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| Pic A. Bumpy rides the elephant while his mother, Bubu looks on.. |
These are amazing creations of the erstwhile megalithic tribals of India. Why were they raised, it is difficult to assert , but there seem to be less doubts that these animal sculptures were once worshipped and these animals must have been held in very high esteem in antiquity.
Roaming in the woods I have been successful in discovering many stone structures as that of elephant, buffalo, tortoise among numerous others. These animals must have been revered, so much so that the primitives even made their idols .
In Hinduism, the elephant symbolizes knowledge which many a times is shown squashing the demon of ignorance. Ganesha, the son of Shiva-Parvati is a combination of an elephant head and a human body, venerated as a deity of good omen, protector from misfortunes and provides blessings to the devotee. The elephant named Airabat is also the vehicle of the archetype Aryan god Indra .In Buddhism elephants represent wisdom, patience and grace.
The turtle in Hinduism is one of the 'avtaaras' of Lord Vishnu.
The elephant is also a symbol in the Buddhist religion that represent physical and mental strength and responsibility. Elephants are also symbols of the Buddhas in their previous births. Elephants are shown in Buddhist stupas, monasteries to worship the Buddha. The horse, peacock and the lion too are found as symbols in Buddhism.
Historically speaking the elephant and the tortoise are tribal in origin as they are the totem or the killi of the tribes across India. They were also the symbols of the now defunct fertility cult of the much primitive Mother Goddess religions in hoary antiquity. Icons of the elephant and the turtle are still used during marriages among many communities in India, reminiscent of their initial tribal days .
The nexus between dogs and humans perhaps begun since time immemorial. To the tribals, dogs are their most trusted of friends. These animals can be seen accompanying the adivasis every where from the market to even to their seasonal ritual hunts. In the various austric languages of the tribals, dogs are called barwa, seota, allaha and they are also their killi or their totem. On contrary, dogs are despised in Hinduism as they are considered to be lowly animals .
The buffalo is the vehicle of Yama, the God of death in Hinduism. It was also the most significant domestic animal of tribal India prior to her Aryanisation. These animals may also have astronomical/astrological implications as these megalithic stone structures could also be primitive astrological symbols.
The Sculptures:
Such rock sculptures have been discovered across the world. These architectures have yet not been recognised by mainstream archaeology perhaps for the reason that this may cause chaos in the history of the evolution of humankind which they have so painstakingly created therefore they wish to stand by it ignoring this major source of the history of mankind's evolution branding them as natural formations.
The chief common characteristic of such sculpture across the globe is that the facial features are found to have been sculpted on one side only. The elephant (Pic A ) is oriented towards the due east, it may also be serving nuptial purposes in the deep past for the inhabitants of the vicinity.
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Pic B.This disproportionate buffalo kneels towards the due west
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Pic C, Daria with the head of the left side of the head of the buffallo
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The buffalo (Pic B & C) has been made with a disproportionate body but its head seem exceedingly life-like. The sculptor had taken utmost care of the finest details of the beast's head confirming the high quality of art prevalent in those times.The cheek bones of the buffalo have been made prominent and its lower jaw can even be slided out. The deep sunken eyes are positioned in the right place. Surprisingly only the left part of the beast has been sculpted, why, we have no clue. The animal has been made to kneel towards the due west as if displaying its obeisance to the setting sun.
I have found few sherds of Painted Red and Black and Red pottery from near this buffalo suggesting that sepulchral rites too may have been associated with it.
The hybrid dolmen (pic D & E) comprises a turtle's body and a lizard's head. The lizard which stares towards the due east has been sculpted with great care as it has prominent crests and a slit eye. Even this sculpture like the buffalo has features only at one side i.e. on its right flank. The left side has been left blank.This monument is definitely a memorial and may have also been a temple to the erstwhile tribals of the region.
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Pic D.The hybrid dolmen comprising a tortoise's shell and the a lizard's head
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Pic E.The Lizard Head of the hybrid dolmen. Note the slit eyes and the crest. The head is oriented towards the due east.
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Ashok Verma
Subhashis Das
It could be that:
1) the rude dolmens are of an even earlier age.
11)The sculptures if you look discreetly are not of proper proportions...but their heads and faces are....perhaps they were gradually learning the techniques of the art from the Bactrians,Achemaninans or Greek contacts in the west which has evidences in the Mauryan sculptures of much later days to come.
111)These sculptures were being done by a separate tribe.
But then you cannot beat them in the astronomical menhirs like the ones of Punkri Burwadih...oh boy that is what you call accuracy in science.