Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/pmkcdvu

A unique evidence is found from a Rakhigarhi seal with Indus Script inscription to demonstrate the method (tantra yukti) used by Indus engravers, artisans, metalsmiths, to create hieroglyph-multiplexes (hypertexts) to signify precisely a description of the product/s of metalwork catalogue which were the supercargo of a shipment on a boat.

Rakhigarhi seal with hieroglyphs: Rhinoceros, arrowhead, arrow in circumscript of Left & Right parenthesis ligatured with a ‘notch’.

A brilliant insight of Gadd provides a lead to analyze orthography of Indus Script hieroglyphs to enable precise matching of orthographic components with the semantics of the message in Meluhha (Prakritam).

A unique example identified by Gadd is the deployment of a split ellipse as a hieroglyph. An ellipse (also as a rhombus or parenthesis) signifies the semantics of mūhā '(metal) ingot'. An allograph also signifies the semantics: mũhe ‘face’. It is thus deduced that the split ellipse signifies the gloss: mūhā '(metal) ingot'.

meḍha  'polar star' Rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.Ho.) PLUS kuṭi ‘water-carrier’ (Telugu); 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) A comparable glyptic representation is provided in a Gadd seal found in an interaction area of the Persian Gulf. Gadd notes that the ‘water-carrier’ seal is is an unmistakable example of an 'hieroglyphic' seal. Seal impression, Ur (Upenn; U.16747); [After Edith Porada, 1971, Remarks on seals found in the Gulf States. Artibus Asiae 33 (4): 331-7: pl.9, fig.5]; water carrier with a skin (or pot?) hung on each end of the yoke across his shoulders and another one below the crook of his left arm; the vessel on the right end of his yoke is over a receptacle for the water; a star on either side of the head (denoting supernatural?). The whole object is enclosed by 'parenthesis' marks. The parenthesis is perhaps a way of splitting of the ellipse (Hunter, G.R., JRAS, 1932, 476).  

Gadd has demonstrated how an ellipse may be broken into parenthesis marks contituting hieroglyph component pair. His insight is that an ellipse split into parenthesis of two curved lines ( ) signifies hieroglyph writing. I suggest that the hieroglyph components signify the orthography which matches an 'ingot' formation -- a four-cornered ellipse a little pointed at each end.

 This shows that splitting an ellipse as in Sign 373 results in Left parenthesis and Right parenthesis, both of which are used as circumscript on Rakhigarhi seal to enclose a 'notch' PLUS 'circumflex or caret'.

On the Rakhigarhi seal, a fine distinction is made between two orthographic options for signifying an arrow with fine pronunciation variants, to distinguish between an arrowhead and an arrow: kaNDa, kANDa. The word kANDa is used by Panini in an expression ayaskANDa to denote a quantity of iron, excellent iron (Pāṇ.gaṇ) i.e., metal (iron/copper alloy). This expression ayas+ kāṇḍa अयस्--काण्ड is signified by hieroglyphs: aya 'fish' PLUS kāṇḍa, 'arrow' as shown on Kalibangan Seal 032. An allograph for this hieroglyph 'arrowhead' is gaNDa 'four' (short strokes) as seen on Mohenjo-daro seal M1118.

Rebus: ayaskāṇḍa ‘a quantity of iron, excellent iron’ (Pāṇ.gaṇ) aya = iron (G.); ayah, ayas = metal (Skt.)

Thus, the arrowhead is signified by the hieroglyph which distinguishes the arrowhead as a triangle attached to a reedpost or handle of tool/weapon.

As distinct from this orthographic representation of 'arrowhead' with a triangle PLUS attached linear stroke, an arrow is signified by an angle ^ (Caret; Circumflex accent; Up arrow) with a linear stroke ligatured, as in the Rakhigarhi seal. To reinforce the distinction between 'arrow' and 'arrowhead' in Indus Script orthography, a notch is added atop the tip of the circumflex accent. Both the hieroglyph-components are attested in Indian sprachbund with a variant pronunciation: khANDA. खााडा [ kāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon) (Marathi)

It is thus clear that the morpheme kANDa denotes an arrowhead, while the ^ circumflex accent hieroglyph is intended to signify rebus: kāṇḍā 'edge of tool or weapon' or a sharp edged implement, like a sword. In Indian sprachbund, the word which denotes a sword is  khaṁḍa -- m. ʻswordʼ(Prakritam).

In the hieroglyph-multiplex of Rakhigarhi seal inscription, the left and right parentheses are used as circumscript to provide phonetic determination of the gloss:  khaṁḍa -- m. ʻswordʼ (Prakritam), while the ligaturing element of 'notch' is intended to signify खााडा [ kāṇḍā ] 'A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon)' Rebus: kaNDa 'implements' (Santali). 

Thus, the hieroglyph-multiplex is read rebus as kaNDa 'implements'  PLUS  khaṁḍa ʻswordʼ. The supercargo is thus catalogued on the seal as: 1. arrowheads; 2. metal implements and ingots; 3. swords. 

The hieroglyph 'rhinoceros is: kANDA rebus: kaNDa 'implements/weapons'.

The entire inscription or metalwork catalogue message on Rakhigarhi seal can be deciphered:

kaNDa 'implements/weapons' (Rhinoceros) PLUS खााडा [ kāṇḍā ] 'weapons' PLUS mūhā 'cast ingots'(Left and Right parentheses as split rhombus or ellipse).

Thus, the supercargo consignment documented by this metalwork catalogue on Rakhigarhi seal is: metal (alloy) swords, metal (alloy) implements, metal cast ingots.

Rakhigarhi seal 

Hieroglyph-multiplex on Rakhigarhi seal.

M1118

Kalibangan032  

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/08/supercaro-ingots-1-of-cast-metal-2-for.html

This monograph deciphers m1429 Prism tablet with Indus inscriptions on 3 sides. Three Sided Moulded Tablet with a boat and crocodile+fish Indus inscription Fired clay L.4.6 cm W. 1.2 cm Indus valley, Mohenjo-daro,MD 602, Harappan,ca 2600 -1900 BCE Islamabad Museum, Islamabad NMP 1384, Pakistan.

One side of a Mohenjo-daro tablet. 

baTa 'quail' Rebus: bhaTa 'furnace' (i.e., supercargo out of furnace)

What was the cargo carried on the boat? I suggest that the cargo was Meluhha metalwork.

The shape of the pair of ingots on the boat (shown on the tablet) is comparable to following figures: 1. the ingot on which stands the Ingot-god (Enkomi); 2. Copper ingot from Zakros, Crete, displayed at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum But the script used on the tablet is NOT Cypro-Minoan or Cretan or Minoan but Meluhha:

The shape of the pair of ingots on the boat (shown on the tablet) is comparable to following figures: 1. the ingot on which stands the Ingot-god (Enkomi); 2. Copper ingot from Zakros, Crete, displayed at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum But the script used on the tablet is NOT Cypro-Minoan or Cretan or Minoan but Meluhha: One side of a Mohenjo-daro prism tablet (Full decipherment of the three sided inscription is embedded). What was the cargo carried on the boat? I suggest that the cargo was Meluhha metalwork -- castings and hard copper alloy ingots. Together with the pair of aquatic birds, the metalwork is with hard alloys (of copper).

bagalo = an Arabian merchant vessel (Gujarati) bagala = an Arab boat of a particular description (Ka.); bagalā (M.); bagarige, bagarage = a kind of vessel (Kannada) Rebus: bangala = kumpaṭi = angāra śakaṭī = a chafing dish a portable stove a goldsmith’s portable furnace (Telugu) cf. bangaru bangaramu = gold  (Telugu)

karaṇḍa ‘duck’ (Sanskrit) karaṛa ‘a very large aquatic bird’ (Sindhi) Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi)

Side A: kāru a wild crocodile or alligator (Telugu) ghariyal id. (Hindi)

kāru 'crocodile' (Telugu) கராம் karām, n. prob. grāha. 1. A species of alligator; முதலைவகை. முதலையு மிடங்கருங் கராமும் (குறிஞ்சிப். 257). 2. Male alligator; ஆண் முதலை. (திவா.) కారుమొసలి a wild crocodile or alligator. (Telugu) Rebus: kāru ‘artisan’ (Marathi) kāruvu 'artisan' (Telugu) khār 'blacksmith' (Kashmiri)

[fish = aya (G.); crocodile = kāru (Telugu)] Rebus: ayakāra ‘ironsmith’ (Pali) 

khār 1 खार् । लोहकारः m. (sg. abl. khāra 1 खार; the pl. dat. of this word is khāran 1 खारन्, which is to be distinguished from khāran 2, q.v., s.v.), a blacksmith, an iron worker (cf. bandūka-khār, p. 111b, l. 46; K.Pr. 46; H. xi, 17); a farrier (El.) 

Text 3246 (l., to r.) 

mēd ‘body’ (Kur.)(DEDR 5099); meḍ ‘iron’ (Ho.) karNika 'rim of jar' Rebus: karNI 'supercaro'

dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal' Thus the the pair of ellipses with an inscripted 'notch' hieroglyph component: dul mūhā 'cast ingot. 

karNika 'rim of jar' Rebus: karNI 'supercargo'

kárṇa— m. ‘ear, handle of a vessel’ RV., ‘end, tip (?)’ RV. ii 34, 3. [Cf. *kāra—6] Pa. kaṇṇa— m. ‘ear, angle, tip’; Pk. kaṇṇa—, °aḍaya- m. ‘ear’, Gy. as. pal. eur. kan m., Ash. (Trumpp) karna NTS ii 261, Niṅg. kõmacr;, Woṭ. kanƏ, Tir. kana; Paš. kan, kaṇ(ḍ)— ‘orifice of ear’ IIFL iii 3, 93; Shum. kõmacr;ṛ ‘ear’, Woṭ. kan m., Kal. (LSI) kuṛõmacr;, rumb. kuŕũ, urt. kŕä̃ (< *kaṇ), Bshk. kan, Tor. k *l ṇ, Kand. kōṇi, Mai. kaṇa, ky. kān, Phal. kāṇ, Sh. gil. ko̯n pl. ko̯ṇí m. (→ Ḍ kon pl. k *l ṇa), koh. kuṇ, pales. kuāṇƏ, K. kan m., kash. pog. ḍoḍ. kann, S. kanu m., L. kann m., awāṇ. khet. kan, P. WPah. bhad. bhal. cam. kann m., Ku. gng. N. kān; A. kāṇ ‘ear, rim of vessel, edge of river’; B. kāṇ ‘ear’, Or. kāna, Mth. Bhoj. Aw. lakh. H. kān m., OMarw. kāna m., G. M. kān m., Ko. kānu m., Si. kaṇa, kana. — As adverb and postposition (ápi kárṇē ‘from behind’ RV., karṇē ‘aside’ Kālid.): Pa. kaṇṇē ‘at one's ear, in a whisper’; Wg. ken ‘to’ NTS ii 279; Tir. kõ; ‘on’ AO xii 181 with (?); Paš. kan ‘to’; K. kȧni with abl. ‘at, near, through’, kani with abl. or dat. ‘on’, kun with dat. ‘toward’; S. kani ‘near’, kanā̃ ‘from’; L. kan ‘toward’, kannũ ‘from’, kanne ‘with’, khet. kan, P. ḍog. kanē ‘with, near’; WPah. bhal. k *l ṇ, °ṇi, k e ṇ, °ṇi with obl. ‘with, near’, kiṇ, °ṇiā̃, k *l ṇiā̃, k e ṇ° with obl. ‘from’; Ku. kan ‘to, for’; N. kana ‘for, to, with’; H. kane, °ni, kan with ke ‘near’; OMarw. kanai ‘near’, kanā̃ sā ‘from near’, kā̃nı̄̃ ‘towards’; G. kan e ‘beside’. Addenda: kárṇa—: S.kcch. kann m. ‘ear’, WPah.kṭg. (kc.) kān, poet. kanṛu m. ‘ear’, kṭg. kanni f. ‘pounding—hole in barn floor’; J. kā'n m. ‘ear’, Garh. kān; Md. kan— in kan—fat ‘ear’ (CDIAL 2830)

aya 'fish' Rebus: aya 'iron' (Gujarati); ayas 'metal' (Rigveda)

kolom 'thre' Rebus: kolami 'smithy, forge'

kolami mūhā 'ingot (for)smithy,forge ingot'

Thus, the message of the text on the Mohenjo-daro prism tablet of a boat + crocodile + fish is: supercargo of kolami mūhā 'smithy,forge ingots' dul mūhā 'cast metal ingots'. The metal is sinified as ayas.

mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’ (Mu.Ho.)

mūhā mẽṛhẽt = iron smelted by the Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends (Santali)

Maysar c.2200 BCE Packed copper ingots. The shape of the ingots is an 'equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends' -- like an ellipse or rhombus. See: 

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/08/decipherment-of-harappa-zebu-figurine.html 

See: http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/JonesM-MA2007.pdf Michael Rice Jones' thesis of 2007 on the importance of Maysar for copper production.

An ingot may be signified by an ellipse or parenthesis of a rhombus. It may also be signified by an allograph: human face.

Hieroglyph: mũhe ‘face’ (Santali) mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little pointed at each end; kolhe tehen me~ṛhe~t mūhā akata = the Kolhes have to-day produced pig iron(Santali) Rebus: mūhā 'ingot'; Compound formation: mleccha-mukha (Skt.) = milakkhu ‘copper’ (Pali)

Santali glosses

Wilhelm von Hevesy wrote about the Finno-Ugric-Munda kinship, like "Munda-Magyar-Maori, an Indian link between the antipodes new tracks of Hungarian origins" and "Finnisch-Ugrisches aus Indien". (DRIEM, George van: Languages of the Himalayas: an ethnolinguistic handbook. 1997. p.161-162.) Sumerian-Ural-Altaic language affinities have been noted. Given the presence of Meluhha settlements in Sumer, some Meluhha glosses might have been adapted in these languages. One etyma cluster refers to 'iron' exemplified by meD (Ho.). The alternative suggestion for the 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)

http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/austroasiatic/AA/Munda/ETYM/Pinnow&Munda

— 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]

http://www.vanderkrogt.net/elements/element.php?sym=Cu 

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’.

A lexicon suggests the semantics of Panini's compound अयस्--काण्ड [p= 85,1]  m. n. " a quantity of iron " or " excellent iron " , (g. कस्का*दि q.v.)( Pa1n2. 8-3 , 48)(Monier-Williams).

From the example of a compound gloss in Santali, I suggest that the suffix -kANDa in Samskritam should have referred to 'implements'. Indus Script hieroglyphs as hypertext components to signify kANDa 'implements' are: kANTa, 'overflowing water' kANDa, 'arrow' gaNDa, 'four short circumscript strokes''rhonoceros'.

Rebus: kāˊṇḍa (kāṇḍá -- TS.) m.n. ʻ single joint of a plant ʼ AV., ʻ arrow ʼ MBh., ʻ cluster, heap ʼ (in tr̥ṇa -- kāṇḍa -- Pāṇ. Kāś.). Pa. kaṇḍa -- m.n. ʻ joint of stalk, stalk, arrow, lump ʼ; Pk. kaṁḍa -- , °aya -- m.n. ʻ knot of bough, bough, stick ʼ; Ash. kaṇ ʻ arrow ʼ, Kt. kåṇ, Wg. kāṇ,, Pr.kə̃, Dm. kā̆n; Paš. lauṛ. kāṇḍ, kāṇ, ar. kōṇ, kuṛ. kō̃, dar. kã̄ṛ ʻ arrow ʼ, kã̄ṛī ʻ torch ʼ; Shum. kō̃ṛ, kō̃ ʻ arrow ʼ, Gaw. kāṇḍ, kāṇ; Bshk. kāˋ'nʻ arrow ʼ, Tor. kan m., Sv. kã̄ṛa, Phal. kōṇ, Sh. gil. kōn f. (→ Ḍ. kōn, pl. kāna f.), pales. kōṇ; K. kã̄ḍ m. ʻ stalk of a reed, straw ʼ (kān m. ʻ arrow ʼ ← Sh.?); S. kānu m. ʻ arrow ʼ, °no m. ʻ reed ʼ, °nī f. ʻ topmost joint of the reed Sara, reed pen, stalk, straw, porcupine's quill ʼ; L. kānã̄ m. ʻ stalk of the reed Sara ʼ, °nī˜ f. ʻ pen, small spear ʼ; P. kānnā m. ʻ the reed Saccharum munja, reed in a weaver's warp ʼ, kānī f. ʻ arrow ʼ; WPah. bhal. kān n. ʻ arrow ʼ, jaun. kã̄ḍ; N. kã̄ṛ ʻ arrow ʼ, °ṛo ʻ rafter ʼ; A. kã̄r ʻ arrow ʼ; B. kã̄ṛ ʻ arrow ʼ, °ṛā ʻ oil vessel made of bamboo joint, needle of bamboo for netting ʼ, kẽṛiyā ʻ wooden or earthen vessel for oil &c. ʼ; Or. kāṇḍa, kã̄ṛ ʻ stalk, arrow ʼ; Bi. kã̄ṛā ʻ stem of muñja grass (used for thatching) ʼ; Mth. kã̄ṛ ʻ stack of stalks of large millet ʼ, kã̄ṛī ʻ wooden milkpail ʼ; Bhoj. kaṇḍā ʻ reeds ʼ; H. kã̄ṛī f. ʻ rafter, yoke ʼ, kaṇḍā m. ʻ reed, bush ʼ (← EP.?); G. kã̄ḍ m. ʻ joint, bough, arrow ʼ, °ḍũ n. ʻ wrist ʼ, °ḍī f. ʻ joint, bough, arrow, lucifer match ʼ; M. kã̄ḍ n. ʻ trunk, stem ʼ, °ḍẽ n. ʻ joint, knot, stem, straw ʼ, °ḍī f. ʻ joint of sugarcane, shoot of root (of ginger, &c.) ʼ; Si. kaḍaya ʻ arrow ʼ. -- Deriv. A. kāriyāiba ʻ to shoot with an arrow ʼ.kāˊṇḍīra -- ; *kāṇḍakara -- , *kāṇḍārā -- ; *dēhīkāṇḍa -- Add.Addenda: kāˊṇḍa -- [< IE. *kondo -- , Gk. kondu/los ʻ knuckle ʼ, ko/ndos ʻ ankle ʼ T. Burrow BSOAS xxxviii 55]S.kcch. kāṇḍī f. ʻ lucifer match ʼ?kāṇḍakara 3024 *kāṇḍakara ʻ worker with reeds or arrows ʼ. [kāˊṇḍa -- , kará -- 1]L. kanērā m. ʻ mat -- maker ʼ; H. kãḍerā m. ʻ a caste of bow -- and arrow -- makers ʼ.*kāṇḍārā ʻ bamboo -- goad ʼ. [kāˊṇḍa -- , āˊrā -- ]Mth. (ETirhut) kanār ʻ bamboo -- goad for young elephants ʼ kāˊṇḍīra ʻ armed with arrows ʼ Pāṇ., m. ʻ archer ʼ lex. [kāˊṇḍa -]H. kanīrā m. ʻ a caste (usu. of arrow -- makers) ʼ.(CDIAL 3024-3026)

An insight in the orthography of Indus Script hieroglyphs is the matching of orthographic components with the semantics of the message in Meluhha (Prakritam).

A unique example is the deployment of an ellipse (also as a rhombus or parenthesis) to signify the semantics of mūhā '(metal) ingot'. An allograph also signifies the semantics: mũhe ‘face’.

Semantics: mūhā mẽṛhẽt 'iron smelted by the Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little pointed at each of four ends.' Matching orthography of a rhombus or ellipse: 

A Rakhigarhi seal presents an alternative orthographic representation of the 'split ellipse': 

((

That this innovation signifies rebus kaNDa 'arrow' is reinforced by the phonetic determinant of 'arrow' used in the hieroglyph-multiplex, resulting in the new 'sign' shown below:

On this hieroglyph-multiplex, one parenthesis is FLIPPED  to create a new circumgraph of two orthographic components: 

 Right parenthesis

( Left parenthesis

Note: The splitting of the ellipse 'ingot' into Right and Left parethesis and flipping the left parenthesis (as a mirror image) may be an intention to denote cire perdue casting method used to produce the metal swords and implements.

An alternative hieroglyph is a rhombus or ellipse (created by merging the two forms: parnthesis PLUS fipped parenthesis) to signify an 'ingot': mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little pointed at each end (Munda).

This circumgraph of right-curving and left-curving parentheses encloses an 'arrow' hieroglyph PLUS a 'notch'. 

Hieroglyph: kANDa 'arrow' Rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar' (Santali) kāṇḍa 'tools, pots and pans and weapons' (Marathi)

This gloss is consistent with the Santali glosses including the word khanDa:

Hieroglyph: खााडा [ kāṇḍā ] m A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon) (Marathi) Rebus: kāṇḍa 'tools, pots and pans and metal-ware' (Marathi)

What the hieroglyph-multiplex seeks to convey is that the seal as a metalwork catalogue documents the process of making kāṇḍa 'metal implements' from the fire-altar kaND signified by the arrow AND circumfix of split parentheses with one parenthesis presented as a unique flipped configuration. Thus the hieroglyph-multiplex is an orthographic reinforcement of the two other hieroglyphs signified on the Rakhigarhi seal; the two other hieroglyphs are: kANDa 'rhinoceros'; kANDa 'arrow'. Thus, all the three signifiers on the Indus Script inscription of Rakhigarhi seal are a proclamation of the production of metal implements (from ingots). There is also a Meluhha (Prakritam) gloss khaṁḍa which means 'a sword'. It is possible that the concluding sign on the inscription read from left to right signifies 'sword'.

Thus, the Rakhigarhi seal inscription can be read in Prkritam:  khaṁḍa 'sword' PLUS खााडा [ kāṇḍā ] 'metal implements', more specifically, recorded as a Santali compound expression:

*khaṇḍaka3 ʻ sword ʼ. [Perh. of same non -- Aryan origin as khaḍgá -- 2]
Pk. khaṁḍa -- m. ʻ sword ʼ (→ Tam. kaṇṭam), Gy. SEeur. xai̦o, eur. xanro, xarno, xanlo, wel. xenlī f., S. khano m., P. khaṇḍā m., Ku. gng. khã̄ṛ, N. khã̄ṛo, khũṛo (Xchuri < kṣurá -- ); A. khāṇḍā ʻ heavy knife ʼ; B. khã̄rā ʻ large sacrificial knife ʼ; Or. khaṇḍā ʻ sword ʼ, H. khã̄ṛā, G. khã̄ḍũ n., M. khã̄ḍā m., Si. kaḍuva.(CDIAL 3793).

Figure 4: (A) Seal RGR 7230 from Rakhigarhi. (B) The side of the seal where surface has partially worn away revealing the black steatite beneath. (C) A swan black steatite debris fragment from Harappa.

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/08/supercaro-ingots-1-of-cast-metal-2-for.html

An ingot may be signified by an ellipse or parenthesis of a rhombus. It may also be signified by an allograph: human face.

Hieroglyph: mũhe ‘face’ (Santali) mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little pointed at each end; kolhe tehen me~ṛhe~t mūhā akata = the Kolhes have to-day produced pig iron (Santali) Rebus: mūhā 'ingot'; Compound formation: mleccha-mukha (Skt.) = milakkhu ‘copper’ (Pali)

See:Previous report http://asi.nic.in/pdf_data/rakhigarhi_excavation_report_new.pdf Excavations at Rakhigarhi 1997 to 2000 (Dr. Amarendranath)

Rakhigarhi seal with the carving of a tiger is reported by Prof. Shinde of Deccan College.

Here is a decipherment using the rebus-metonymy layered Indus Scipt cipher in Meluhha language of Indian  sprachbund (language union):

kul ‘tiger’ (Santali); kōlu id. (Telugu) kōlupuli = Bengal tiger (Telugu) 

कोल्हा [ kōlhā ] कोल्हें  [kōlhēṃ] A jackal (Marathi) 

Rebus: kol, kolhe, ‘the koles, iron smelters speaking a language akin to that 

of Santals’ (Santali) kol ‘working in iron’ (Tamil)

 I suggest that the language spoken by the Sarasvati's children was Meluhha 

(Mleccha), a spoken, vernacular version of Vedic chandas. This may also be 

called Proto-Prakritam, not unlike Ardhamaadhi identified by Jules Bloch in 

his work: Formation of Marathi Language.

A three-centimetre seal with the Harappan script. It has no engraving of any animal motif.
Source: http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/heritage/harappan-surprises/article6032206.ece

See:
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/05/what-did-harappans-eat-how-did-they.html

http://asi.nic.in/pdf_data/rakhigarhi_excavation_report_new.pdf

kuṭire bica duljad.ko talkena, they were feeding the furnace with ore. In this Santali sentence bica denotes the hematite ore. For example, samṛobica,  'stones containing gold' (Mundari) meṛed-bica 'iron stone-ore' ; bali-bica, iron sand ore (Munda). mẽṛhẽt, meḍ ‘iron’(Munda. Ho.)

Meluhha rebus representations are: bica ‘scorpion’ bica ‘stone ore’ (hematite).

pola (magnetite), gota (laterite), bichi (hematite). kuṇṭha munda (loha) a type of hard native metal, ferrous oxide. 

See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/asur-metallurgists.html
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/09/catalogs-of-pola-kuntha-gota-bichi.html#!  Hieroglyph: pōḷī, ‘dewlap' पोळ [ pōḷa ] m A bull dedicated to the gods, marked with a trident and discus, and set at large (Marathi) Rebus: pola (magnetite)

ḍaṅgra 'bull' Rebus: ḍāṅgar, ḍhaṅgar ‘blacksmith’ (Hindi). 

. See:http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/06/asur-metallurgists.html  Magnetite a type of iron ore is called POLA by the Asur (Meluhha).

Reading the Indus writing inscriptions on both sides of bun-shaped lead ingots of Rakhigarhi

The Indus writing inscriptions relate to cataloging of metalwork as elaborated by the following rebus-metonymy cipher and readings in Meluhha (Indian sprachbund):

Hieroglyphs (from l.): body, linear stroke, notch, corner, U plus notch, rim of jar

meD 'body' kATi 'body stature' Rebus: meD 'iron' kATi 'fireplace trench'. Thus, iron smelter.

koDa 'one' Rebus: koD 'workshop'

खांडा [ khāṇḍā ] m  A jag, notch, or indentation (as upon the edge of a tool or weapon). (Marathi) Rebus: khāṇḍā ‘tools, pots and pans, metal-ware’.

kanac 'corner' Rebus: kancu 'bronze'
baTa 'rimless pot' Rebus: baTa 'furance'
kanka, karNika 'rim of jar' Rebus: karNi 'supercargo'; karNika 'account'.

Hieroglyphs: rhombus (as circumgraph) + spoked wheel PLUS a pair of 'bodies' (twins)

dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'; meD 'body' kATi 'body stature' Rebus: meD 'iron' kATi 'fireplace trench'. Thus, iron smelter.

A spoked wheel is ligatured within a rhombus: kanac 'corner' Rebus: kancu 'bronze'; eraka 'nave of wheel' Rebus: eraka 'copper, moltencast'

See many variants of 'body' hieroglyph and ligatures at 
https://www.academia.edu/8408578/Stature_of_body_Meluhha_hieroglyphs_48_in_Indus_writing_catalogs_of_metalwork_processes

Figure 14: Side (A) and top (B) views of a lead ingot inscribed with Harappan characters. Detailed images of the top (C) and bottom (D) inscriptions.

Figure 1: Steatite sources of the Greater Indus region and Harappan steatite trade networks.

Figure 6: (A) Unicorn seal fragment #6304. (B) Detail of the grayish-green steatite of the seal's interior

Figure 9: Agate-carnelian nodule fragments and flakes from Rakhigarhi

Figure 18: Lead and silver artifacts from Rakhigarhi compared to South Asian lead and lead-silver sources.

Figure 29: Saddle quern (left) and fragment (right) composed of a deep red sandstone of unknown origin.

Figure 30: Hematite cobbles/nodules of unknown origin. Geologic provenience studies of Rakhigarh's stone and metal artifact assemblage are ongoing or in the planning stages.

Figure 31: Rakhigarhi grindingstone acquisition networks

Figure 32: Rakhigarhi stone and metal sources and acquisition networks identified in this study. Potential, but as of yet unconfirmed, copper, gold and chert source areas are also indicated.

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/04/excavations-at-rakhigarhi-1997-2000-asi.html

Excavations at Rakhigarhi, 1997-98 to 1999-2000 (Full text of ASI Report; Dr. Amarendra Nath, Former Directo...

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

November 19, 2015

Mi