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A Rosetta Stone helped validate the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs because the inscriptions on the Stone contained multilingual texts containing the same message. So far, Indus Script Corpora has NOT produced any Rosetta Stone type of evidence. Hence, any claim of decipherment of Indus Script is contested in academia. Rightly so.
Many 'Rosetta Stones' removed in time from the days of Indus Script inscriptions (which started from ca. 3500 BCE) have been found in Sanchi and Bharhut engravings (which are dated to from ca. 3rd cent. BCE).
This note discusses these Indus Script Rosetta Stone evidences discovered in Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut -- to validate the decipherment of Indus Script.
Artifact finds of Sanchi and Bharhut demonstrate the use of Brahmi and Kharosthi syllabic writing which demonstrate that the language of the artists and artisans was Prakritam. Use of Brahmi and Kharosthi writing is also evidenced on a punchmarked coin of Taxila (Fig. 10.13.14) with inscriptions: obv. negama (Brahmi) and rev. kojaka (Kharosthi).
"In the northwest Kharosthi continued to flourish and most of the known inscriptions in that are were written in this script between c. BCE 200 and CE 200. Kharosthi gained wide currency for coin inscriptions in the same reion. That its use spread at an early date into the Ganges valley can be inferred from the fact that at Bharhut the masons used Kharosthi letters for their masonry marks. Recently a number of Kharosthi inscriptions have been discovered on potsherds from sites in Bengal. Coinage. Around the opening of the second century BCE the establishment of an Indo-Greek kingdom in Gandhara introduced into the northwest a major new currency system, with a predominantly silver and bronze coinage. At an early stage the Greeks employed bilingual inscriptions in Greek and in Prakrit in Brahmi or Kharosthi script, and their coins provided a model which later rulers in the region were to initiate. The Greeks were followed into India by a series of foreign groups, first the Sakas and later the Kusanas who were among those to emulate the Greek patterns of coin...On the coins of Kaniska and his successors in the second century CE a wide variety of deities was depicted, including, beside the mainly Iranian pantheon, the Buddha and Siva, as well as Greek and Egyptian deities."(Allchin, FR & George Erdosy, 1995, The archaeology of early historic South Asia: the emergence of cities and states, Cambridge University Press, p.311).
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After Fig. 10.12. Allchin & Erdosy, 1995. Coinage ascribable to the pre-Mauryan period (c. BCE 4th century). Northwest regions: 1. silver bar coin (double standard); 2. silver round coin (half standard); 3. silver square coin. Ganges valley (Kasi); 4. cup-shaped silver punchmarked coin; 5. silver punchmarked coin.
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After Fig. 10.13. ibid. Coinage ascribable to the Mauryan and immediately post-Mauryan period. 6,7,8 silver punchmarked coins, national series; 9,10,11 coper cast coins; 12,13,15,16 die-struck copper coins; 14. inscribed copper coin, Taxila; obv. negama (Brahmi script), rev. kojaka (Kharosthi script). "We believe it is reasonable to conclude that during the Mauryan period silver punchmarked coins of the national series were very widely distributed in South Asia, and were accompanied by coins of the cast copper varieties."(Allchin, FR & George Erdosy, 1995, The archaeology of early historic South Asia: the emergence of cities and states, Cambridge University Press, p.221).
It is known that sculptors of Sanchi and Bharhut artifacts were in the tradition of ivory carvers of Begram.
The hieroglyphs -- for example, elephant, tiger, mountain-range, tree, fire-altar, sun's rays, svastika -- deployed on the coins of Mauryan period are comparable to the hieroglyphs on Indus Script Corpora. The later-day inventors of Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts are likely to have been adept at Indus Script hieroglyph writing (mlecchita vikalpa, i.e. Meluhha cipher).
arka 'sun' rebus: arka, eraka 'gold, copper moltencast'
kanda 'fire-altar'
kuTi 'tree' rebus: kuThi 'smelter'
Ku. ḍã̄g, ḍã̄k ʻ stony land ʼ; B. ḍāṅ ʻ heap ʼ, ḍāṅgā ʻ hill, dry upland ʼ; H. ḍã̄g f. ʻ mountain -- ridge ʼ; M. ḍã̄g m.n., ḍã̄gaṇ, °gāṇ, ḍãgāṇ n. ʻ hill -- tract ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : N. ḍaṅgur ʻ heap ʼ.
M. ḍũg m. ʻ hill, pile ʼ, °gā m. ʻ eminence ʼ, °gī f. ʻ heap ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : Pk. ḍuṁgara -- m. ʻ mountain ʼ; Ku. ḍũgar, ḍũgrī; N. ḍuṅgar ʻ heap ʼ; Or. ḍuṅguri ʻ hillock ʼ, H. ḍū̃gar m., G. ḍũgar m., ḍũgrī f. S. ḍ̠ū̃garu m. ʻ hill ʼ, H. M. ḍõgar m.(CDIAL 5523) rebus: N. ḍāṅro ʻ term of contempt for a blacksmith ʼ; Or. dhāṅgaṛ ʻ young servant, herdsman, name of a Santal tribe ʼ,H.dhaṅgar m. ʻ herdsman ʼ, dhã̄gaṛ, °ar m. ʻ a non-- Aryan tribe in the Vindhyas, digger of wells and tanks ʼ(CDIAL 5524) For rebus readings of elephant, tiger, see following paragraphs.
A Rosetta Stone helped validate the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs because the inscriptions on the Stone contained multilingual texts containing the same message. So far, Indus Script Corpora has NOT produced any Rosetta Stone type of evidence. Hence, any claim of decipherment of Indus Script is contested in academia. Rightly so.
Many 'Rosetta Stones' removed in time from the days of Indus Script inscriptions (which started from ca. 3500 BCE) have been found in Sanchi and Bharhut engravings (which are dated to from ca. 3rd cent. BCE).
This note discusses these Indus Script Rosetta Stone evidences discovered in Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut -- to validate the decipherment of Indus Script.
Artifact finds of Sanchi and Bharhut demonstrate the use of Brahmi and Kharosthi syllabic writing which demonstrate that the language of the artists and artisans was Prakritam. Use of Brahmi and Kharosthi writing is also evidenced on a punchmarked coin of Taxila (Fig. 10.13.14) with inscriptions: obv. negama (Brahmi) and rev. kojaka (Kharosthi).
"In the northwest Kharosthi continued to flourish and most of the known inscriptions in that are were written in this script between c. BCE 200 and CE 200. Kharosthi gained wide currency for coin inscriptions in the same reion. That its use spread at an early date into the Ganges valley can be inferred from the fact that at Bharhut the masons used Kharosthi letters for their masonry marks. Recently a number of Kharosthi inscriptions have been discovered on potsherds from sites in Bengal. Coinage. Around the opening of the second century BCE the establishment of an Indo-Greek kingdom in Gandhara introduced into the northwest a major new currency system, with a predominantly silver and bronze coinage. At an early stage the Greeks employed bilingual inscriptions in Greek and in Prakrit in Brahmi or Kharosthi script, and their coins provided a model which later rulers in the region were to initiate. The Greeks were followed into India by a series of foreign groups, first the Sakas and later the Kusanas who were among those to emulate the Greek patterns of coin...On the coins of Kaniska and his successors in the second century CE a wide variety of deities was depicted, including, beside the mainly Iranian pantheon, the Buddha and Siva, as well as Greek and Egyptian deities."(Allchin, FR & George Erdosy, 1995, The archaeology of early historic South Asia: the emergence of cities and states, Cambridge University Press, p.311).
After Fig. 10.12. Allchin & Erdosy, 1995. Coinage ascribable to the pre-Mauryan period (c. BCE 4th century). Northwest regions: 1. silver bar coin (double standard); 2. silver round coin (half standard); 3. silver square coin. Ganges valley (Kasi); 4. cup-shaped silver punchmarked coin; 5. silver punchmarked coin.
After Fig. 10.13. ibid. Coinage ascribable to the Mauryan and immediately post-Mauryan period. 6,7,8 silver punchmarked coins, national series; 9,10,11 coper cast coins; 12,13,15,16 die-struck copper coins; 14. inscribed copper coin, Taxila; obv. negama (Brahmi script), rev. kojaka (Kharosthi script). "We believe it is reasonable to conclude that during the Mauryan period silver punchmarked coins of the national series were very widely distributed in South Asia, and were accompanied by coins of the cast copper varieties."(Allchin, FR & George Erdosy, 1995, The archaeology of early historic South Asia: the emergence of cities and states, Cambridge University Press, p.221).
It is known that sculptors of Sanchi and Bharhut artifacts were in the tradition of ivory carvers of Begram.
The hieroglyphs -- for example, elephant, tiger, mountain-range, tree, fire-altar, sun's rays, svastika -- deployed on the coins of Mauryan period are comparable to the hieroglyphs on Indus Script Corpora. The later-day inventors of Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts are likely to have been adept at Indus Script hieroglyph writing (mlecchita vikalpa, i.e. Meluhha cipher).
arka 'sun' rebus: arka, eraka 'gold, copper moltencast'
kanda 'fire-altar'
kuTi 'tree' rebus: kuThi 'smelter'
Ku. ḍã̄g, ḍã̄k ʻ stony land ʼ; B. ḍāṅ ʻ heap ʼ, ḍāṅgā ʻ hill, dry upland ʼ; H. ḍã̄g f. ʻ mountain -- ridge ʼ; M. ḍã̄g m.n., ḍã̄gaṇ, °gāṇ, ḍãgāṇ n. ʻ hill -- tract ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : N. ḍaṅgur ʻ heap ʼ.
M. ḍũg m. ʻ hill, pile ʼ, °gā m. ʻ eminence ʼ, °gī f. ʻ heap ʼ. -- Ext. -- r -- : Pk. ḍuṁgara -- m. ʻ mountain ʼ; Ku. ḍũgar, ḍũgrī; N. ḍuṅgar ʻ heap ʼ; Or. ḍuṅguri ʻ hillock ʼ, H. ḍū̃gar m., G. ḍũgar m., ḍũgrī f. S. ḍ̠ū̃garu m. ʻ hill ʼ, H. M. ḍõgar m.(CDIAL 5523) rebus: N. ḍāṅro ʻ term of contempt for a blacksmith ʼ; Or. dhāṅgaṛ ʻ young servant, herdsman, name of a Santal tribe ʼ,H.dhaṅgar m. ʻ herdsman ʼ, dhã̄gaṛ, °ar m. ʻ a non-- Aryan tribe in the Vindhyas, digger of wells and tanks ʼ(CDIAL 5524) For rebus readings of elephant, tiger, see following paragraphs.
Hieroglyph: svastika: satthiya 'svastika' rebus: satthiya, jasta 'zinc'
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Taxila coinSemantics of negama (Brahmi) and kojaka (Kharosthi) on Taxila coin which meant 'merchant caravans' and 'treasurer' respectively as may be seen from the glosses of Indian sprachbund (both Indo-Aryan including Prakritam and Dravidian):
नि-° गम [p= 545,3] a caravan or company of merchants (ifc. f(आ).) R. Das3. ;a town , city , market-place A1past. Car. Lalit. m. insertion (esp. of the name of a deity into a liturgical formula) SrS.the वेद or the Vedic text Hariv. Pa1n2. Pur. &cany work auxiliary to and explanatory of the वेदs Mn. iv , 19 ( Kull. )doctrine , instruction in , art of (comp.) Ba1lar.= परिशिष्ट Cat. (Monier-Williams)
nigamá m. ʻ marketplace ʼ Āpast. [√gam ]Pa. nigama -- m. ʻ market town ʼ, Pk. ṇigama -- m.; OSi. niyama ʻ marketplace ʼ.(CDIAL 7158)*nigamagrāma ʻ market village ʼ. [nigamá -- , grāˊma -- ] Si. niyamgama ʻ large village ʼ.(CDIAL 7159) Go<tiniGam>(A) {V} ``to ^start (doing something)''.(Munda etyma) It is possible that the gloss is linked to grAma'village'. grāˊma m. ʻ troop, village ʼ RV., °aka -- m. MBh.Pa. gāma -- , °aka -- m. ʻ village ʼ, Aś. gāma -- , KharI. grama, Dhp. gama, NiDoc. grame pl.; Pk. gāma -- m. ʻ collection, village ʼ; Gy. eur. gav m. ʻ village, town ʼ; Ash. glam ʻ village ʼ, Kt. gŕom, Pr. gəm, Dm. gram, Paš. dar. lām, kuṛ. lāma, chil. lōm, ar. d lōm, lōm (not dialects in which it would collide with lām < kárman -- IIFL iii 3, 109), Niṅg. Shum. lām, Woṭ. gām m., Gaw. lām, Kal. grom, Kho. gram (in cmpds. and place names), Bshk. lām, Tor. gām, Mai. gã̄, Gau. gaõ, Sv. grām, Phal. grōm, Sh. girōm ʻ cowpen ʼ (earlier → Bur. gir*l m ʻ clan, village ʼ Morgenstierne in Lorimer BurLg I, xxii), dr. gām ʻ village ʼ, gur. gāõ (← Ind. ~ kui < kuṭī -- ); K. gām m. ʻ village ʼ, S. gã̄u m., L. girã̄ m., P. grã̄, girã̄, °rāũ m., WPah. bhad. ḍḷã̄, bhiḍ. bhal. ḍḷaũ n., paṅ. cam. grã̄; cur. girã̄ ʻ field ʼ; rudh. gye ũ ʻ village ʼ, khaś. grão, Ku. gaũ, gng. gɔ̃, N. A. gāũ, B. Or. gã̄, Bi. gã̄w, Mth. gã̄o, gām, Bhoj. Aw. lakh. H. gã̄u m., Marw. gã̄v, G. gām n., M. gã̄v, gāv m.n., Ko. gã̄vu m., Si. gama; -- ext. -- ṭa -- : Sk. grāmaṭikā -- f. ʻ wretched village ʼ, Pk. gāmaḍa -- m., G. gāmṛũ n. ʻ small village ʼ.grāmín -- ; *agrāmin -- , agrāmya -- , *nirgrāmika -- , saṁgrāmá -- ; grāmakūṭa -- , grāmaṇīˊ -- , *grāmadāra -- , *grāmadhāna -- , grāmavāsin -- , grāmastha -- , grāmāntá -- , *grāmārdha -- ; *gōgrāma -- , *nigamagrāma -- , *paragrāma -- , *pāṇḍavagrāma -- , *pālagrāma -- , mātr̥grāma -- .Addenda: grāˊma -- : WPah.kṭg. (kc.) graũ m. (obl. kṭg. graũ, kc. grama) ʻ village ʼ.(CDIAL 4368)
कोशक [p= 314,2] n. case , receptacle of (in comp.) Ma1rkP. xi , 5.f. a drinking-vessel L. (Monier-Williams) Kol. (SR.) kojā cup. Go. (ASu.) khōjā bowl. (Kamaleswaran.) (DEDR 2191) Go. kōsur (Mu.) a government servant or paik, (Elwin) outsiders and strangers, a paik; (Ph.) kosur, (W.) koshur Hindu man; (Ph.) kostār, (W.) koshtār Hindu woman; (Ph. W.) kosh the Hindi language (Voc. 991). Konḍa (BB) kōslaen (pl. kōska) a peon. Pe. kōsku (pl.) peons. Kuwi (S.) koheesi constable, (pl. kōska police); (Ṭ.) kōh'i (pl. kōska) peon; kōhu haḍa the Oriya language.(DEDR 2192). <kokoJa>
{NK} ``^members of one's immediate ^family''. @2202. #16121.suffix of adverbs'.(Munda etyma)
kōśāgāra n. ʻ treasure chamber ʼ MBh. [kṓśa -- , agāra -- ]L. kohārā m. ʻ cash box, box for blacksmith's odds and ends ʼ, mult. khũhārā m.(CDIAL 3542).Kosa1 (m. nt.) [cp. Sk. kośa and koṣa, cavity, box vessel, cp. Goth. hūs, E. house; related also kukṣi=P. kucchi] any cavity or enclosure containing anything, viz. 1. a store -- room or storehouse, treasury or granary A iv.95 (rāja˚); Sn 525; J iv.409 (=wealth, stores); J vi.81 (aḍḍhakosa only half a house) in cpd. -- ˚ koṭṭhāgāra, expld at DA i.295 as koso vuccati bhaṇḍāgāraŋ. Four kinds are mentioned: hatthī˚, assā˚, rathā˚, raṭṭhaŋ˚. <->- koṭṭhāgāra "treasury and granary" usually in phrase paripuṇṇa -- k -- k (adj.) "with stores of treasures and other wealth" Vin i.342; D i.134; S i.89; Miln 2; & passim. (Pali) Kosaka [fr. kosa] 1. a sheath for a needle Jiii. 282; - 2. a bowl, container, or vessel for food J i. 349 (v. l. kesaka); M ii. 6, 7,(Pali)
Begram ivory prototype and Bharhut torana
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See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/bharhut-stupa-torana-architectural.html
It is suggested that the engravers of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut who wrote in Brahmi and Kharosthi syllabic scripts followed the tradition of hieroglyphmultiplextext of Indus Script on pictorial motifs of ivory or stone sculptural artifacts. In this perspective, Begram, Sanchi, Bharhut artifacts constitute Rosetta stones to validate decipherment of Indus Script Corpora -- which are metalwork catalogues with inscriptions in Prakritam -- the same language used by scribes of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut.
The language Prakritam unites the Rosetta Stones of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut with the Indus Scipt Corpora and overcomes the problem time-gap of about 1000 years-- between ca. 3500 BCE - 1500 BCE (the dates of Sarasvati-Sindhu or Indus Valley Civilization) and 3rd cent. BCE.
Continuing Art traditions of Indus Script Corpora in Begram, Sanchi, Bharhut
Unique art forms unite the artifacts with hieroglyphs of Indus Script Corpora, Begram ivories and Sanchi/Bharhut stone sculptural friezes.
One characteristic style which singles out Indus writing system is the deployment of hieroglyphmultiplextext, creating for example, composite animals with many body parts from different animals. This characteristic style continues into the historical periods. As mlecchita vikalpa (cipher writing in Meluhha or Prakritam), all artifacts with unique hieroglyphmultiplexes can be explained as plain texts related to metalwork which was a principal life-activity of the artisans of both Bronze and Iron Ages in the civilization area of Indian sprachbund (laguage speech union).
Detail of three winged tigers and a pair of horned, winged tigers with riders on Sanchi Stupa as centre-piece on the top architrave and on left and right pillars
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Rebus: fire-god: @B27990. #16671. Remo <karandi>E155 {N} ``^fire-^god''.(Munda)
eraka 'wing' Rebus: eraka 'copper'.
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The prototype model for the joined tigers occurs on Indus Script Corpora deciphered as smithy workshop: kole.l cAl
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Text1386 Note how the hieroglyph components of the text are displayed in the space available on the seal after the pictorial motif hieroglyphs have been put together as part of the hypertext. The broken corner of the seal may have included other 'text hieroglyphs called signs'.
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/07/nature-of-indus-writing-system-defined.html
Hieroglyphmultiplextext of stalks as horns is displayed on another frieze of Sanchi with an elephant ligatured to the body of a bull:
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Sanchi examples of hieroglyhphmultiplextexts are a continuum of the Indus Script tradition.
The artisans convey messages of metalwork on Indus Script Corpora as also on many sculptural friezes using such hieroglyphmultiplextexts.
In addition to the thousands of examples on punch-marked and other metal coins of the historical periods and scruptural relief hieroglyphs, the hieroglyphmultiplextexts from the Indus Script Corpora tradition also get displayed on a pre-Mauryan ca. 6th cent. BCE Sohgaura copper plate. The koTThaka mentioned in the Brahmi inscription is also displayed as a hieroglyph on a hypertext, top line:
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Sohgaura coper plate inscription. The Sohgaura copper plate refers to a pair of kos.t.ha_ga_ra (dva_ra kot.t.haka); the two storehouses described as tri-garbha (i.e. having three rooms)...
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/07/sohgaura-copper-plate-inscription-as.html [kōṣṭhāgāra n. ʻ storeroom, store ʼ Mn. [kṓṣṭha -- 2 , agāra -- ]Pa. koṭṭhāgāra -- n. ʻ storehouse, granary ʼ; Pk. koṭṭhāgāra -- , koṭṭhāra -- n. ʻ storehouse ʼ; K. kuṭhār m. ʻ wooden granary ʼ, WPah. bhal. kóṭhār m.; A. B. kuṭharī ʻ apartment ʼ, Or. koṭhari; Aw. lakh. koṭhārʻ zemindar's residence ʼ; H. kuṭhiyār ʻ granary ʼ; G. koṭhār m. ʻ granary, storehouse ʼ, koṭhāriyũ n. ʻ small do. ʼ; M. koṭhār n., koṭhārẽ n. ʻ large granary ʼ, -- °rī f. ʻ small one ʼ; Si. koṭāra ʻ granary, store ʼ.WPah.kṭg. kəṭhāˊr, kc. kuṭhār m. ʻ granary, storeroom ʼ, J. kuṭhār, kṭhār m.; -- Md. kořāru ʻ storehouse ʼ ← Ind.(CDIAL 3550)]
A trilogy has demonstrated that the Indus Script Corpora constitute catalogus catalogorum of metalwork of the Bronze Age:
The sakkia who created the Begram ivories also created the Bharhut and Sanchi architectural marvels. They are from the lineage of scribes of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization who wrote in mlecchita vikalpa (lit. meluhha cipher) documented on Indus Script Corpora.
Links:
http://tinyurl.com/omqwnx2
http://tinyurl.com/pkrnfqp
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
July 5, 2015
Taxila coinनि-° गम [p= 545,3] a caravan or company of merchants (ifc. f(आ).) R. Das3. ;a town , city , market-place A1past. Car. Lalit. m. insertion (esp. of the name of a deity into a liturgical formula) SrS.the वेद or the Vedic text Hariv. Pa1n2. Pur. &cany work auxiliary to and explanatory of the वेदs Mn. iv , 19 ( Kull. )doctrine , instruction in , art of (comp.) Ba1lar.= परिशिष्ट Cat. (Monier-Williams)
कोशक [p= 314,2] n. case , receptacle of (in comp.) Ma1rkP. xi , 5.f. a drinking-vessel L. (Monier-Williams) Kol. (SR.) kojā cup. Go. (ASu.) khōjā bowl. (Kamaleswaran.) (DEDR 2191) Go. kōsur (Mu.) a government servant or paik, (Elwin) outsiders and strangers, a paik; (Ph.) kosur, (W.) koshur Hindu man; (Ph.) kostār, (W.) koshtār Hindu woman; (Ph. W.) kosh the Hindi language (Voc. 991). Konḍa (BB) kōslaen (pl. kōska) a peon. Pe. kōsku (pl.) peons. Kuwi (S.) koheesi constable, (pl. kōska police); (Ṭ.) kōh'i (pl. kōska) peon; kōhu haḍa the Oriya language.(DEDR 2192). <kokoJa>
{NK} ``^members of one's immediate ^family''. @2202. #16121.suffix of adverbs'.(Munda etyma)
kōśāgāra n. ʻ treasure chamber ʼ MBh. [kṓśa -- , agāra -- ]L. kohārā m. ʻ cash box, box for blacksmith's odds and ends ʼ, mult. khũhārā m.(CDIAL 3542).Kosa1 (m. nt.) [cp. Sk. kośa and koṣa, cavity, box vessel, cp. Goth. hūs, E. house; related also kukṣi=P. kucchi] any cavity or enclosure containing anything, viz. 1. a store -- room or storehouse, treasury or granary A iv.95 (rāja˚); Sn 525; J iv.409 (=wealth, stores); J vi.81 (aḍḍhakosa only half a house) in cpd. -- ˚ koṭṭhāgāra, expld at DA i.295 as koso vuccati bhaṇḍāgāraŋ. Four kinds are mentioned: hatthī˚, assā˚, rathā˚, raṭṭhaŋ˚. <->- koṭṭhāgāra "treasury and granary" usually in phrase paripuṇṇa -- k -- k (adj.) "with stores of treasures and other wealth" Vin i.342; D i.134; S i.89; Miln 2; & passim. (Pali) Kosaka [fr. kosa] 1. a sheath for a needle J
Begram ivory prototype and Bharhut torana
Women standing under a Toraṇa. Begram Ivory Plaque which is a prototype for Bharhut-Sanchi Stupa Toraṇa
Bharhut Torana
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/bharhut-stupa-torana-architectural.html
It is suggested that the engravers of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut who wrote in Brahmi and Kharosthi syllabic scripts followed the tradition of hieroglyphmultiplextext of Indus Script on pictorial motifs of ivory or stone sculptural artifacts. In this perspective, Begram, Sanchi, Bharhut artifacts constitute Rosetta stones to validate decipherment of Indus Script Corpora -- which are metalwork catalogues with inscriptions in Prakritam -- the same language used by scribes of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut.
The language Prakritam unites the Rosetta Stones of Begram, Sanchi and Bharhut with the Indus Scipt Corpora and overcomes the problem time-gap of about 1000 years-- between ca. 3500 BCE - 1500 BCE (the dates of Sarasvati-Sindhu or Indus Valley Civilization) and 3rd cent. BCE.
Continuing Art traditions of Indus Script Corpora in Begram, Sanchi, Bharhut
Unique art forms unite the artifacts with hieroglyphs of Indus Script Corpora, Begram ivories and Sanchi/Bharhut stone sculptural friezes.
One characteristic style which singles out Indus writing system is the deployment of hieroglyphmultiplextext, creating for example, composite animals with many body parts from different animals. This characteristic style continues into the historical periods. As mlecchita vikalpa (cipher writing in Meluhha or Prakritam), all artifacts with unique hieroglyphmultiplexes can be explained as plain texts related to metalwork which was a principal life-activity of the artisans of both Bronze and Iron Ages in the civilization area of Indian sprachbund (laguage speech union).
Detail of three winged tigers and a pair of horned, winged tigers with riders on Sanchi Stupa as centre-piece on the top architrave and on left and right pillars
Horns as hieroglyph: The 'horns' are 'stalks', hieroglyphs: कारंडा [ kāraṇḍā ]करंडा [ karaṇḍā ] m A chump or block. the stock or fixed portion of the staff of the large leaf-covered summerhead or umbrella. A clump, chump, or block of wood. करांडा [ karāṇḍā ] m C A cylindrical piece as sawn or chopped off the trunk or a bough of a tree; a clump, chump, or block. करोळा [ karōḷā ] m The half-burnt grass of a Potter's kiln: also a single stalk of it. Kalanda [cp. Sk. karaṇḍa piece of wood?] heap, stack (like a heap of wood? cp. kalingara) Miln 292 (sīsa˚) (Pali) करण्ड [L=44277] n. a piece of wood , block Bhpr.
Rebus: fire-god: @B27990. #16671. Remo <karandi>E155 {N} ``^fire-^god''.(Munda)
Allograph: करडी [ karaḍī ] f (See करडई) Safflower: also its seed.
Rebus: karaḍa ‘hard alloy’ (Marathi) See: http://tinyurl.com/qcjhwl2
Hieroglyphs:
kola, kōlu ‘jackal, tiger (Konkani.Telugu) rebus: kola_ burning charcoal (Lahnda.Punjabi.);kol, kolla a furnace (Tamil); kolla a blacksmith (Malayalam); kol metal (Tamil); kol 'working in iron'; kolhe 'smelter' (Santali); kolimi 'smithy-forge'(Telugu) kole.l 'smithy, temple'(Kota)
dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'cast metal'
Artistic style: Joined animal Hieroglyph: sangaḍi = joined animals (Marathi)
Rebus: saMghAta 'caravan'
Hieroglyphs of riders: With karaṇḍā 'stalks' as koD 'horns' and artisans (carrying goads or weapons or काण्डी kANDI 'little stalk or stem') hieroglyph components added: karaḍā eraka kol saMghAta 'hard alloy moltencast copper working in iron caravan' PLUS kuThAru 'armourer', or kamar 'artisan' PLUS koD 'workshop'. [In Udipi and coastal Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, there is a practice of ‘Pili Kola’ worshiping Tiger. The festival is conducted once in every two years in Muggerkala Temple in Kaup. http://www.bellevision.com/belle/index.php?action=topnews&type=3842
http://www.mangalorean.com/specials/specialnews.php?newsid=481755&newstype=local] Rebus: खांड (p. 202) [ khāṇḍa as in lokhaṇḍa 'metal tools, pots and pans, metalware' (Marathi). Thus the two riders of the hieroglyph-multiplex of stalk-as-horn PLUS winged tigers can be read as: armourers working in a smithy-forge, kolimi and with hard alloy, karaDa; moltencast metal, eraka. The riders seem to be arrying: कुठार (p. 167) [ kuṭhāra ] m S An ax or a hatchet. Hence, they are kuThAru 'armourers'.
The entire hieroglyphmultiplextext is read rebus in Meluhha:
dul eraka karaḍa kol lokhaṇḍa kuThAru saMghAta 'moltencast metal, alloy, iron worker, metalware, armourer caravan'.
The stalks ligatured as horns are hieroglyphs which compare with Sit Shamshi bronze which displays three such stocks to signify metalwork and oblations to the Sun divinity:
kolmo 'three' rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'; kole.l 'smithy, temple'.
The prototype model for the joined tigers occurs on Indus Script Corpora deciphered as smithy workshop: kole.l cAl
m0295 Mohenjo-daro seal
This is a good example of hypertext with two categories of hypertext components: 1. pictorial motif hieroglyphs; 2. text hieroglyphs called signs in Indus Script Concordances such as those of Parpola and Mahadevan.
cāli 'Interlocking bodies' (IL 3872) Rebus: sal 'workshop' (Santali)
Pict-61: Composite motif of three tigers
Text1386 Note how the hieroglyph components of the text are displayed in the space available on the seal after the pictorial motif hieroglyphs have been put together as part of the hypertext. The broken corner of the seal may have included other 'text hieroglyphs called signs'.Hieroglyph of ‘looking back’ is read rebus as kamar 'artisan': క్రమ్మరు [krammaru] krammaru. [Tel.] v. n. To turn, return, go back. మరలు. క్రమ్మరించు or క్రమ్మరుచు krammarinṭsu. V. a. To turn, send back, recall. To revoke, annul, rescind.క్రమ్మరజేయు. క్రమ్మర krammara. Adv. Again. క్రమ్మరిల్లు or క్రమరబడు Same as క్రమ్మరు. krəm backʼ(Kho.)(CDIAL 3145) Kho. Krəm ʻ back ʼ NTS ii 262 with (?) (CDIAL 3145)[Cf. Ir. *kamaka – or *kamraka -- ʻ back ʼ in Shgh. Čůmč ʻ back ʼ, Sar. Čomǰ EVSh 26] (CDIAL 2776) cf. Sang. kamak ʻ back ʼ, Shgh. Čomǰ (< *kamak G.M.) ʻ back of an animal ʼ, Yghn. Kama ʻ neck ʼ (CDIAL 14356). Kár, kãr ‘neck’ (Kashmiri) Kal. Gřä ʻ neck ʼ; Kho. Goḷ ʻ front of neck, throat ʼ. Gala m. ʻ throat, neck ʼ MBh. (CDIAL 4070) Rebus: karmāra ‘smith, artisan’ (Skt.) kamar ‘smith’ (Santali)
kolmo 'three' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'
kola 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron'; kolle 'blacksmith'; kolimi 'smithy, forge'; kole.l 'smithy, temple'
meḍ ‘body’ Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.) Vikalpa: kāḍ 2 काड् a man's length, the stature of a man (as a measure of length); rebus: kāḍ ‘stone’; Ga. (Oll.) kanḍ , (S.) kanḍu (pl. kanḍkil) stone
kaṇḍ kanka ‘rim of jar’; Rebus: karṇaka ‘scribe’; kaṇḍ ‘furnace, fire-altar’. Thus the ligatured Glyph is decoded: kaṇḍkarṇaka ‘furnace scribe'
kole.l smithy, temple in Kota village (Ko.)
kōnṭa corner (Nk.); tu. kōṇṭu angle, corner (Tu.); rebus: kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’ (Bengali) Alternative reading; kanac 'corner' rebus: kancu 'bronze'
sal 'splinter' Rebus: sal 'workshop'
Thus, the message on the seal reads: meḍ ‘iron’; kāḍ ‘stone’; karṇaka ‘furnace scribe'; kolimi 'smithy, forge' kole.l 'smithy, temple'; sal ‘workshop’ PLUS kõdā sal 'turner workshop' (Alternative: kancu sal 'bronze workshop')
The entire hypertexts of pictorial and text hieroglyph components can thus be read using rebus-metonymy-layered-meluhha cipher as: 'iron stone furnace scribe smithy-forge, temple, turner or bronze workshop'.
cāli 'Interlocking bodies' (IL 3872) Rebus: sal 'workshop' (Santali) Did the Bharhut architect who designed the Western Torana (Gateway) with hieroglyph multiplex of 3 tigers (winged) intend to send the message that the precincts are: Hieroglyph: cAli 'interlocking bodies' Rebus: sal 'workshop'?
Hieroglyph: kul 'tiger' (Santali) कोल्हें [ kōlhēṃ ] A jackal (Marathi) kol 'tiger, jackal' (Konkani.) kOlupuli 'tiger' (Telugu) కోలు [ kōlu ] kōlu. [Tel.] adj. Big, great, huge పెద్ద. కోలుపులి or కోల్పులి a royal tiger. Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, temple'; kol 'working in iron'. Thus kol(m) could have connoted a tiger.
*ut-- śāla ʻ leaping up ʼ. (CDIAL 1846) śāˊlā f. ʻ shed, stable, house ʼ AV., śālám adv. ʻ at home ʼ ŚBr., śālikā -- f. ʻ house, shop ʼ lex. Pa. Pk. sālā -- f. ʻ shed, stable, large open -- sided hall, house ʼ, Pk. sāla -- n. ʻ house ʼ; Ash. sal ʻ cattleshed ʼ, Wg. šāl, Kt. šål, Dm. šâl; Paš.weg. sāl, ar. šol ʻ cattleshed on summer pasture ʼ; Kho. šal ʻ cattleshed ʼ, še li ʻ goatpen ʼ; K. hal f. ʻ hall, house ʼ; L. sālh f. ʻ house with thatched roof ʼ; A. xāl, xāli ʻ house, workshop, factory ʼ; B. sāl ʻ shed, workshop ʼ; Or. sāḷa ʻ shed, stable ʼ; Bi. sār f. ʻ cowshed ʼ; H. sāl f. ʻ hall, house, school ʼ, sār f. ʻ cowshed ʼ; M. sāḷ f. ʻ workshop, school ʼ; Si. sal -- a, ha° ʻ hall, market -- hall ʼ.(CDIAL 12414) *kōlhuśālā ʻ pressing house for sugarcane or oilseeds ʼ. [*kōlhu -- , śāˊlā -- ] Bi. kolsār ʻ sugarcane mill and boiling house ʼ.(CDIAL 3538) karmaśālā f. ʻ workshop ʼ MBh. [kárman -- 1 , śāˊlā -- ]Pk. kammasālā -- f.; L. kamhāl f. ʻ hole in the ground for a weaver's feet ʼ; Si. kamhala ʻ workshop ʼ, kammala ʻ smithy ʼ.(CDIAL 2896) 2898 karmāˊra m. ʻ blacksmith ʼ RV. [EWA i 176 < stem *karmar -- ~ karman -- , but perh. with ODBL 668 ← Drav. cf. Tam. karumā ʻ smith, smelter ʼ whence meaning ʻ smith ʼ was transferred also to karmakāra -- ] Pa. kammāra -- m. ʻ worker in metal ʼ; Pk. kammāra -- , °aya -- m. ʻ blacksmith ʼ, A. kamār, B. kāmār; Or. kamāra ʻ blacksmith, caste of non -- Aryans, caste of fishermen ʼ; Mth. kamār ʻ blacksmith ʼ, Si. kam̆burā. Md. kan̆buru ʻ blacksmith ʼ.(CDIAL 2898) *karmāraśālā ʻ smithy ʼ. [karmāˊra -- , śāˊlā -- ] Mth. kamarsārī; -- Bi. kamarsāyar?(CDIAL 2899)
I suggest that the three tigers with interlocked bodies DOES connote cāli 'interlocked bodies' Rebus-metonymy layered cipher yields the plain text message : kola 'tiger'> kolom 'three' PLUS cāli 'interlocked bodies' :kammasālā 'workshop' (Prakritam) < kol(m) PLUS śāˊlā, i.e. smithy workshop.
Hieroglyphmultiplextext of stalks as horns is displayed on another frieze of Sanchi with an elephant ligatured to the body of a bull:
Hieroglyph multiplex: Sanchi stupa. railing. 2nd cent. BCE. Hieroglyphs are: elephant (face, trunk), bull (body), safflower, leafless stalks as horns
Hieroglyphs:
With karaṇḍā 'stalks' as koD 'horns' and artisans (carrying goads or weapons or काण्डी kANDI 'little stalk or stem') hieroglyph components added as signifiers on the frieze:
sangaḍi = joined animals (Marathi) [In this hieorglyphmultiplex, body of a bull is joined to the face and trun of an elephant]
Rebus: saMghAta 'caravan'
barad, barat, 'bull' rebus: baran, bharat 'mixed alloys' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin) (Punjabi) bharana id. (Bengali)
करडी [ karaḍī ] f (See करडई) Safflower Rebus: खरडा [ kharaḍā ] scribbling, engraving Rebus: करडा (p. 137) [ karaḍā ] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. PLUS kolmo 'three' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'.
kara ‘elephant’s trunk’ rebus: khar ‘blacksmith’ PLUS ibha 'elephant' Rebus: ibbo 'merchant' Pronounced together: (kar+ibbha) karb ‘iron’ (See: Tulu. ajirda karba very hard iron; karba iron.)
Or. kāṇḍa, kã̄ṛ ʻstalk, arrow ʼ(CDIAL 3023). Rebus: khāṇḍā 'tools, pots and pans, metal-ware'. ayaskāṇḍa 'a quantity of iron, excellent iron'
Read together: karaḍā khāṇḍā bharat ibbo saMghAta kolimi Hard alloy, mixed alloy (copper+zinc+tin) smithy, forge metalsmith artisan-merchant-scribe OR metalcaster-engraver caravan (guild).
Sanchi examples of hieroglyhphmultiplextexts are a continuum of the Indus Script tradition.
The artisans convey messages of metalwork on Indus Script Corpora as also on many sculptural friezes using such hieroglyphmultiplextexts.
In addition to the thousands of examples on punch-marked and other metal coins of the historical periods and scruptural relief hieroglyphs, the hieroglyphmultiplextexts from the Indus Script Corpora tradition also get displayed on a pre-Mauryan ca. 6th cent. BCE Sohgaura copper plate. The koTThaka mentioned in the Brahmi inscription is also displayed as a hieroglyph on a hypertext, top line:
Sohgaura coper plate inscription. The Sohgaura copper plate refers to a pair of kos.t.ha_ga_ra (dva_ra kot.t.haka); the two storehouses described as tri-garbha (i.e. having three rooms)...
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/07/sohgaura-copper-plate-inscription-as.html [kōṣṭhāgāra n. ʻ storeroom, store ʼ Mn. [
A trilogy has demonstrated that the Indus Script Corpora constitute catalogus catalogorum of metalwork of the Bronze Age:
Author: S. Kalyanaraman
Publisher: Sarasvai Research Center, Herndon, VA, USA
- Indus Script Cipher -- Hieroglyhphs of Indian Linguistic Area(2010)
- Indus Script: Meluhha metalwork hieroglyphs (2014)
- Philosophy of Symbolic forms in Meluhha cipher (2014)
Links:
http://tinyurl.com/omqwnx2
http://tinyurl.com/pkrnfqp
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
July 5, 2015