A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

Mrugendra Vinod

Anandavan Bhakta Samudaya, Varanasi

An institute of advanced studies in Veda and Modern Sciences

Identifying the objects depicted in the Sindhu Seals is an outstanding issue of immense historical
interest having a direct bearing on the authorship of the culture and further attempts to decipher
the script.

It is well known that the object beneath the motif animal is a cult object. We observe a correlation
between the type of the animal and the cult object. Animals are either domestic or wild. And the
objects are staff or tree like and vessel or manger like.

We here draw a table of the variety of these objects versus the motif animal.

Motif Animal Type Object

Beneath
Unicorn/Urus Domestic Staff with
Bull decorated
top and
middle
Goat /Markhor Domestic Arrow like
Tree
Branched
Tree
Bird Wild Cup
Bison/Buffalo Wild Feed Vessel
with curly
rim
Hare Wild Manger
Rhino Wild Feed Vessel
Staff with
decorated
top and
middle
Tiger Wild Feed Vessel

Elephant Wild No object

Feed Vessel
Zebu Bull Domestic None
From the above data we can draw a rule that domestic animal is associated with tree like object and
wild animal is associated with manger. Elephant and Zebu are not associated with any object and
hence are neutral. The solitary exception is that of Rhino with staff.

We see from Vedic Rituals of Ashvamedha this very distinction viz. Domestic animals are tied to the
21 Yupas and Wild animals are held in the gaps between Yupas in appropriate enclosures. (ref.1)

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

Yupa is the staff to which the sacrificial animal is tied. The Yupa is capped by the Chashal made from
the same tree with a drilled hole. The Yupa is made as an octagonal staff by carpenters chisel. The
chips are used to make the Svaru to be inserted in the Rashana or Darbha-rope wound around the
Yupa in the middle of the Yupa.(fig.1)

This Chashal and Svaru give the Yupa its distinction and are analogous to the horns of a horned
animal. (ref.2)

The ivory stick object M-2116 (Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions 3.1) makes this association of
cult icon to Yupa amply clear.

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

The branched tree object in M-1180; B-4 is also as per Ashvamedha procedure. (Ref.3)

The Ashvamedha Ritual refers to Gomriga as the sacrificial animal on the main (Agnishtha) Yupa
along with the Ashva and Tupar i.e. hornless Goat. (Ref.4)

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

The Unicorn has already been identified as Bos primigenius by Asko Parpola. (Corpus of Indus Seals
and Inscriptions)

The Walls of Ishtar of Babylon has a fine specimen of this animal called Auruch on its Gate. (Internet
Image)

The Ashvamedha ritual has an elaborate procedure for putting gold beads in the mane of the horse.
The decorative shoulder and neck of Gomriga suggest this ornamentation. (Ref.5)

The Pashu Sangh of Ashvamedha includes all the animals depicted in the seals and many more.
(Ref.6)

The gold needles are found in Mohen jo Daro. They are explicitly referred to in Ashvamedha Ritual.
(Ref.7)

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

There is a remarkable copper tablet depicting an animal. This is Shinshumar of Ashvamedha

Pashusangh. (Ref. 8)

The Walls of Ishtar of Babylon has a fine specimen of this animal called Sirrush or Dragon on its Gate.
(Internet Image)

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

From the above remarks it is obvious that the seals are a

handiwork of witnesses to the Ashvamedha Ritual or
students of the Ashvamedha Manual.

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

References
Ref.1
..3.8.19
.... ..3.8.20
Ref.2



..2.4.7
---- ----
---- --- ----
---- ----
---- ----
---- .. 6.3.3,4
Ref.3
--- ..3.4.5.20-22
--- ..3.4.5.23
Ref.4
..3.8.22

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

----
..3.8.20
-


....13

Ref. 5 ..3.9.4.5
-
----------- ..3.4.4.47

Ref. 6 ---- ..
5.5.11 5.5.24

--- .. 5.6.11
5.6.23
, , ,
, ,
, , ----
...2.4.4

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

Ref. 7 ----
..3.9.6
Ref. 8 .. 5.5.11

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A short note on the iconography of Sindhu Seals

About the author:

Mrugendra Vinod did his B.E. in Comp.Sc. in 1982-86 from M.S.University of Baroda. He
worked for TIFR in HEGRO, Pachmarhi, MP for a very short while. Then he joined SAG, DRDO,
Metcalfe House, Delhi and worked till 1989. He has since been practising and studying
Vedas. Recently he read a paper The Length of the Course of Sarasvati River from Vinashana
to Plaksha Prasravana in an international conference on Sarasvati in Lucknow University 8-9
May 2017. He is presently working on Sarasvati in the light of Veda Shakha Literature.

Contact: 8808482224; 8449280771; mrugendravinod@gmail.com

Acknowledgement:

Author wishes to note his obligation to Brahmashree Narayan Ghanapathi of Varanasi for his
kind and invaluable discussions and also Brahmashree Chandrashekhar Dravid Ghanapathi
for his kind help in citing passages as also Su. Suvrata and Ch. Narayan and Ku. Shruti for
patient discussions.

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