My lecture at the 8th World Archaeology Congress (WAC) in Kyoto Japan

  

The venue for the lectures

   The 8th World Archaeology Congress (WAC) just concluded in Kyoto, Japan. I had the fortune to present a lecture both on the sacred groves of my home-state Jharkhand called sarna, jaher than or mandar and on her megaliths. Jharkhand is indeed a treasure house of megaliths. 

A tribal sacred grove called sarna in the state of Jharkhand

    My paper was entitled EXPLORING THE DIVERSITY OF SACRED SITES AND SACRED LANDSCAPES AND TRIBAL GROUPS IN THE STATE OF JHARKHAND, EAST INDIA. In other words my lecture was as to how lands became sacred so that the groves and the megaliths were positioned at that particular spot.

An ancient tribal megalithic burial site also called as hargarhi in the state.

    In the process I delved into the fertility cult of the prehistoric period since when land was equated to women hence held as Mother Goddess. In India fertile lands were held sacred and infertile lands were regarded as baanjh. Much in the similar manner fertile women commanded all the respect in the society and in their family and infertile women were targets of disdain and hatred both in the family and society as they were baanjh.

    The first menstruation of a girl is celebrated with much pomp as she has emerged into a women from a maiden and now she would be able to produce and enhance her husband's family where she would be married off; rather like a Goddess she too would be able to produce.

  Women in the ancient times the world over were worshipped in three forms; firstly as the virgin or the maiden (in India as Kumari) secondly when she marries and becomes a procreating woman she becomes a devi or a goddess and finally when she becomes old she is worshipped as the hag or the Budhiya mayee in East and North India. 

       A kumari or a maiden in India say has a name of Manju, she would be called Manju Kumari but she becomes a Goddess only after her marriage and suffixes her name with devi meaning Goddess. In other words Manju Kumari after her marriage gets elevated to the status of Manju Devi; appendages of the much ancient fertility cult.

  

The Kamakhya temple. The vulva here being the prime deity is representative of the the Earth Goddess. Her three day Ambabuchi festival begins from around the Summer Solstice signifies that she is menstruating suggesting that Mother Earth is impure and after three days she would become fertile and would be ready for farming.

     Similarly Summer Solstice was fixed as the day of the land's menstruation hence the Ambabuchi festival is celebrated from around 20/21st Jun when the land is held to menstruate. All the Mother Temples in East India is shut down as Mother Earth is impure as she will menstruate for three days ensuing which she would become fertile and farming can commence thereafter.

  

The flowering of saal (shorea robusta) trees signifies that the Mother Earth is mensturating and that she would be be fertile soon and would be ready for agriculture; hence the celebration of sarhul

 A near similar festival among the tribals in Jharkhand is Sarhul which is the celestial wedlock between Mother Earth and the Father Sky/Sun. When the saal (shorea robusta) blossoms it is an indication that Mother Earth is menstruating hence she would be fertile and agriculture will commence soon after. There is joy and delight all over therefore and sarhul is celebrated with much dancing and singing.

       

My lecture

I explain how sacred groves and megaliths  are positioned at the intersection spots  of alignments towards hills in the landscape. Such an act converts the spot as being sacred.

    The sacred groves and the megaliths have been observed to have been positioned at the intersection of alignments of the hills in the horizon. Hills are regarded as the Goddess herself or her vulva or her breasts; all representative of the ubiquitous Goddess herself. 
   Therefore aligning the megaliths or the groves to such Mother Hills perhaps had these megaliths and groves share the Mother properties. In other words by aligning to the Mother Hills the ancients would convert the groves and the megaliths to sacred mother shrines.

Hills being representatives of Mother Goddesses' breasts or her vulva is symbolical of the Goddess herself. Therefore alignments of groves and megaliths to these Goddess principles perhaps had the ancients believe that this elevated them to the status of a Goddess shrine.