not be surprising.

Love & rgds

Friend Zenzero,

Your comment reminded me of the Satapatha Brahmana's description of the Purushamedha Yagna (13th Kanda, 6th Chapter, 2nd Brahmana). This is what it says:

1. And as to why it is called Purushamedha:--The stronghold (pur) doubtless is these worlds, and the Purusha (spirit) is he that blows here (the wind), he bides (sî) in this stronghold (pur): hence he is the Purusha. And whatever food there is in these worlds that is its 'medha,' its food; and inasmuch as this is its 'medha,' its food, therefore (it is called) Purushamedha. And inasmuch as at this (sacrifice) he seizes 1 men (purusha) meet for sacrifice (medhya), therefore also it is called Purushamedha.

In the Vedas, it says that the Asuras lived in fortified cities (pur).
In the Satapatha Brahmana, it says that humans are the food (medha) for the residents of the strongholds (pur).

 

[zenzero]

Friend TTCUSM,

Once again thank you for back up with written documentary evidence to what had stated from personal understanding which required no reading.
Now if one was to meditate on the quote you can also see that this purushamedha has slowly evolved and now as the *purusha* is the individual himself and the *medha* whatever he eats are even vegetables which too like humans have life. Now we know that the air we breath also contains enough to sustain life as that is how bodies of yogis in deep meditation survives for months; just by what the cells breath in from the air directly.
Besides *sacrifice* itself has evolved and now sacrificing the *I* [ego] itself is all that needs to be sacrificed.
Once again; just a personal understanding.

Love & rgds