Worships and Religions of India in the pre Christ era

Worships and Religions of India in the pre Christ era…

(with special reference to Memorial Stone)

In India there existed many forms of worship and religions. Worship is universal but religion requires literature, philosophy or theology. A distinction between worship and religion is made on this basis.

Worships and religions that prevailed in the pre - Christ era are as follows:

1) Indus Valley worship

2) Ancient Dravidian worship (After Indus Valley)

3) Jainism (6th c. B.C.)

4) Buddhism (6th c.B.C.) and

5) Aryan worship (evidences from 2nd c. B.C.)

They can be classified as follows:

1. Worships which practiced sacrifice –

Indus Valley worship, Ancient Dravidian worship and Aryan worship)

2. Religions which did not practice sacrifice

Jainism and Buddhism

Dravidian Memorial Stone

One of the ancient Dravidian worships that could be seen in the Dravidian religions is the ‘memorial stone .' The memorial stone found in the Indus Valley worship is later on known as Sivalinka . The term Sivalinka was coined in the later period (after 3rd c.A.D.) but this worship is very ancient.

In the term ‘Sivalinka’, Siva denotes God of love1 and linka is a Sanskrit word which means symbol. Hence the term ‘Sivalinka’ means symbol of love or symbol of God. The term belongs to a later period.

Indus Valley Worship

In the Indus Valley civilization people worshipped God in semiform (Memorial stone worship), female form, demigods form..... Many memorial stones called Sivalinkas² Ring Stones and symbols like Swastika are excavated in Harappa and Mohenjadaro Mother goddess worship or female worship played a significant role in the Indus Valley. Usually the goddesses and gods are symbolically represented by horns on their heads. Animal sacrifice did take place in the Indus Valley worship. Bull is often seen on the Indus Valley seals and trees are venerated as they are very often seen on the seals.3

Jainism and Buddhism (6th c. B.C.)

In Jainism and Buddhism, the memorial stone worship is known as Stupa. In memory of Buddha, Mahavir, and the Buddhist and Jain Teachers, they installed the stupas and worshipped them. Ayagapathas, snakes, trees and many symbols are there and are given a significant place.

Both in Jainism and Buddhism other than stupas symbols like wheel, umbrella, conch, footprint, tri-ratna, fishes, mythical figures, Swastika... are seen on the ayagapathas. Many icons of the Yaksha, Yakshi and female statues like Lakshmi, Saraswathi can be seen in considerable numbers.⁴

In Buddhism the icon of the Buddha was not seen in the pre-Christ era. In Jainism, though a mutilated figure resembling Tirthankara is found in Lohanipur probably belonging to the pre-Christ era, a large number of sculptures of Jain Tirthankaras and the Buddhas are found only in the post-Christ era. Memorial stones are known as Stupas in Jainism and Buddhism.

Ancient Dravidian Worship

Reference about Ancient Dravidian Worship can be seen in the ancient Tamil literature known as the Sangam literature, which is dated between 3rd c.B.C. and 3rd c.A..D. and can be extended up to the 7th c.A.D. In this worship the memorial stones are known as Kanthu. 5 . People offered sacrifice and worshipped God in female and male form. Amongst the gods and goddesses, Kotravai (goddess of Victory) and Velan played a vital role, and hero worship was prevalent then.

Memorial stone worship, the ancient Dravidian worship was also seen in the Dravidian religions which developed outside India since they are all the branches of Dravidian religion. Besides these memorial stones there are many more objects which have correlations amongst the Indus Valley worship and the other Dravidian religious worships which developed outside India.

Goddess in Ancient Dravidian Worship:

In Sankam literature, goddess is known as ‘Kotravai’, i.e., goddess of victory. People offered sacrifice.

Offering sacrifice and worshipping Kali is prevalent in Ancient Dravidian worship.

Avvai - Amman worship:

The term ‘Avvai’ occuring in ancient Tamil literature refers to mother. Avvai and ‘Aathan’ were describeded as parents of whole humanity traditionally. The term ‘Aathan’ occurs in many places in ancient Tamil literature.*

Traditional description of ‘Aathan and Avvai’ given as follows has to be keenly observed:

‘1. He is the first man;

2. He has a physical body, not born of parents and is described as ‘unborn physical body’;

3. His cloth is of the skin of an animal;

4. His third eye is opened;

5. His wife is a part of his body;

6. His wife is known as the ‘Mother of the World’ (Logamaathaa);

7. He and his wife are known as ‘Ammai appar’;

8. A fruit is a root cause for confusion in his family;

9. He is connected with a snake;

10. All creations are under his dominion;

11. He is the root cause for the good and evil in the society;

12. His feet are venerated in Ceylon till date’.8

On seeing this description, the Saivites denote him as ‘Siva’ and the Christians as ‘Adam’. Till date Saivites visit Ceylon and worship that feet as the ‘Feet of Siva’ (‘Sivanadi Paatham) and the Christians honor it as the ‘Feet of Adam’ (‘Aadhan Paatham).

The description of creation tells that the first man and woman, created by God were known as ‘Adam and Eve’ in Hebrew and ‘Aadhan and Avvai’ in Tamil.

Since Avvai is the first woman who gave birth to human beings, she is traditionally described as the Mother of this World.

Aryan Worship

Aryans (group of foreigner invaders who came to India in various periods) do not have religion. They had worship. They offered animal sacrifice, ate meat, and drank Soma and Sura. Their worship songs were later on compiled and classifed as four Vedas in India by the Dravidian Indians..

Regarding the Vedas, it is generally thought that they are very ancient and are the basis for the development of Saivism and Vaishnavism. Before 2nd c. B.C. there is no historical evidence for the prevalence of Vedic worship in India. However, from the period of Pushyamithra, who established Sunga Dynasty in 185 B.C. there are evidences to hint the prevalence of Aryan worship in India. But, there was no Vedic religion in the pre - Christ era since the songs of worship were only in the oral form, and were later put into writing by Veda Vyasa, a Dravidian, in the post - Christ era. Only he compiled, arranged and classified them as ‘Vedas’. The Vedas are in Sanskrit and Sanskrit inscriptions are seen only in 2nd c. A.D and thereafter.

Before 2nd c. A.D. the languages that are seen in the inscriptions in India are Tamil, Pali, Arthamakathi, Greek, Aramaic... but not Sanskrit. The inscriptions of Ashoka were also in Greek, Aramaic... but not in Sanskrit.

The first evidence of classical Sanskrit is attested by an inscription dating around A.D.150 in the Brahmi script. 6

It records the repair of a dam originally built by Chandragupta Maurya, and also contains a panegyric in verse which can be regarded as the first literary composition in classical Sanskrit. It is at Girnar in Kathiawar and was inscribed by Rudradamana, the Saka Satrap of Ujjayini, on the same rock on which the Fourteen Rock Edicts of Asoka were also found. 7

The basic doctrines (Trinity, Fulfillment of Sacrifice...) of Saivism and Vaishnavism are not found in the Vedas. According to Saiva Sittanta, Siva is a Supreme loving God who took the form of a man and suffered to save the human beings. Whereas in the Vedas, Rudra is portrayed as one of the minor deities, and it is the god of storms. Likewise Vaishnavite Vishnu is nothing to do with the Vedic Vishnu. In the Vedas, Vishnu is sun, a creation whereas Vishnu is the Prime God in Vaishnavism and without him there is no Vaishnavism. Rudra and Vishnu do not play a significant role in the Vedas but they are just minor deities in the Vedas.⁸

Since the Vedas are in Sanskrit (though it may be archaic or classical Sanskrit), the earliest Sanskrit inscription is seen only in the 2nd c.A.D. and thus the period of the Vedas cannot be ascribed to the pre - Christ era.

Footnote:

1. Thirumular Thirumantiram p.257

2. 'Sivalinka Worship in Bible', ‘Dravida Samayam’, October 1994 - Research Movement for the study of Dravidian Religion, Chennai –23

3. (i) Ernest Mackay, Op.Cit., (ii) JohnMarshall, Mohenjodaro and the IndusCivilization Vol&Vol.II,Arthur Probsthin, London - 1931

4. (i) A.Ghosh, (Editor), Jaina Art and Architecture, Vol.lll, Bharatiya Jnanapith, New Delhi –1, 1974

(ii)Jyoti prasad Jain, Religion and Culture of the Jains, Bharathiya Jnanpita, New Delhi 1944

(iii)Susmita pande, Birth of Bhakti in Indian Religions and Art, Books and Books Publishers and Distributors 4A\ 20A, Anakapuri New Delhi 110 058, First Published, 1982.

5. (i) Pattinappaalai - ; pp. 246 –249 (ii) Purananooru - 52 : 12-13)

* (Tholkaapiam I-349-1; Aingurunooru 1a 10-1; Pathitruppaththu 4-1, 63-21; Puranaanuru 29-2, 154-4, 389-13)

6. Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Hinduism, Oxford University Press, 1979, Pp.38,39

7. Ibid.

8. I) M.Deivanayagam, COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIBLE, THIRUKKURAL AND SAIVA SIDDHANTHA, International Institute of Tamil Studies, Taramani, 2nd ed.,1997

ii) Devakala, ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TAMIL BHAKTHI MOVEMENT (IN THE LIGHT OF BIBLE), Thesis (University of Madras), 1993

iii) David Baskara Doss.J., Six Dharshanas and the religion of the Tamils (in the light of Bible), Ph.D. Thesis, Madras University, 1998, P.123

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