Influence of the Indus Valley civilization on Ancient Tamil Nadu

There is a heavy influence of Indus Valley Civilization on Ancient Tamil Nadu. This influence is mostly linguistic and theological, with a few cultural affinities as well.

The relation of the Ancient Tamil Nadu to the Indus Valley Civilization was first noticed in the 19th century when historians began to observe similarities in the divinities of the Indus Valley with Dravidian divinities. Of late, discoveries in Tamil Nadu have strengthened the claims of historians advocating a Dravidian theory of origin for the Indus Valley civilization. The latest of these discoveries which involves the unearthing of an axe with an inscription with a resemblance to those found in the Indus Valley was hailed by Indian historian and expert on the Indus script Iravatham Mahadevan as the "Discovery of the century".cite news | last=Subramaniam | first=T. S. | title= "Discovery of a century" in Tamil Nadu | date=May 1, 2006 | url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/05/01/stories/2006050112670100.htm | work =The Hindu | accessdate = 2008-05-21]

Linguistic affinities

There are close linguistic similarities between the Indus Valley civilization and Ancient Tamil Nadu. Cite web|url=http://www.harappa.com/script/diction.html|title=An Indus Dictionary|accessdate=2008-05-22] Cite web|url=http://www.harappa.com/seal/16.html|title=Indus writing - Terminal signs|accessdate=2008-05-22]

Theological affinities

The principal deities of the inhabitants of the Indus Valley were the Father God and the Mother Goddess.Cite web|url=http://www.hinduwebsite.com/history/indus.asp|title=Religious Life of the Indus People|accessdate=2008-05-22] A seal of the Father God in a state of meditation bears a resemblance to Lord Shiva in a posture of yoga.cite book | title=An Introduction to Hinduism | url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=KpIWhKnYmF0C&pg=PA29&sig=iRXUzchB0HnFuDZbytzpbpoB_yY| last=D. Flood| first=Gavin| date=1996| pages=29| publisher=Cambridge University Press| id=ISBN 0521438780] cite book | title=The Sādhus of India: A Study of Hindu Asceticism | last=Lewis Gross| first=Robert| date=2007| pages=10| publisher=Rawat Publications]

Similarly, seals with symbols believed to depict Lord Murugan have also been found in certain Indus Valley sites.Cite web|url=http://murugan.org/research/valluvan3.htm|title=Evolution of the Asian Deity Murukan from the Indus Valley Prototype Ahmuvan and his Role as a Mediator in the Process of Cultural and Religious Spheres with Linguistic and Astronomical Implications|accessdate=2008-05-21] Asko Parpola is of the opinion that the Tamil people might have borrowed their cosmology from the people of the Indus valley. He believes that one of the Indus seals depicts "aru min" or "six fishes".cite book | title=Study of the Indus Script - Special Lecture| url=http://www.harappa.com/script/indusscript.pdf| last=Parpola| first=Asko| authorlink=http://www.helsinki.fi/~aparpola/| pages=53 & 54] It would be interesting to note that the ancient Tamil word for the constellation "Ursa Major" was "elumin" or seven fishes.

Cultural affinities

There are a lot of Dravidian cultural practices which are believed to have descended from those practised by the people of the Indus Valley civilization. The Great Bath at Mohenjodaro is an indication of the prevalence of ritual bathing which is an integral feature of Later Hinduism. A seal found at Mohenjodaro, believed to be over 4,000 years ago portrays the game of bull-fighting. The portrayal bears striking similarities to the traditional sport of "jallikattu" still practised in Tamil Nadu.cite news | last=Subramaniam | first=T. S. | title= Bull-baiting of yore | date=January 13, 2008 | url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/13/stories/2008011355961800.htm | work =The Hindu | accessdate = 2008-05-22]

2000s discoveries

In February, 2006, a school teacher in the village of Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu discovered a stone celt with an inscription estimated to be up to 3,500 years old.cite news | last=Subramaniam | first=T. S. | title= Significance of Mayiladuthurai find | date=May 1, 2006 | url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/05/01/stories/2006050101992000.htm | work =The Hindu | accessdate = 2008-05-23] Indian epigrahist Iravatham Mahadevan postulated that the writing was in Indus script and called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu". He deciphered the inscription as a combination of two signs - "Muruku" and "-an" and regarded it as an early depiction of the Hindu god Murugan. In May 2007, the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department found pots with arrow-head symbols during an excavation in Melaperumpallam near Poompuhar. These symbols bore a striking resemblance to seals unearthed in Mohenjodaro in the 1920s.cite news | last=Subramaniam | first=T. S. | title= From Indus Valley to coastal Tamil Nadu | date=May 1, 2006 | url =http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/03/stories/2008050353942200.htm | work =The Hindu | accessdate = 2008-05-23]

In 1960, B.B. Lal of the Archaeological Survey of India wrote a paper in a publication called "Ancient India". The publication carried a photograhic catalog of megalithic and chalcolithic pottery which Lal compares with the Ancient Indus script. Ancient inscriptions bearing a striking reesemblance to those found in Indus Valley sites have been found in Sanur near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu, Musiri in Kerala and Sulur near Coimbatore.

See also

* Indus Valley civilization
* Indus script

References