சல்லிக்கட்டு…… வரலாற்றுப் பார்வை ~ 4

Bull fighting

The first illustration is the bull leaping scene from Knossos, Crete. The second illustration is a Indus seal depiction. The fundamental theme is the same in both seals. It is likely that the basic idea has emerged some where between these two regions Greece and Indian Sub-continent. Over a period both these diverged forms got evolved into slightly variable forms. Now , analyzing the purpose of this picture is important. It is a kind of symbolism, which had been ritualized, so that the next generation will remember. Unfortunately we remember and carry out the ritual without understanding the meaning behind that.  The real purpose behind this art is only calendar purpose, that is remembering monthly season. (Or beginning of year) The bull indicates the Taurus constellation and remaining human beings are simply the surrounding constellations of Bull constellation. Most probably the man holding the horns of bull is Orion constellation.  In olden days the appearance of Taurus constellation in heliacal risingposition could have indicated the beginning of rainy season  and making preparations for crop cultivation like tilling the land, removing weeds and other preparations. The importance is that you should do preparations for farming and not war. Only after harvest, you should get ready for next activities like courtships and marriage. If time and resource permits you can get ready for war and plunder of other communities. Because during this hot summer season, really there will be no other work other than settling scores with enemies. ….தொடரும் …. 3/1/17 “Jallikattu,” which is bull-baiting or bull fighting, is an ancient Dravidian tradition that was practised about 4,000 years ago during the Indus Valley civilization. A well-preserved seal found at Mohenjodaro in the 1930s attests to this, according to Iravatham Mahadevan, a specialist in Indus and Brahmi scripts.                      This seal realistically brings alive a vigorous scene of bull-fighting. It portrays a ferocious bull in action, several men or a single man (according to two different interpretations), thrown in the air by it as they try to control it. Clearly, the bull is the victor. This seal, made of stone, is on display in the National Museum, New Delhi. It can be dated to 2,000 B.C.                  The seal found at Mohenjodaro, now in Pakistan, shows a single bull with curved horns in the “action” of goring a single man or several men. Its horns are shown in the middle to depict the speed and fluency of its action: the angry bull has suddenly turned its neck sideways to toss the daring men and then its neck has come to its original position. Bull-baiting figures in the Mahabharatha, which describes Krishna controlling a ferocious bull in the forecourt of Kamsa’s palace. Jeyakumar.Indus Civilization Updated Jul 17, 2016, 1:46 AM New theory on Indus civilization