SmartSurat  #  Hinduism

Proto-Siva

Of particular importance are three seals depicting what appears to be some kind of divine being who is seated identically on the three seals, with legs drawn up so that the knees are outspread and the heels are brought together. This is not, as so many writers like to claim, the identical posture of the great Hindu ascetic God, Siva. Nor is it the traditional lotus posture of eastern culture, where the feet are drawn up on top of the opposite thigh. All that can be said of this seated figure on the seals is that the posture is a still one, a motionless one, and is a yogic one, and it is this which creates the resemblance to the ascetic nature of the Hindu God Siva. Other similarities of this figure to the later deity Siva are usually highlighted. His body is naked with the exception of his bangle-clad arms which are stretched out in front of him so that his hands rest on his knees. On two seals, the figure is possibly ithyphallic, suggesting a focus on fertility. On the largest of the three seals the figure is surrounded by wild animals, reminiscent of the later God Siva in his role as Pasupati ' Lord of the Creatures ', though Siva as Pasupati is connected with domesticated animals.        Cone-shaped objects have been found all over the Indus valley which scholars have identified as lingas - the phallic symbols associated with the God Siva, though none can be directly associated with the deity on the three seals. The original excavator of Mohenjodaro, John Marshall, believed that the figure on one of the seals had three faces; and indeed, the God Siva is sometimes depicted so.        Thus, there are a number of possible indications that the figure on three of the seals is a forerunner of the Hindu deity Siva: he is therefore appropriately named Proto-Siva. Yet we should be cautious about pressing this identity too far. The figures on the seals are not identical and there is no reason why they should not be different deities: one, indeed, may possibly be female. On one of the seals, the figure is presented with an elaborate horned head-dress with what seems to be a plant issuing forth from the space between the horns. There is clearly an emphasis on animal features and it is possible that at least one figure is animal faced, possibly a buffalo, and not masked, as many claim. This would accord well with the scenes of half human, half animal creatures portrayed on other seals. As for John Marshall's three faces; this is far from clear, the `faces' being no more than very small protuberances or 'buds' which could indicate something very different. In fact, Alf Hiltebeitel suggests that it takes an act of will to concur with such a hypothesis. What can be stated with more clarity is that the figure(s) on the seals was probably some kind of deity since on one seal he is flanked by kneeling attendants and two rearing cobras, one on each side. This clearly suggests ritualistic practice but, while now widely referred to as Proto-Siva, the link with Hindu Siva might be viewed with more caution.