Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/q729sgy
There is a possibility that the karaṇa, (rebus karṇi 'supercargo') dance-step of Harappa limestone statue is a replication of the tāṇḍava nr̥tya of Nataraja śiva. It has been seen that śivalinga was worshipped by the people of Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization. ![]()
Dance-step of a male dancer shown on a sculpture of Harappa. I suggest that this is an early representation of Mahes'vara as the cosmic dancer. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/11/identity-ca-3500-bce-of-bharatam-janam.html
Dance-step of a male dancer shown on a sculpture of Harappa. I suggest that this is an early representation of Mahes'vara as the cosmic dancer. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/11/identity-ca-3500-bce-of-bharatam-janam.htmlWhat is shown as a hypertext on a Bhirrana potsherd is also shown on a Mohenjo-daro bronze figurine of a dancer's dance-step. The gloss is meD 'dance' (Remo); మెట్టు [meṭṭu] meṭṭu. [Tel.] v. a. &n. To step, walk, tread. అడుగుపెట్టు (Telugu) Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.). It is notable that Bhirrana on the banks of River Sarasvati was an archaeological settlement with continuous settlement from ca. 7th millennium BCE.
Similar hieroglyph multiplexes on figurines and cylinder seal hieroglyphs of Ancient Near East also constitute metalwork catalogues of Meluhha smths.
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Foot with anklet; copper alloy. Mohenjo-daro (After Fig. 5.11 in Agrawal. D.P. 2000. Ancient Metal Technology & Archaeology of South Asia. Delhi: Aryan Books International.)
Foot with anklet; copper alloy. Mohenjo-daro (After Fig. 5.11 in Agrawal. D.P. 2000. Ancient Metal Technology & Archaeology of South Asia. Delhi: Aryan Books International.)
Why is a 'dancing girl' glyph shown on a potsherd discovered at Bhirrana? Because, dance-step is a hieroglyph written as hypertext cipher. viśvakarma tradition which created this exquisite cire perdue bronze statue of Mohenjo-daro lives on in many of India even today. The bronzes of Nataraja śiva as a cosmic dancer attest to this tradition.
The statue of Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, Dr. Aymar, DG of CERN, Switzerland.Hieroglyph: karã̄ n. pl. ʻ wristlets, bangles ʼ (Gujarati) Rebus: khAr 'blacksmith'
Dance step of Gaṇeśa shown on a sculptural friezed of Candi Sukuh:
Forge scene stele. Forging of a keris or kris (the iconic Javanese dagger) and other weapons. The blade of the keris represents the khaNDa. Fire is a purifier, so the blade being forged is also symbolic of the purification process central theme of the consecration of gangga sudhi specified in the inscription on the 1.82 m. tall, 5 ft. dia. lingga hieroglyph, the deity of Candi Sukuh.
Torso of a male dancing figure from Harappa: -Grey limestone, ht 4 inches -National Museum, New Delhi 
Plate 1 Early Pallava stone sculpture of Nataraja, c, seventh century, Siyamangalam (photograph credits: French Institute of Pondicherry and Ecole Franc¸aise d’Extreˆme Orient, Pondicherry).
 Dancing Dwarapalas emulate karanas of the cosmic dancer, Nataraja Siva. The Dwarapalas are: Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi |  |
Airavatisvara Mahadeva temple. Darasuram. A Vimana panel said to represent Periya Puranam of Sekkizhar. Siva as pillar of fire, flames.
Dancers are depicted as hieroglyphs on a tablet m0493 as shown below.
m0493Bt Pict-93: Three dancing figures in a row.
Text 2843
Glyph: Three dancers. Kolmo ‘three’; meD ‘to dance’
Rebus: kolami ‘furnace, smithy’; meD ‘iron’
Sign 44 (this glyph could be compared with the orthography of three dancers in a row; the glyph is a ligature showing a 'dance step' and a rimless pot). Glyphs: meD 'dance' (Remo); rebus: meD 'iron'; bat.a 'pot'; bat.hi 'furnace'.Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.)
Santali glosses.Origin of the gloss med 'copper' in Uralic languages may be explained by the word meD (Ho.) of Munda family of Meluhha language stream:
Sa. <i>mE~R~hE~'d</i> `iron'. ! <i>mE~RhE~d</i>(M).
Ma. <i>mErhE'd</i> `iron'.
Mu. <i>mERE'd</i> `iron'.
~ <i>mE~R~E~'d</i> `iron'. ! <i>mENhEd</i>(M).
Ho <i>meD</i> `iron'.
Bj. <i>merhd</i>(Hunter) `iron'.
KW <i>mENhEd</i>
@(V168,M080)
— Slavic glosses for 'copper'
Мед [Med]Bulgarian
Bakar Bosnian
Медзь [medz']Belarusian
Měď Czech
Bakar Croatian
KòperKashubian
Бакар [Bakar]Macedonian
Miedź Polish
Медь [Med']Russian
Meď Slovak
BakerSlovenian
Бакар [Bakar]Serbian
Мідь [mid'] Ukrainian[unquote]
Miedź, med' (Northern Slavic, Altaic) 'copper'.
One suggestion is that corruptions from the German "Schmied", "Geschmeide" = jewelry. Schmied, a smith (of tin, gold, silver, or other metal)(German) result in med ‘copper’.
Hieroglyph of a worshipper kneeling: Konḍa (BB) meḍa, meṇḍa id. Pe. menḍa
id. Manḍ. menḍe id. Kui menḍa id. Kuwi (F.) menda, (S. Su. P.) menḍa, (Isr.) meṇḍa id.Ta. maṇṭi kneeling, kneeling on one knee as an archer. Ma.maṇṭuka to be seated on the heels. Ka. maṇḍi what is bent, the knee. Tu. maṇḍi knee. Te. maṇḍĭ̄ kneeling on one knee. Pa.maḍtel knee; maḍi kuḍtel kneeling position. Go. (L.) meṇḍā, (G. Mu. Ma.) Cf. 4645 Ta.maṭaṅku (maṇi-forms). / ? Cf. Skt. maṇḍūkī- (DEDR 4677)
So, why a dancing girl? Because, depiction of a dance pose is a hieroglyph to represent what was contained in the pot. The glyph encodes the mleccha word for 'iron': med.
Glyph: meD 'to dance' (F.)[reduplicated from me-]; me id. (M.) in Remo (Munda)(Source: D. Stampe's Munda etyma) meṭṭu to tread, trample, crush under foot, tread or place the foot upon (Te.); meṭṭu step (Ga.); mettunga steps (Ga.). maḍye to trample, tread (Malt.)(DEDR 5057) మెట్టు (p. 1027) [ meṭṭu ] meṭṭu. [Tel.] v. a. &n. To step, walk, tread.
Glyph: aṭi foot, footprint (Tamil) Rebus: aḍe, aḍa, aḍi the piece of wood on which the five artisans put the article which they happen to operate upon, a support (Kannada)
Glyph: araṇe 'lizard' (Tulu) eraṇi f. ʻ anvil ʼ (Gujarati); aheraṇ, ahiraṇ, airaṇ, airṇī, haraṇ f. (Marathi) அரணை Ta. araṇai typical lizard, Lacertidae; smooth streaked lizard, Lacerta interpunctula. Ma. araṇa green house lizard, L. interpunctula. Ka. araṇe, rāṇe, rāṇi greenish kind of lizard which is said to poison by licking, L. interpunctula. Tu. araṇe id. (DEDR 204).
Glyph: bhaṭa ‘six’ (G.) rebus: baṭa = kiln (Santali) baṭa = a kind of iron (Gujarati) [Note: six legs shown on the lizard glyph]
The rebus readings are: aḍi 'anvil' airaṇ 'anvil' (for use in) baṭa 'iron working' or kiln/furnace-work.
bhráṣṭra n. ʻ frying pan, gridiron ʼ MaitrS. [√bhrajj] Pk. bhaṭṭha -- m.n. ʻ gridiron ʼ; K. büṭhü f. ʻ level surface by kitchen fireplace on which vessels are put when taken off fire ʼ; S. baṭhu m. ʻ large pot in which grain is parched, large cooking fire ʼ, baṭhī f. ʻ distilling furnace ʼ; L. bhaṭṭh m. ʻ grain -- parcher's oven ʼ, bhaṭṭhī f. ʻ kiln, distillery ʼ, awāṇ. bhaṭh; P. bhaṭṭh m., °ṭhī f. ʻ furnace ʼ, bhaṭṭhā m. ʻ kiln ʼ; N. bhāṭi ʻ oven or vessel in which clothes are steamed for washing ʼ; A. bhaṭā ʻ brick -- or lime -- kiln ʼ; B. bhāṭi ʻ kiln ʼ; Or. bhāṭi ʻ brick -- kiln, distilling pot ʼ; Mth. bhaṭhī, bhaṭṭī ʻ brick -- kiln, furnace, still ʼ; Aw.lakh. bhāṭhā ʻ kiln ʼ; H. bhaṭṭhā m. ʻ kiln ʼ, bhaṭ f. ʻ kiln, oven, fireplace ʼ; M. bhaṭṭā m. ʻ pot of fire ʼ, bhaṭṭī f. ʻ forge ʼ. -- X bhástrā -- q.v. S.kcch. bhaṭṭhī keṇī ʻ distil (spirits) ʼ.(CDIAL 9656). kolmo ‘three’ (Mu.); rebus: kolami ‘smithy’ (Telugu) కొలిమి [ kolimi ] kolimi. [Tel.] n. A pit. A fire pit or furnace. ముద్దకొలిమి a smelting forge. నీళ్లకొలిమి a reservoir. కొలిమిత్తిత్తి a pair of bellows.(Telugu) పట్టడ [ paṭṭaḍa ] paṭṭaḍu. [Tel.] n. A smithy, a shop. కుమ్మరి వడ్లంగి మొదలగువారు పనిచేయు చోటు.(Telugu) Glyph: S. baṭhu m. ‘large pot in which grain is parched; L. bhaṭṭh m. ʻ grain -- parcher's oven ʼM. bhaṭṭā m. ʻ pot of fire ʼ(CDIAL 9656). Glyph: bhaṭa ‘six’ (G.) rebus: baṭa = kiln (Santali); bhaṭṭī f. ʻ forge ʼ(Marathi)(CDIAL 9656). baṭa = a kind of iron (G.) bhaṭṭhī f. ‘kiln, distillery’, awāṇ. bhaṭh; P. bhaṭṭh m., °ṭhī f. ‘furnace’, bhaṭṭhā m. ‘kiln’; S. bhaṭṭhī keṇī ‘distil (spirits) baṭa = furnace (Santali) bhrāṣṭra = furnace (Skt.) bhaṭa ‘furnace’ (G.) baṭhī f. ʻ distilling furnace' (Sindhi)
h-155. Crab with six legs
Seal M-1104 Six legs ligatured to a pincer.
Six women, curl in hair, six scorpionsWomen with flowing hair and scorpions, Samarra, Iraq. After Ernst Herzfeld, Die Ausgrabungen von Samarra V: Die vorgeschichtischenTopfereien, Univ. of Texas Press, pl. 30. Courtesy Dietrich Reimer. This image is discussed in Denise Schmandt-Besserat, When writing met art, p.19. “The design features six humans in he center of the bowl and six scorpions around the inner rim. The six identical anthropomorphic figures, shown frontally, are generally interpreted as females because of their wide hips, large thighs, and long, flowing hair…Six identical scorpions, one following after the other in a single line, circle menacingly around the women.”
मेढा [mēḍhā] A twist or tangle arising in thread or cord, a curl or snarl (Marathi). S. mī˜ḍhī f., °ḍho m. ʻ braid in a woman's hair ʼ, L. mē̃ḍhī f.; G. mĩḍlɔ, miḍ° m. ʻbraid of hair on a girl's forehead ʼ (CDIAL 10312). मेंढा [ mēṇḍhā ] A crook or curved end (of a stick, horn &c.) and attrib. such a stick, horn, bullock.मेढा [ mēḍhā ] A twist or tangle arising in thread or cord, a curl or snarl. Rebus: mē̃ḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.) meṛha M. meṛhi F.’twisted, crumpled, as a horn’; meṛha deren ‘a crumpled horn’ (Santali)
bicha, bichā ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.) sambr.o bica = gold ore (Mundarica) meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Mu.lex.)
bhaṭa ‘six ’; rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’.
bhaṭa ‘six ’; rebus: bhaṭa ‘furnace’.
kola ‘woman’; rebus: kol ‘iron’. kola ‘blacksmith’ (Ka.); kollë ‘blacksmith’ (Koḍ)
Ta. aṭi foot, footprint, base, bottom, source, origin; Ma. aṭi sole of foot, footstep, measure of foot, Ko. aṛy foot (measure);To. oṛy foot. Ka. aḍi foot, measure of foot, step, pace,Te. aḍugu foot, footstep, footprint, step, pace, measure of a foot,aḍi-gaṟṟa sandal, wooden shoe. Ga. (S.2) aḍugu footstep (< Te.). Go. (G.) aḍi beneath; (Mu.)(DEDR 72) 
Shahdad seal (Grave 78) dula‘pair’ Rebus: dul ‘cast (metal)’ (Santali) meḍ 'step' rebus: meḍ 'iron, copper'
Indus Meluhha Writing inscription on a Chanhu-daro Snarling iron, 2529H, ASI, Central Antiquities Collection. 74.1/48
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Snarling irons from the first quarter of the 20th century, after Otto 1922: 45 fig. 41-2. Used like special anvils for the raising of metal vessels.
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The Chanhu-daro snarling alloy (ingot) has an inscription using Indus (Meluhha) writing with five glyphs and a dot glyph. Chanhujodaro39A1 Chanhudaro39A2
The dog glyph is a notch upon the edge of the bronze snarling tool read rebus as: खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’.
There are 3 U glyphs: kolmo 'three' (Munda) Rebus: kolimi 'forge, smithy' (Telugu). baṭhu m. ʻ large pot in which grain is parched' (Sindhi) Rebus: bhāṭhā ʻ kiln ʼ(Awadhi). The three U glyphs together read: kolimi bhāṭhā 'forge, smithy (with) smelter/furnace'.
The pair of glyphs preceding the 3 U glyphs are comparable to the pair of feet shown on some seals (discussed further in this note).
aṭai அடை 'anvil' (Tamil) combined with the U glyph which is baṭhu yields the compound lexeme: பட்டடை¹ paṭṭaṭai(Tamil); cognate paṭṭaḍi smithy, forge (Kannada)பட்டடை¹ paṭṭaṭai , n. prob. படு¹- + அடை¹-. 1. [T. paṭṭika, K. paṭṭaḍe.] Anvil; அடைகல். (பிங்.) சீரிடங்காணி னெறிதற்குப் பட்ட டை (குறள், 821). 2. [K. paṭṭaḍi.] Smithy, forge; கொல்லன் களரி.கொல்லன்பட்டடை kollaṉ-paṭṭaṭai , n. < கொல்லன் +. Anvil; அடைகல். (C. G.)அடைகுறடு aṭai-kuṟaṭu , n. < அடை¹- +. 1. Anvil; கம்மியர் பட்டடை. (பிங்.) 2. Tongs; பற்றுக்குறடு. (W.)அடைகல்¹ aṭai-kal , n. < அடை¹-. 1. Anvil; பட்டடை. சுட்ட வல்லிரும் படைகலைச் சுடுகலா தன் போல் (கம்பரா. பாச. 33). 2. Stone base; ஆதாரச் சிலை. ஆமையாய் மேருத் தாங்கி (சி. சி. பர. பாஞ்சரா. மறு. 11). நறுதடி naṟu-taṭi , n. prob. நறுக்கு- + தடி. Goldsmith's anvil attached to a block; அடைகல். (J.) நறுதடிக்குற்றி naṟutaṭi-k-kuṟṟi , n. < நறு தடி +. Anvil-block of goldsmith; அடைகற் கட்டை. (W.)
The dog glyph is a notch upon the edge of the bronze snarling tool read rebus as: खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘tools, pots and pans and metal-ware’.
There are 3 U glyphs: kolmo 'three' (Munda) Rebus: kolimi 'forge, smithy' (Telugu). baṭhu m. ʻ large pot in which grain is parched' (Sindhi) Rebus: bhāṭhā ʻ kiln ʼ(Awadhi). The three U glyphs together read: kolimi bhāṭhā 'forge, smithy (with) smelter/furnace'.
The pair of glyphs preceding the 3 U glyphs are comparable to the pair of feet shown on some seals (discussed further in this note).
aṭai அடை 'anvil' (Tamil) combined with the U glyph which is baṭhu yields the compound lexeme: பட்டடை¹ paṭṭaṭai(Tamil); cognate paṭṭaḍi smithy, forge (Kannada)
<katarni> {N} ``^scissors''. @1325. #14881.(Munda etyma)
The inscription on the 'snarling iron' of Chanhudaro can thus be read as: kolimi paṭṭaḍi 'anvil for smithy/forge'. The inscription accurately describes in Meluhha (Mleccha) language the function served by the anvil for raising vessels in a smithy/forge.
Reference to aṭai, aḍi அடை 'anvil' yields the clue to the rebus readings of 'feet, footprint' glyphs which occur on seals, discussed further in this note.
Hieroglyphs displaying the rebus readings provided in the Meluhha homonyms are seen in the following examples of Indus Script inscriptions. (The signifying semantics are provided in parenthesis for each example).
A symbolism of a woman spreading her legs apart, which recurs on an SSVC inscribed object. Cylinder-seal impression from Ur showing a squatting female. L. Legrain, 1936, Ur excavations, Vol. 3, Archaic Seal Impressions. [scorpions, pudendum mulibre] Brief memoranda: metal stone ore smelter. bicha ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Santali) dula ‘pair’ Rebus: dul ‘cast metal’ kuṭi ‘pudendum muliebre’. kuṭhi ‘smelter’. Thus, cast stone ore in a smelter.
kuṭire bica duljad.ko talkena, ‘they were feeding the furnace with ore’. (Santali) This use of bica in the context of feeding a smelter clearly defines bica as ‘stone ore, mineral’, in general.
kuṭhi ‘vagina’; rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelting furnace bichā 'scorpion' (Assamese). Rebus: bica 'stone ore' as in meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Mu.lex.) dul 'pair, likeness' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' (Santali) Thus the hieroglyphs connote a smelter for smelting and casting metal stone ore.
This glyphic composition depicts a smelting furnace for stone ore as distinguished from a smelting furnace for sand ore. meṛed-bica = iron stone ore, in contrast to bali-bica, iron sand ore (Mu.lex.)
byucu बिचु; । वृश्चिकः m. (sg. dat. bicis बिचिस्), a scorpion (Kashmiri), WPah.bhal. biċċū m., cur. biccū, bhiḍ. biċċoṭū n. ʻ young scorpionʼ (CDIAL 12081). Rebus: bica, bica-diri (Sad. bicā; Or. bicī) stone ore; meṛeḍ bica, stones containing iron; tambabica, copper-ore stones; samṛobica, stones containing gold (Mundari.lex.)
dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'cast (metal)' (Santali). Hence the scorpion pair are shown on either side of the female of the Ur seal impression reported by Legrain. Pair of tigers: kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'working in iron' (Tamil) The pair of tigers connote dul 'cast (metal)', as on the glyphs of a pair of scorpions.
kut.hi = pubes. kola ‘foetus’ [Glyph of a foetus emerging from pudendum muliebre on a Harappa tablet.]kut.hi = the pubes (lower down than pan.d.e) (Santali.lex.) kut.hi = the womb, the female sexual organ; sorrege kut.hi menaktaea, tale tale gidrakoa lit. her womb is near, she gets children continually (H.kot.hi_, the womb) (Santali.Bodding)
Mohenjo-daro. Sealing. Surrounded by fishes, lizard and snakes, a horned person sits in 'yoga' on a throne with hoofed legs. One side of a triangular terracotta amulet (Md 013); surface find at Mohenjo-daro in 1936, Dept. of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. [seated person penance, crocodile?] Brief memoranda: kamaḍha ‘penance’ Rebus: kammaṭa ‘mint, coiner’; kaṇḍo ‘stool, seat’ Rebus: kāṇḍa ‘metalware’ kaṇḍa ‘fire-altar’.
Hieroglyphs (allographs):
kamaḍha 'penance' (Prakrit)
kamḍa, khamḍa 'copulation' (Santali)
kamaṭha crab (Skt.)
kamaṛkom = fig leaf (Santali.lex.) kamarmaṛā (Has.), kamaṛkom (Nag.); the petiole or stalk of a leaf (Mundari.lex.) kamat.ha = fig leaf, religiosa (Sanskrit)
kamāṭhiyo = archer; kāmaṭhum = a bow; kāmaḍ, kāmaḍum = a chip of bamboo (G.) kāmaṭhiyo a bowman; an archer (Sanskrit)
Rebus: kammaṭi a coiner (Ka.); kampaṭṭam coinage, coin, mint (Ta.) kammaṭa = mint, gold furnace (Te.) kamaṭa = portable furnace for melting precious metals (Telugu); kampaṭṭam = mint (Tamil)
Hieroglyph: kuṭhi pubes (lower down than paṇḍe) (Santali), pudendum muliebre (Munda, Santali) Cognates: koṭṭha (m. nt.) [Sk. koṣṭha abdomen, any cavity for holding food, cp. kuṣṭa groin, and also Gr.ku/tos cavity, ku/sdos
pudendum muliebre, ku/stis bladder = E. cyst, chest; Lat. cunnus pudendum. kuṭhi = the womb, the female sexual organ; sorrege kuṭhi menaktaea, tale tale gidrakoa lit. her womb is near, she gets children continually (H. koṭhī, the womb) (Santali.Bodding) kōṣṭha = anyone of the large viscera (MBh.); koṭṭha = stomach (Pali.Pkt.); kuṭṭha (Pkt.); koṭhī heart, breast (L.); koṭṭhā, koṭhābelly (P.); koṭho (G.); koṭhā (M.)(CDIAL 3545). kottha pertaining to the belly (Pkt.); kothā corpulent (Or.)(CDIAL 3510). koṭho [Skt. koṣṭha inner part] the stomach, the belly (Gujarat) kūti = pudendum muliebre (Ta.); posteriors, membrum muliebre (Ma.); ku.0y anus, region of buttocks in general (To.); kūdi = anus, posteriors, membrum muliebre (Tu.)(DEDR 188). kūṭu = hip (Tu.); kuṭa = thigh (Pe.); kuṭe id. (Mand.); kūṭi hip (Kui)(DEDR 1885). gūde prolapsus of the anus (Ka.Tu.); gūda, gudda id. (Te.)(DEDR 1891).
Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter furnace’ (Santali) kuṛī f. ‘fireplace’ (H.); krvṛi f. ‘granary (WPah.); kuṛī, kuṛo house, building’(Ku.)(CDIAL 3232) kuṭi ‘hut made of boughs’ (Skt.) guḍi temple (Telugu)
Rebus: kuṭhi ‘a furnace for smelting iron ore to smelt iron’; kolheko kuṭhieda koles smelt iron (Santali) kuṭhi, kuṭi (Or.; Sad. koṭhi) (1) the smelting furnace of the blacksmith; kuṭire bica duljad.ko talkena, they were feeding the furnace with ore; (2) the name of ēkuṭi has been given to the fire which, in lac factories, warms the water bath for softening the lac so that it can be spread into sheets; to make a smelting furnace; kuṭhi-o of a smelting furnace, to be made; the smelting furnace of the blacksmith is made of mud, cone-shaped, 2’ 6” dia. At the base and 1’ 6” at the top. The hole in the centre, into which the mixture of charcoal and iron ore is poured, is about 6” to 7” in dia. At the base it has two holes, a smaller one into which the nozzle of the bellow is inserted, as seen in fig. 1, and a larger one on the opposite side through which the molten iron flows out into a cavity (Mundari) kuṭhi = a factory; lil kuṭhi = an indigo factory (koṭhi - Hindi) (Santali.Bodding) kuṭhi = an earthen furnace for smelting iron; make do., smelt iron; kolheko do kuṭhi benaokate baliko dhukana, the Kolhes build an earthen furnace and smelt iron-ore, blowing the bellows; tehen:ko kuṭhi yet kana, they are working (or building) the furnace to-day (H. koṭhī ) (Santali. Bodding) kuṭṭhita = hot, sweltering; molten (of tamba, cp. uttatta)(Pali.lex.) uttatta (ut + tapta) = heated, of metals: molten, refined; shining, splendid, pure (Pali.lex.) kuṭṭakam, kuṭṭukam = cauldron (Ma.); kuṭṭuva = big copper pot for heating water (Kod.)(DEDR 1668). gudgā to blaze; gud.va flame (Man.d); gudva, gūdūvwa, guduwa id. (Kuwi)(DEDR 1715). dāntar-kuṭha = fireplace (Sv.); kōti wooden vessel for mixing yeast (Sh.); kōlhā house with mud roof and walls, granary (P.); kuṭhī factory (A.); koṭhābrick-built house (B.); kuṭhī bank, granary (B.); koṭho jar in which indigo is stored, warehouse (G.); koṭhīlare earthen jar, factory (G.); kuṭhī granary, factory (M.)(CDIAL 3546). koṭho = a warehouse; a revenue office, in which dues are paid and collected; koṭhī a store-room; a factory (Gujarat) koḍ = the place where artisans work (Gujarati)
The squatting woman on the Ur cylinder seal impression may be showing dishevelled hair providing for rebus reading: <rabca?>(D) {ADJ} ``with ^dishevelled ^hair''. Rebus: రాచ (adj.) Pertaining to a stone. bicha, bichā ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.) sambr.o bica = gold ore (Mundarica) Thus, the reading of the Ur cylinder seal impression may depict: meṛed-bica ‘iron stone-ore’ kuṭhi‘smelter, furnace’.
Rahman-dheri seal. Obverse: Two scorpions. Two holes. One T glyph. One frog in the middle. Reverse: two rams.
1.mūxā ‘frog’. Rebus: mũh ‘(copper) ingot’ (Santali) Allograph: mũhe ‘face’ (Santali)
2.bicha ‘scorpion’ (Assamese) Rebus: bica ‘stone ore’ (Mu.)
3.tagaru ‘ram’ (Tulu) Rebus: tagarm ‘tin’ (Kota). damgar ‘merchant’ (Akk.)
4.T-glyph may denote a fire altar like the two fire-altars shown on Warrka vase below two animals: antelope and tiger. kand ‘fire-altar’ (Santali)
5.Two holes may denote ingots. dula ‘pair’ Rebus: dul ‘cast’ (Santali)
kola ‘woman’ Rebus: kol ‘working in iron’kuṛī f. ʻ girl’ Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter’
Brass-worker catalog of implements and repertoire:There are five hieroglyphs on the cylinder seal (Figure 270): ‘dishevelled hair’, ‘pudendum muliebre’, ‘lizard’, ‘scorpion’, ‘woman’. The accent is on the sting of the scorpion: koṭṭu (koṭṭi-) to sting (as a scorpion, wasp) (Tamil) Rebus: Pk. koṭṭaga -- m. ʻ carpenter ʼ, koṭṭila -- , °illa -- m. ʻ mallet ʼ. (DEDR 3236). koṭṭu-k-kaṉṉār brass-workers.
On kudurru, boundary stones, the metaphorical, metonymy display of hieroglyphs including scorpion or ligatured scorpion-bird-man with bow and arrow may be explained in a number of ways. I suggest that the scorpion hieroglyph is central to the metalwork traditions. In kole.l 'smithy' these hieroglyphs become divine in kole.l 'temple'. The use of the same gloss to signify both smithy and temple should lead to a hypothesis that the early Bronze Age metalwork was a sacred activity by artisans struck with awe and wonder at the transmutation of mere earth or sand or stones into metal artifacts either as castings cire perdue or as weapons, tools by a kuThAru 'armourer' Hieroglyph: kuThAru 'monkey'.
The stone ore of dhatugarbha, dagoba, becomes sacred and a sacred symbol venerated as witness to dharma-dhamma, cosmic phenomena.
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
November 10, 2015