Octagonal, अष्टाश्रि yūpo bhavati (Satapatha Brahmana) for सोमः संस्था,Vajapeya soma yajna evidenced in Binjor (ca. 2500 BCE)

Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/hvc2s38

The evidence of सोमः संस्था, Vajapeya yajna attested by Indus Script Corpora and the agnikunda at the sites of Binjor and Kalibangan attest to the vedic culture continuum in Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization.

वाजपेय is a सोमः संस्था, i.e. a profession involving the processing of Soma, performance of soma yajna. A hieroglyph which signifies such a yajna is an octagonal shaped yupa. This octagonal shape of yupa is attested in ancient texts.

सोमः संस्था, Vajapeya yajna can be interpreted as a smelting process involving metalwork, thus producing bahusuvarNaka as noted in a Mulavarman yupa Pallava Devanagari script inscription in Samskritam of Kodei, East Borneo, dated ca. 4th century.

The earliest archaeological evidence (until April 2015) for such a yupa comes from Isapur, a suburb of Mathura, together with an inscription of Kushana priod ca. 1st cent. CE. Another site which evidences an agnikunda, a quadrangular yupa and a terracotta cake with Indus Script hieroglyphs points to the performance of a सोमः संस्था, Vajapeya yajna is Kalibangan. Both Binjor and Kalibangan sites evidence metalwork, based on the decipherment of Indus Script hieroglyphs dug in the artifacts of the sites.

A remarkable archaeological evidence comes in April 2015 from an archaeological site of Binjor, excavated by the students of Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India. The agnikunda was excavated togther with an octagonal shaped yupa in situ. The site is dateable to ca. 2500 BCE based on the evidence of an Indus Script seal found at the site. The seal is a metalwork catalogue. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/12/binjor-seal-with-indus-script.html


That the Vajapeya was performed in Binjor is a stunning evidence which is evidence of the continuum of Vedic culture in Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization because the Binjor archaeological site is on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati, close to Anupgarh. Anupgarh is the site clearly recognized in a LANDSAT image which shows the River Sarasvati lost in the sands of the Great Marusthali desert due to plate tectonics which resulted in the 90-degree westward diversion of the tributary River Sutlej at Ropar joining the River Sindhu in Bahawalpur province abandoning the Vedic River Sarasvati. When Sutlej had joined River Sarasvati at Shatrana, the width of the combined river palaeo-channel is 20 km., wider than the width of 14 kms. of Brahmaputra river at Manas, Arunachalpradesh.




Palaeo-drainage map of Thar desert region using IRS P3 WiFS satellite image Vedic River Sarasvati



Synoptic view of Landsat images of NW India showing 6-8 km. wide palaeo-

channel of Sarasvati River (from Siwalik thru Kalibangan and Anupgarh to 

Marot)

Ancient River Sarasvati forked at Anupgarh (Rajasthan) as seen from 

the LANDSAT image. 

Binjor is close to Anupgarh at the River fork.

One channel forked westwards to flow into Cholistan desert

This reconstruction of rivers, based on geological surveys, corroborates the 

LANDSAT imagery showing that at one stage Sutlej flowed independently from 

Himalayas into Sindhusagara.
Map showing sites Kalibangan, Ganweriwala (not far from Binjor)



Clusters of archaeological sites on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati (2500 BCE)

Clustering of the sites towards Ganga-Yamuna doab 3000 BP.



S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
January 2, 2016