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NEW INTERPRETATION ON GAJ- FIGURES OF (AND OTHER SRAMANICAL SITES)

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DR. J. MANUEL THE BACK GROUND • RULED THE ROOST IN THE RGVEDIC AGE • OTHER GODS LIKE , , VARUN, BESIDES ASHVINIKUMARS, WERE ALSO SPOKEN VERY HIGH IN THE LITERATURE • IS ALSO KNOWN WITH INCREASING PROMINENCE SO MUCH SO IN THE LATE 1 SUKT 22 A STRETCH OF SIX VERSES MENTION HIS POWER AND EFFECT • EVIDENTLY HIS GLORY WAS BEING FELT MORE AND MORE AS TIME PASSED • Mandal I Sukt 22 Richa 19 • Vishnu ki say …….. Vishnu kay karyon ko dekho. Vay Indra kay upyukt sakha hai EVIDENTLY HIS GLORY WAS BEING FELT MORE AND MORE AS TIME PASSED

AND HERO-GODS LIKE BALARAM AND WERE ACCEPTED AS HIS INCARNATIONS • CHILAS IN PAKISTAN • AGATHOCLEUS COINS • TIKLA NEAR GWALIOR • ARE SOME EVIDENCE OF HERO-GODS BUT NOT VEDIC VISHNU IN SECOND CENTURY BC • There is the Kheri-Gujjar Figure also of the Therio anthropomorphic copper image BUT • FOR A LONG TIME INDRA CONTINUED TO HOLD THE FORT OF DOMINANCE • THIS IS SEEN IN EARLY SACRED LITERATURE AND ART ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURES

• OF THE COPPER HOARD CULTURES ARE SAID TO BE INDRA FIGURES OF ABOUT 4000 YEARS OLD

• THERE ARE MANY TENS OF FIGURES IN SRAMANICAL SITE OF INDRA INCLUDING AT SANCHI (MORE THAN 6) DATABLE TO 1ST CENTURY BCE

• BUT NOT A SINGLE ONE OF VISHNU INDRA 5TH CENT. CE, PARADOXICALLY • THERE ARE 100S OF REFERENCES OF VISHNU IN THE AND EVEN MORE SO IN THE PURANIC PERIOD

• WHILE THE REFERENCE OF LAKSHMI IS VERY FEW AND FAR IN BETWEEN

• CURIOUSLY THE ART OF THE SUPPOSED LAXMI FIGURES ARE MANY TIMES MORE IN EARLY HISTORIC CONTEXT EVEN IN NON VAISHNAVA CONTEXT AND IN SUCH AREAS AS THE DECCAN AND AS SOUTH AS SRI- LANKA WHICH WAS THEN UNTOUCHED BY NW INDIA TO SRI LANKA

AZILISES COIN SHOWING GAJLAKSHMI IMAGERY 70-56 ADVENT OF VAISHNAVISM VISHNU HAD BY THE STARTING OF THE COMMON ERA BEGAN TO BECOME LARGER THAN INDRA BUT FOR THE BUDDHISTS INDRA CONTINUED TO BE DEPICTED IN RELATED STORIES CONTINUED FROM EARLIER TIMES; FROM .

HOWEVER, LAKSHMI WAS NOT IN PROMINENCE NEITHER IN BRAHMANISM NOR VAISHNAVISM ATLEAST TILL THE GUPTA PERIOD

THEREFORE THE SAID GAJLAKSHMI AND LAKSHMI FIGURES ARE ACTUALLY OF BHUDEVI/ / VASUDHARA ALL BOUNTIES OF NATURE COME UPWARDS FROM THE WOMB OF THE EARTH HARAPPAN WITH VEGETATION SPRINGING FORTH FROM THE UTERUS. Mackay 1938, in his report on Mohejodaro also pointed out the presence of naked figures or partly clad figures, he described as Mother Goddess/Mother Earth. On the nudity aspect of some female figures, Mackay tells that it should not surprise anyone as it is one characteristic of Earth or Mother-goddess

Mackay, E.J.H. 1938 Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro. Manager of Publications, Delhi pp,: 259,260, 265,272,279, 337,338,642,654

• THEIR PROMINENT HIPS, THEIR NUDITY AND THEIR PLACEMENT AMONG RICH FOLIAGE INDICATE THAT THE FIGURE REPRESENTS FERTILITY GODDESS and COULD BE TRACED FROM THE TRADITIONS OF THE HARAPPAN PERIOD AS FERTILITY OF EARTH AND THEREFORE EARTH GODDESS HERSELF GODDESS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLORA AND FAUNA WITHIN RING STONES THE FEMALE DEITY HOLDING STALKS OF FLOWER AND BUD VEGETATION in RINGSTONE IS NUDE AND WITH LARGE HIPS SP GUPTA 1982 FIG 28 A IMPORTANTLY

• RINGSTONE WITH WOMAN STANDING NAKED AMIDST VARIED FLORA AND FAUNA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS PRITHVI BY D CHAKRAVARTI P301

• Chakravarti D.K 2005 Archaeology of The Deccan Routes, M.M. Publishers Pvt Ltd., Delhi. According to V.S.AGRAWAL

• ‘Vasudhara may ultimately be found to have been identical with the Earth Goddess Vasundhara whom the calls hiranya-vaksha, the golden bossomed who conceals within her womb the treasures’. The two verses (Atharva. Prithvi Sukta, XII.1.6 and 44) gives us a vivid picture of the :- ‘Earth goddess as the presiding goddess of wealth’.

• V S AGRAWALA 1965 STUDIES IN P 106 • According to Shaw (2006:258) ‘Vasudhara inherits the mantle of mother earth as a “bearer of treasure” (Vasundhara) and “font of maternal sustenance”. Further that Vajravali elucidates that “ Vasudhara and Prithvi are one and the same.” • Banerjea (2002:560) tells that Vasudhara is another name for Vasundhara, or Prithvi, the mother Earth. Acording to compiled later she holds a ear of corn in her hand and HAS A VESSEL or showing gems and is seated on a double lotus, with the right hand depicted in the varada (Bhattacharya, 1993: 117, 118). • MUCH OF THE BUDDHIST AND HINDU WAS IN ITS FORMATIVE STAGE DURING THE EARLY EPOCH AND DETAILS HAD NOT YET BECOME CRYSTALLISED. • IT THEREFORE DOES NOT MUCH MATTER IF THE VARADA POSE AND THE DHANYAMANJARI OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD ARE MISSING AT AN EARLIER PERIOD, OR MORE CORRECTLY SPEAKING HAD NOT BEEN PERFECTED AS EMBLEMS OF THIS GODDESS (VASUDHARA)

• V S AGRAWALA 1965 STUDIES IN INDIAN ART P 105 THOUGH VASES ARE PART AND PARCEL OF VASUDHARA ICONOGRAPHY OF POST GUPTA PERIOD THESE ARE NOT SEEN IN EARLY PERIOD BUT VASES WITH ABUNDANT FLORA ARE SEEN CONSPICUOUSLY AT SANCHI AND DEFINITELY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENTING VASUDHARA/PRITHVI

AT OTHER SITES AS LIKE THE IMAGE OF THE IS STANDING ON LOTUS EMERGING FROM A VASE. • ABUNDANT FLORA IN VASE, AN ATTRIBUTE OF VASUDHARA/ BHUDEVI VASE IN RIGHT HAND Figure of Gajabhishikta devi on Lotus emerging from a Vase

(Bharhut) • WHY SO MANY IMAGES OF VASES WITH LUXURIANT FLORA AT SANCHI • IN LATER TIMES VASES WERE TO BE HELD BY VASUDHARA AS AN ATTRIBUTE BY WHICH SHE IS IDENTIFIED. • VASES THEREFORE PERHAPS ARE REPRESENTING THE MOTHER GODDESS EARTH HERSELF IN EARLY ART. EARTH GODDESS WITH VASE, PALA 10TH CENTURY CE, BIHAR SANCHI SHOWS THAT THERE ARE MANY IMAGES OF GODDESS WHICH ANTICIPATES ELABORATIONS MENTIONED IN THE LATTER BUDDHIST TEXTS. FURTHER, IF THE LUXURIANT LOTUS PORTRAYAL EMERGING FROM THE VESSEL - SYMBOL OF VASUDHARA - AT SANCHI, IS ALSO TAKEN AS REPRESENTING HER, THEN THE OBVIOUS IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO PRITHVI, THE CORNUCOPIA OF ALL ABUNDANCE CANNOT BE NEGATED. SHE IS ALSO SHOWN SEATED OR STANDING ON LOTUS, WITH SOME FIGURES SHOWING THE FEMALE ORGAN EXPLICITLY DEPICTED, EVEN THOUGH WELL CLOTHED IN DEPICTION WITH OR WITHOUT , AS AT SANCHI ALLUDING TO HER AS MOTHER AND VERILY THE MOTHER EARTH; THE DISPENSER OF ALL PROSPERITY. THE COMPULSION TO SHOW THE FEMALE ORGAN EVEN THOUGH SHE IS VERY WELL DRAPED WITH THE LOWER GARMENT SHOWS THAT THE ARTISTS WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE DEPICTED GODDESS IS A GODDESS OF FERTILITY, AND WITH ABUNDANT FLORA SHE IS NOT JUST A MOTHER BUT THE MOTHER EARTH GIVER OF ALL GOODS FOR HUMAN BEINGS. NO 1 SANCHI (WG )GODDESS SHOWING FERTILITY SYMBOL STUPA NO 1 SANCHI SG STUPA NO 1, SANCHI, (NG) SANCHI STUPA NO 1 NORTH GATE STUPA NO 1, NORTHERN GATE STUPA NO 2 SANCHI SCHOLARS HAVE IDENTIFIED IT AS MOTHER OF GAUTAM BUDDHA DUE TO THE ROYAL INSIGNIA OF PARASOL OVER ONE

HOWEVER OTHER IMAGES OF SANCHI ALSO HAS THE PARASOL

FURTHER TO IDENTIFY THE IMAGE OF GAJABHISHIKTA DEVI AS IS ERRONEOUS AS SUCH FIGURE IS ALSO FOUND AT JAINA SITE KHANDAGIRI ( 1974:28) WHERE MAYA THE MOTHER OF BUDDHA HAS NO USE

STUPA NO 2 SANCHI • STUPA NO 3 GODDESS SEATED ON LOTUS HOLDING LOTUS STALK AND A SMALL VASE. STUPA NO 1 SOUTH GATE • WHY SO MANY FIGURES OF VASES AND OF GODDESS AT SANCHI STANDING OR SEATED ON LOTUS WITH OR WITHOUT ELEPHANTS ANNOINTING HER? • IT IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SAME IS REPRESENTING GODDESS EARTH WHO CAME ON BEING INVOKED BY GAUTAM BUDDHA AND HAD TO FLEE • BUDDHIST OF THE EARLY PERIOD HAVE HAD PROFOUND RESPECT FOR BHU-DEVI ACCORDING TO K. KUMAR • LIKE THE HARAPPAN SEALING AND THE TERRACOTTA PORTRAYING THE VULVA AND LEGS OF THE MOTHER GODDESS FROM PERIANO GHUNDAI THE FIGURES FROM THE EARLY HISTORIC PERIOD (2ND -3RD CENTURIES ONWARDS) WITH LEGS SPREAD APART, LOTUS HEAD AND CARRYING LOTUSES SERVED AS RITUALISTIC OBJECTS OF THE FERTILITY CULT IN WHICH THE FERTILITY OF MOTHER EARTH IS IDENTIFIED. Kumar 2007 The cult of Uttanapada in Indo-Pak subcontinent: An assessment in the light of New Discoveries, Pragdhara No-17 pp 151-161 OUT OF THE LOTUS CAME WHO CREATED THE UNIVERSE DEFINITELY THE MEDIUM OF FERTILITY/ CREATION IS APPARENT IN LOTUS EARTH GODDESS ALSO KNOWN AS LAJJA GAURI AND ALSO AS ADITI UTTANAPADA AND UTTANAHASTA AND SHAME LESS WOMAN BESIDES MANY OTHER NAMES LOCALLY. THESE TRULY REPRESENTS THE GREAT MOTHER EARTH AND SHARES THE NUDITY AND LOTUS AS LIKE SANCHI FIGURES IN COMMON

K KUMAR PRAGDHARA 17 P 160 STUPA NO 3 STUPA NO 1 NORTH GATE

STUPA NO 3 BHUDEVI/ VASUDHARA STUPA NO 1 WEST GATE SHOWING FERTILITY

STUPA NO 1 SOUTH GATE GODDESS LAKSHMI

IS NEVER SHOWN WITH FERTILITY SYMBOL

EARTH GODDESS IS SHOWN WITH FERTILITY SYMBOL MOST OFTEN AS ALSO IN RING STONES, SO CALLED LAJJAGAURI FIGURES AND SEVERAL DEPICTIONS AT SANCHI. • Agrawala (2003-2004: 8) to caution that “devi icons other than Lakshmi also present the anointing by elephants and one should therefore be very cautious in their proper identification” LAKSHMI IS NOT KNOWN ASSOCIATED WITH LIONS • According to Suresh (1999:107) “the Gupta inscriptions are the first epigraphic record which mentions Lakshmi’s union with Vishnu” and that “the earliest references of the Sri Lakshmi and Lakshmi found on coins and seals are of Gupta period”. TEMPLE , DEOGADH 6TH CENTURY CE THE EARLIEST KNOWN IMAGE OF THE GAJABHISHIKTA DEVI IN CLEARLY VAISHNAVA CONTEXT IT IS CLOSELY REPLICATING THE SANCHI FIGURES WITH HAND IN ABHAYA MUDRA RATHER THAN VARAD MUDRA AS IS CONVENTIONAL IN LAKSHMI FIGURES • PERTINENTLY, THE LESS NUMBERS OF VEDIC GODDESSES, EVEN AS SPOUSES WAS A CLEARLY VISIBLE PHENOMENON CARRIED DOWN TO THE BRAHMANICAL RELIGIOUS IMAGERY. EVEN WHEN WITH AVATARAS, PANCHAVIRA HEROES BALARAMA, VASUDEVA KRISHNA, BESIDES VISNU, KARTTIKEYA, AND SIVA WERE BEING MADE, FEMALE FIGURES WERE A RARITY UP TO FEW CENTURIES AD IN ART OF HIGHER TRADITION, EXCEPT IN SRAMANICAL ART. • IT IS NOT THAT FEMALE WERE NOT REFERRED NOR MADE BUT THE RATIO WAS MUCH LESS ESPECIALLY IN VAISHNAVA CONTEXT SO HOW LAKSHMI COULD BE SHOWN MANY TIMES OVER IN NON VAISHNAVA CONTEXT. WHILE QUOTING THE EARLY REFERENCES IN BRAHMANICAL LITERATURE LIKE THE SRI SUKTA, EVIDENTLY A LATE SUPPLEMENT (KHILA) OF THE RGVEDA, GODDESS SRI, SHE IS MENTIONED AS GOLDEN ANTELOPE AND HERE ITSELF WE FIND HER BEING MENTIONED AS LAKSHMI FOR THE FIRST TIME (BANERJEA 2002: 134, 371, 372). AGRAWALA (1965: 81) ENDORSES THAT SHE IS IDENTIFIED WITH EARTH AND IS THE SUPREME DEITY OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE SPOUSE OF VISHNU.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FACT THAT SINIVALI MENTIONED TWICE IN RGVEDA IS MENTIONED AS THE SPOUSE OF VISHNU IN ATHARVAVEDA (BANERJEA 2002: 371) ALSO DOES NOT ALLOW FOR EARLY ASSOCIATION OF THE LATER KNOWN LAKSHMI WITH ONE OF THE PROMINENT GODS VISHNU FROM THE RGVEDIC TIMES. ACCORDING TO BANERJEA (2002:370), LAKSHMI CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE SPOUSE OF VASUDEVA VISHNU IN THE EPIC AND PURANIC PERIOD. • WHEN BRAHMANICAL ART, IS LARGELY DEVOID OF FEMALE DEITIES IN THE EARLY PERIOD HOW COME SANCHI HAS MANY FEMALE DEITY IMAGES WHICH IS GREATER IN NUMBER THAN THE KNOWN NUMBER OF VISHNU FIGURES DURING THE PERIOD UNDER MENTION. • HOW COME THESE COULD BE LAKSHMI FIGURES WHEN LAKSHMI WAS MUCH LESS KNOWN IN VEDIC LITERATURE AND ALSO. • WHEN THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON TO PORTRAY LAKSHMI IN BUDDHIST CONTEXT. • IN FACT BHU DEVI AS A FOLK DEITY WAS POPULAR AMONG THE MASSES FROM HARAPPAN TIMES, IN RING STONES, ETC • SHE WAS MUCH MORE HIGHLY REGARDED DEITY BY THE BUDDHIST DUE TO HER POWERFUL INTERVENTION IN THE MARA EPISODE. • AND THEREFORE, NATURALLY THERE ARE MANY FIGURES OF THE DEITY AT SANCHI ---- AND IN OTHER BUDDHIST SITES ALSO SHE IS WELL REPRESENTED IN THE EARLY PERIOD FURTHER,

WITH REFERENCE TO THIS FIGURE RATHER THAN LAKSHMI WASHED DOWN BY THE WATERS OF RIVER AND YAMUNA MORE NATURAL IS THE FACT THAT THE EARTH IS WASHED DOWN BY THE WATERS OF GANGA AND YAMUNA

KALA NO 7 EVEN MORE OBNOXIOUS WOULD BE

TO SHOW LAKSHMI AS THE PRESIDING DEITYWHERE THE VEDIC GOD LORD VISHNU (AND BALARAM) IS MERELY DEPICTED AS ATTENDANTS HALF IN STATURE

Only solution is that such depictions are of Goddess Earth and that Vasudev and Balaram depicted here are the Herogods represented as pastoral and agricultural divinities, respectively. IT IS PREPOSTEROUS TO THINK THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE VISHNU IS FILLING WATER FOR LAKSHMI AND STANDING IN SERVICE TO HER IS UNTENABLE Only solution is that such depictions are of Goddess Earth and that Vasudev and Balaram depicted here are the Herogods represented as pastoral and KALA NO 8 agricultural divinities, respectively. THE ABOVE 2 IMAGES ARE

• SHOWING LATE PERSISTENT TRENDS THE MIGHTY BHUDEVI, WHEREIN BALRAM AND VASUDEVA ARE HEROGODS OF THE PANCHVIRAS, UNASSIMILATED THROUGH THE PANCHRATRA CULT INTO THE GRAND GOD VISHNU AS HIS INCARNATIONS CONCLUDING

• IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT EVEN THE MUCH POPULAR VISHNU HAS VERY FEW IMAGES, LAKSHMI VERY LESS KNOWN COMPARATIVELY IN LITERATURE CANNOT BE THE DEITY DEPICTED IN BUDDHIST CONTEXTS AS FAR AS THE DECCAN WHERE VAISHNAVISM WAS NOT KNOWN IN EARLY PERIOD, AS PER ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOLK DEITY

• THE IMAGERY IS OF A FOLK DEITY (BHUDEVI) ACCEPTABLE TO THE MASSES THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE COUNTRY EVEN UPTO SRILANKA. • SHE WAS MUCH MORE READILY INCORPORATED IN THE DUE TO THE MARA INCIDENT • JAINA ART ALSO REPRESENTED HER SHE (BHUDEVI) IS SHOWN • NAKED AMIDST LUXURIOUS FLORA AND FAUNA IN RINGSTONE • SHE IS SHOWN NAKED AND HEADLESS AS LAJJAGAURI HOLDING LOTUS - COMMON FEATURE WITH SOME OF THE FIGURES OF SANCHI • THE VASE DEPICTION SO PROFUSELY SEEN IN SANCHI, BHARHUT LATER BECOMES THE IDENTIFYING FEATURE OF VASUDAHARA= PRITHVI IN BUDDHIST ART LAKSHMI

• IS NEVER SHOWN NAKED • IS NOT KNOWN TO THE PRESENT AUTHOR IN PROPER VAISHNAVA ASSOCIATION NOT EARLIER THAN THE GUPTA PERIOD • VISHNU CANNOT BE SHOWN SUBORDINATE TO LAKSHMI CONSIDERING LAKSHMI IS MOSTLY SHOWN MASSAGING THE FEET OF VISHNU HEREIN IT IS PROPOSED THAT IN AS MUCH THE FIGURES OF THE GODDESS IN THE BUDDHIST (SRAMANICAL) CONTEXT IS CONCERNED THESE ARE REPRESENTING PRITHVI OR VASUDHARA THE ‘BEARER OF TREASURE’, WHICH ‘ARE ONE AND THE SAME’(SHAW 2006:258)

AND THEREFORE THESE SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS GAJA-PRITHVI DEVI OR BETTER STILL AS GAJA- BHU DEVI IF THESE ARE ANOINTED BY ELEPHANTS. THE DEITY WITH LOTUSES WITH OR WITHOUT ELEPHANTS OF THE EARLY CONTEXT OF SANCHI AND ELSEWHERE ARE IN FACT IMAGES OF BHUDEVI

• In the latest Mandala of Rgveda the procreative pair of Dyava and Prithvi are referred to as the sitting near and right above the Earth that lies with her legs uplifted (uttana) beneath him (RV X. 27.13) FEMALE DEITY OF SANCHI ON LOTUS AS EARLY IMAGES OF BHU DEVI J. MANUEL

Mankind amongst all beings, from time immemorial was endowed with great power of observation and reasoning. He did notice the springing forth of the bounties of nature from the womb of earth. He reasoned that the earth could not be anything else other than of female gender. His clans well being depended on the fertility of the earth. Like children pleading to their mother for more sweets they would plead to the mother earth for increasing her bounties to mankind. • In the latest Mandala of Rgveda the procreative pair of Dyava and Prithvi are referred to as the Heaven sitting near and right above the Earth that lies with her legs uplifted (uttana) beneath him (RV X. 27.13)

• ‘Therefore the images under reference with her both legs spread open, lotus-head and upraised hands holding lotuses may reasonably be identified with Prithvi(Earth), as was originally proposed by John Marshall’. ( K. Kumar Pragdhara 17 p 156)

HH WILSON 1864 VISHNU PURAN HH WILSON 1864 VISHNU PURAN HH WILSON 1864 VISHNU PURAN • Śrī may not originally have been identical with the goddess called Lakṣmī ‘(good, lucky) sign’, who appears in Śrīsūkta 3-12 with the same characteristics as Śrī, and probably is another name for Śrī. In later texts like the Mahābhārata, Upaniṣads and Purāṇas, they are certainly a single deity.193 • Two gods dominate as partners of the post-Vedic Śrī: Indra and Viṣṇu. Both of them function as divine prototypes of the heroic king. Śrī herself chooses to accompany them because of their virtues.227 We are told in the Mahābhārata of the good king Bali, that he lost his Śrī to the king Indra when he acted unrighteously towards brāhmaṇas. Devas ‘gods’ and ‘demons, lords’, in this and other myths, are a kind of rival, royal houses, rather than good versus evil forces. In wrath, Śrī went to Indra. Bali was however not saddened by the loss. He remarked that Śrī is ‘fickle, quivering’ (cañcalā, lolā), that “she does not stay in one place”