Tuesday 30 December 2014

THE ANCIENT CITY OF 'HARAN' IN TURKEY - ABODE OF LORD SHIVA?

Located near the Turkish- Syrian border in the middle of an arid plain, Haran is one of the oldest Mesopotamian settlements.


Ancient Haran, located north of Euphrates River.


T
he settlement of Haran is mentioned in a treaty which was enacted in the Temple of Sin (Sin was the Mesopotamian Moon God) at Haran in the reign of Hammurabi (1728-1686 BC). Several Assyrian kings describe rebuilding this temple. The last king of Babylon, Nabonidus (556-539 BC) also rebuilt the Temple of Sin. Excavations have revealed a large mud-brick building which dates to the end of the 3rd millennium BC. It is thought this might be the predecessor to the temple of the Sumerian and Mesopotamian Moon-God Sin.


Haran, the site of Temple of the 
Moon God named 'Sin'

On the left is Stele of Babylonian King Nabonidus 
who rebuilt the Temple of Sin during 556-539 BC, 
Centre: Star and Crescent of Haran coin, 
Right: Sign of Moon God 'Sin' 

Archaeologists have uncovered temples to the Moon-god Sin throughout the Middle East. The worship of the Moon God was the dominant religion of the Sumerians, Mesopotamians, the Babylonians, Assyrians and the Akkadians. 

The insignia of the Moon God Sin bears a remarkable likeness to that of the Vedic God Shiva. In fact, Shiva is also known as Som-nath (सोमनाथ) which means 'Lord of the Moon'. Shiva's insignia includes the crescent moon and the bull called 'Vrishabha' or 'Nandi' who was the vehicle of Lord Shiva. 


The earliest known form of the name 'Sin' is 'Suen' which may well be a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Shivam' - the name of the Vedic Moon God. What is even more interesting is that 'Haran' (हरन), is another name for Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva with crescent moon
in his matted hair top-knot 


Lord Shiva with Vrishabha or
Nandi the bull
who is his vehicle.



Lord Shiva also known as 'Haran'
 is the Vedic Moon God in
 semi-Padmasana posture.

Insignia of the Moon God 'Sin'
of Haran.  Notice the crossed-legged posture akin to 

yogic semi-Padmasana of Shiva, the crescent moon
 and the bulls which were
the vehicles of the moon-god 'Sin'. 


Lord HariHaran at Brihadisvara temple complex,
Gangaikondacholapuram, TamilNadu, India

Lord Hari-Haran is part Vishnu, part Shiva
Hari is Vishnu.
Haran is Shiva.


Suggested Readings:
1. Allah - The Moon God

Monday 22 December 2014

'NAGAR', THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATION OF SYRIA - AND A BIT ABOUT VEDIC GODS & GODDESSES

Ancient Nagar, now known as Tell Brak is a settlement mound, in the Upper Khabur area in north-eastern Syria. With an area of 320 acres it is one of the largest archaeological sites in northern Mesopotamia. In 1937-39, British archaeologist Max Mallowan discovered the ancient Al-Ayoun Temple and King Naram Sin's Palace at this site.

The name Nagar is interesting for 'nagar' (नगर) is Sanskrit for 'city' or 'settlement'. So is the name Naram Sin, it seems to be a deviation of the Sanskrit 'narsimha' meaning 'man-lion', a name fit for a king. Narsimha is also another name for the fourth avatar of the Vedic God Vishnu. Here are two steles of the Akkadian King Naram Sin - the link to man-lion is evident :



Naram Sin, the Akadian King (2270-2230 BC).
'Narasi
mhameans 'man-lion' in Sanskrit.



Naram Sin was also depicted with a false beard and a crown-
giving hi
m resemblance to a lion. Was
he known as
Narasimha rather than Naram-Sin?

Photo: www.journeytothesource.info/sumer.html

The closest city to ancient Nagar, now called Tell Brak is Damascus. Damascus, Edward Pococke wrote in his book 'India in Greece', derives its name from Sanskrit 'dharma' (धर्म). He supports his argument by putting forth the view that Vedic 'dharma' distorts to 'dham
ma'  just as it does in Buddhism - he says Damascus was the city of Dharma. 

Nagar is the site of some very curious artefacts  - the most famous of them are the 'eye idols'. Hundreds were found in a temple near the site, perhaps a representation of the gods that were worshipped at the time. Take a look:


The 'eye idols' of Nagar, Syria
are dated to 3200 BC
Figurines from ancient Nagar Civilization, Syria.

Here is an artefact that the Interpol reported had been smuggled out from a Syrian site into Lebanon. This news and photo was reported on 13th December, 2013 by www.alapn.com, the website of a prestigious literary and cultural news agency in Damascus:


An artifact from a Syrian archaeological site.
This looks like a depiction of Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita

or Subhadra, Sri Krishna and Balarama.
Notice the attire.

The eye idols of ancient Nagar civilization of Syria, and the above artifact bear a remarkable resemblance to the gods and goddesses of India, especially the Sri Jaggan Nath idols and Naina Devi. See pictures below:


The large-eyed idols of Balarama, Subhadra and Sri Krishna
Naina Devi, the large eyed Vedic goddess.


Vedic scriptures and strotrams describe the
gods and goddess to have eyes which are large,
deep blue and shaped like lotus-petals.

Adi Sankara in his 'Ardhanarishwara stotram' describes the eyes of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva hence:

'vishAlanIlotpalalochanAyai vikAsipa~NkeruhalochanAya'
Her eyes are large like a blue lotus and the Lord's eyes are like the petal of a blossomed lotus'.

Is it possible that the eye idols of Syria bear a connection to the Vedic Gods and Goddess. Although Nagar is in north-eastern Syria, both the decoration and plan of the Eye Temple resemble that of south Mesopotamian temples, such as those in Uruk and Eridu.


Other Syrian artefact also bear resemblance to Indian gods and goddesses in attire and hand gestures such as the one below:


The Golden Statuette, Syria.
Notice the hand gesture.

This hand gesture common to India
gods is also seen in the Syrian artefact above
.

Sunday 14 December 2014

FROM SANSKRIT 'BHAGVAN' TO THE ANCIENT CITY OF 'BAGHDAD' - AND A BIT ABOUT GOD

English etymological dictionaries such as the Webster's Dictionary trace the origin of the word 'god' to Old Frisian 'Du', which it is said emerged from Proto Germanic* word 'guthan' - originally from Sanskrit 'huta' (हूत) which is the equivalent of 'that which is invoked'. 

(Note: The Germanic people were an ethno-linguistic group of people generally considered less civilized than Celtic group of people that included the Gauls* and the Druids. The Frisians belonged to the physically hardened but less refined Germanic group of tribes.Old Frisian language is the most closely related language to Old English.) 

*On an aside, the name Gaul is derived from the Germanic term walha or foreigner which can be traced via its Proto-Germanic form walhiska, ultimately to the Sanskrit 'videshi' (विदेशी) meaning 'foreigner'. The same root resulted in names such as 'Welsh' and 'Wales'.

But back to the word 'god'. Here is a quote from the Readers' Digest, Family Word Finder-

"Our word 'god' goes back via Germanic to Indo-European, in which a corresponding ancestor form meant 'invoked one'. The word’s only surviving non-Germanic relative is Sanskrit hu, invoke the gods, a form which appears in the Rig Veda, most ancient of Hindu scriptures: puru-hutas, “much invoked,” epithet of the rain-and-thunder god Indra."
                                         - (From Reader's Digest, Family Word Finder, page 351) (Originally published by The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville New York, Montreal; Copyright (C) 1975)

In his book 'Some Missing Chapters of World History', author P.N. Oak traces the etymology of the word 'god' in detail. P.N Oak was often dismissed for his so called Hindu-Centric revisionism'. But was there any substance to his claims or were they baseless?

Here is a quote from the above mentioned book. "Pagan is a mal-pronunciation of the Vedic term Bhagvan or the supreme deity.... the name Bhagvad as in Bhagvad Geeta came to be pronounced as 'pagvad' thence leading to the French word 'pagoda' i.e. temple. Its last syllable 'god' came to signify the deity inside the temple. The term Baghdad, capital of Iraq is of the same derivation and was originally 'Bhagvad Nagar' - the city of God."


Is the word 'pagan' a mal-pronunciation of 'Bhagvan' as P.N.Oak had argued? English etymological dictionaries give no convincing source of the word 'pagan' except that its meaning came to be associated with Latin paganus meaning 'villager' or 'rustic', which stems from from PIE root *pag' meaning 'fixed' in reference to the conservative rustic villagers who did not give up their ancient beliefs  and gods for Christianity. Later, in Christian Latin 'pagan' became 'heathen' which referred to those who were not enrolled in the army of Christ.

But there is a problem with the view that 'pagan' stems from 'paganus' meaning villager, because at them time when the term 'pagan' was coined, it was the cities of the Roman Empire and not the rustic areas that were the centres of 'paganism'. Besides 'paganus' acquired its meaning of being 'uncultured' or 'backward' or 'villager' much later in Church history rather than at the time of the first conversions.

Though it is not accepted that the word 'pagan' is a distortion of the Rig Vedic 'bhagvan', it is accepted that the word 'pagan' changed to 'heathen'. P.N.Oak of course says that 'bhagvan', 'pagan' and 'heathen' are the same word.

There is one argument that lends credit to his view. It is one of the 3 fundamental rules of sound shift in languages as they change over time (known as Grimm's Law) that often the sound 'bh' changes to 'b' to 'p'. Grimm's law was the first non-trivial systematic sound change to be discovered in linguistics; its formulation was a turning point in the development of linguistics. Theis sound shift may be represented as follows:

bʰ > b > p > ɸ

It is evident from the rule above that the sound 'bh' in 'bhagvan' could have indeed changed to 'p' of 'pagan'.

Mainline etymological dictionaries hold that 'pagoda' stems fromTamil 'pagavadi' house belonging to a deity', originally from Sanskrit 'bhagavati' (भगवती)   or 'goddess'. 'Pagode' is indeed French for 'temple' as P.N. Oak has put forth.

And what is the ancient name of Baghdad. P.N. Oak states it was 'Bhagvad' Nagar. The name Baghdad is pre-Islam and is evident from the fact that the name 'Baghdadu' has been inscribed on Assyrian cuneiform and Babylonian records going back to at least 2000 BC. By the times of Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC) the name had changed to Bagh-dadu.

Though the name Baghvad Nagar does not appear on the maps of ancient Iraq (Sumerian/ Mesopotamian/ Babylonian Region) yet if the names of other ancient cities and towns is any indication, the name Bhagvad Nagar fits right in. 

Notice the names Kish, Lagash, Umma
and of course Sumer.

And though there is no Nagar in the region where Baghdad is located, an ancient tell (ancient settlement mound) now called Tell Brak, the largest ancient archaeological sites of Mesopotamia, in present day Syria was named 'Nagar' in antiquity.

Nagar, an ancient archaeological Mesopotamian
site in present day Syria,
is now known as Tell Brak


Sumerian cities have names that have a remarkable resemblance to Sanskrit names. An example is 'Eshnunna', 'Esha' (ईश) means 'powerful', 'Annuna' (अनून) means 'whole' or 'having full power'. One of the kings of Esnunna was 'Naram-Suen' or 'Narem-Sin' probably 'Narsimha' (नरसिंह) meaning the 'Lion-Man', another King was named 'Ishar-Ramashshu' which is close to 'Isha Rama' followed by a suffix', and yet another 'Asurawasu', which is identical to 'Asura-Vasu' and so on.

Notice some more Sanskrit names in the following map.


Nippur, Anshan,  Subartu!
Subartu was also known as 'Subartam'.

A name such as 'Bagvad' on these ancient maps would therefore be no big surprise. Hence, to dismiss the views presented by researcher P.N.Oak without undergoing a review of mainline history may be a little premature.

Wednesday 10 December 2014

ANCIENT VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO JAVA, SUMATRA AND BALI IN THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA

Here is the verse from Ramayana that mentions the islands of Java and Sumatra.

यत्नवन्तो यव द्वीपम् सप्त राज्य उपशोभितम् |
सुवर्ण रूप्यकम् द्वीपम् सुवर्ण आकर मण्डितम् || ४-४०-३०

The Ramayana clearly states the sea-route from Jambhudvipa (India) starting from its east coast to what is today known as Indonesia. The route mentions the islands of Java & Sumatra and Shalmali Dwipa which is identified as Australia. 

The Ramayana also states that located on the further end of Shalmali Dwipa (Australia) as we travel from India, is located a massive structure that Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, writes was constructed by the celestial architect Vishwakarma, its peak as high as that of Mount Kailash! For more about the voyage to Shalmali Dwipa and the megalithic structure constructed by Vishwakarma click here .

In the times of the Ramayana Java was known as Yava. Some sources say that Java was known for its barley terraced fields and hence its name - yava (यव) which in Sanskrit means 'barley'.

The name Java is a distortion of Yava. Here is a quote from www.valmikiramayan.net about the shift of the name Yava to Java, "Regarding the difference between the names of Yava and Java the word ya in Sanskrit becomes ja in vernaculars. Hence Yava became Java, as 'simha puri' or 'lion-city' became the present day Singapore"

The 9th century Prambanan Shiva Temple in Java

On this point of Yava/Java island as said in Ramayana, Sri Kedarnath Basu notes in his 'Hindu Civilization': 'The reader may note here that java dwiipa described as consisting of seven kingdoms was probably the group of islands now called the Indian Archipelago, of which Java was at that time the most powerful'

Murajambi Temple, Sumatra

Sumatra was known in ancient times by its Sanskrit name of 'Swarnadwipa' (Island of Gold) as is mentioned in the Ramayana. Its other name was Svarnabhumi (सुवर्ण भूमि) or 'Land of Gold', because of the gold deposits of the island's highland. Later the name Svarna (सुवर्ण) meaning 'gold' changed to 'Samudra' (समुद्र) meaning 'ocean' and finally 'samudra' distorted into 'Sumatra'.

Another inhabited island in the region mentioned in the Ramayana is the 'Rupayakam dvipa' - which means the 'silvern island'. Sometime in the 7th century AD, its name changed to 'Bali' from its name then which was 'Jambrena'. It is said that with the arrival of a maharishi by the name Markandeya around 7th century, clearing of forests and a ritual planting of Panca Dhatu (पंचधातु) , namely the five types of elements that are believed to be able to withstand the hazards was undertaken. The Maharishi taught meditation and worship of the Gods with offerings that contained three elements: water, fire and fragrant flowers. The island therefore came to be named after the  word 'offering' which is 'bali' (बलि) in Sanskrit.

A scene from the Ramayana
in a Bali Opera

Friday 28 November 2014

THE TEMPLE OF GARNI AND A BIT ABOUT ARMENIA - THE VEDIC-SANSKRIT CONNECTION

The oldest surviving building in Armenia is the Temple of Garni represented by Mithira, the Sun God. Mithira is said to have been adapted into the Zoroastrian pantheon from the Rig Vedic deity 'Mitra' who is 'an important divinity of Indic culture, and the patron divinity of honesty, friendship, contracts and meetings'. Also the word 'mitra' (मित्र) often translated as 'friend' from Sanskrit, also means 'sun'.

'Mitra' evolved into its Zoroastrian form of 'Mithira' during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and was later carried to Greece by remnants of Alexander the Great's armies in the 3rd-2nd century BC, where it was incorporated into the Greek concept of the 'Helios'- the Sun god. Again 'heli' (हेलि) means 'sun' in Sanskrit.


The Temple of Garni was built in the 2nd century BC over the site of an even more ancient Uratian temple dated to 3rd century BC. Uratian culture is associated with the mysterious phallic stones found all over Armenia and known as the 'Vishapa'. The Vishapa stones are connected with water much like the Vedic Shivalinga.



A Uratian 'Vishapa' is connected with water
much like the Vedic Shivalinga. The Uratian pagan
tradition was gradually rejected by the Zoroastrians.

The closest Sanskrit cognate to the word 'Vishapa' is 'Vrishabha' (वृषभ) which means 'bull' and is sacred to the Hindus. 'Nandi' the 'bull' is the vehicle of Lord Shiva. Near the Temple of Garni an artifact of a hoof of a bull, modeled with white marble, was discovered, which once belonged to a pagan idol at the temple premises destroyed during the adoption of Christianity. The rise of Christianity demolished both Paganism and later Zoroastrianism in Armenia. 

Adds Vinay Vaidya,  " 'Vishapa' is 'Vrishabha' (वृषभ) which means 'bull'. Near the Temple of Garni a hoof of a bull artifact was found. In Sanskrit, 'shapha' (शफmeans 'hoof', 'vishapha' means 'of a big hoof', that becomes 'Bishop' in Chess....". 


Mithira slaying the Bull or 'Vrishbha'.
As Zoroastrianism grew, its Vedic 

antecedents were rejected.
Hence, the slaying of Shiva's bull 'Nandi'.

In the 1st century AD the Temple of Garni was ruined by Roman armies. In 79 AD Garni was reconstructed by Tridat I, who called it the 'inaccessible temple' in his Greek inscription. Tridat, apart from being the Armenian King was also a Zoroastrian priest. His name bears the same meaning in Avestan, the language of the Zoroastrians as it does in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit 'Tridata' (त्रिदाता) is the Vedic trinity of 'Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesh'. 'Tri' (त्रि) is 'three' and 'dAtA' (दाता) means 'giver' - and his name meant the Zoroastrian equivalent of 'given by Trinity'. 

Vinay Vaidya sheds light on the name Garni. He says, "Garni could be seen as derived directly from 'GhRNi' (घृणि) meaning the 'Sun', 'Mitra' (as mentioned above) is another evidence. 'Om GhRNi sUryAya namaH' is the Vedika mantra for worshiping the Sun. 'GhUrNa' (घूर्ण) means to revolve, rotate. And this too is about those planets including the Sun and the Moon, which revolve on the celestial circular orbit." The Garni temple collapsed in the 1679 earth-quake and was reconstructed between 1969 and 1974.


The ruined Temple of Garni during early
20th century before it was reconstructed.

Garni Temple was made of basalt, probably transported from the nearby Geghard monastery which itself was partially carved out of a monolithic basalt mountain - much like the cave temples of India. The Geghard monastery is built over the site of a sacred spring arising inside a cave. This too indicates a Vedic and Hindu link. Springs are sacred in India and there are many many ancient temples built around spring areas. Caves too are held sacred and have been the seat of ascetics since antiquity.

The Rig Veda says that all the inhabitants of the earth emerged from the primordial sea and water is regarded as sacred. It says, "The waters that are from the firmament and flow after being dug, and even those that spring by themselves, the bright pure waters which lead to the sea, may those divine waters protect me here."



Geghard Monastery, 10 km away from
Temple of Garni was carved out of a basalt mountain
built on the site of a spring inside a cave
sacred to ancient Armenians.

The Garni structure can be seen as a representation of the cosmos, with nine steps leading to a raised platform representing the 'navagraha' (नवग्रह) or 'nine planets' of Vedic cosmology which include the Sun and Moon; Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn; and the two nodes - Rahu and Ketu. The temple has 24 basalt columns representing the 24 hours of the day. 


The reconstructed sun Temple of Garni.
The temple as it stands today was 
reconstructed between 1969 to1974.


The carving on the frieze of the Garni temple
does not appear on its 24 columns
indicating that the base belongs to a
different time and school of architecture.

Closeness and links to ancient India and Armenia are visible in its many artifacts. Here's one that most of us will immediately recognize. This artifact, titled was found at The Church of St. Paul and St. Peter in Tomarza in central Turkey which was built as late as 1570 - over a far more ancient site.


Artifact from Church of St. Paul and St. Peter of Tomarza dated to 1570, in Turkey (a part of the ancient Armenian Civilization) is titled as the 'hand of God'
it is evident that this is a 'Yogic Hand Mudra',

The 'Prithvi Mudra' in Indian Sculpture


Yogic 'Hand Mudras'.

Suggested Link:
1. Vedic Elements in the Ancient Iranian Religion of Zarathushtra
2. The Temple of Garni
3. Discovering Armenia

Friday 21 November 2014

COLCHESTER IN ENGLAND, KALMATA IN GREECE, AND CALEDONIA (OR SCOTLAND): THE VEDIC-SANSKRIT CONNECT TO THEIR NAMES

Camulodunum, an ancient site was an important town in Roman Britain. It is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain

Prior to the Roman seize 'Camulodunon' was the site of a Celtic settlement named after the Celtic god Camulus from which the prefix in the name Camulodunon is derived. The suffix 'dunum' means fortification in the ancient Celtic language, similar to the Sanskrit 'durgham' (दुर्गम) meaning 'impassable' or 'inaccessible'. It was argued by scholars such as Edward Moor and Edward Pococke that towns in Europe that have the suffix 'burg' are 'fort towns' - 'burg' a distortion of the Sanskrit 'durg' (दुर्ग) meaning 'fort'.

There is some debate on the location of the ancient site of Camulodunon and it has been mainly traced to two present day towns  - Colchester and Camerton. In the neighbourhood of Colchester which is named after the river Colne that flows nearby, there are some vestiges of Sanskrit legends.


River Blackwater and the town of Maldon lie close to
River Colne-  a name that is linked to Sanskrit 'kala'
meaning 'black'. See map below.

The word 'Cala' or its cognates occur in names of English and Scottish rivers especially if they have something to do with black. Hence a river by the name 'Blackwater' also runs close to Colne. 'Maldon' is a town close to River Blackwater. Edward Moor in his book 'Oriental Fragments' identifies 'Maldon' as the Sanskrit compound 'mAludhAna' (मालुधान) which means 'serpent'. Whether it has any relation to the serpent mounds such as the one in Loch Nell will never be known. Moor also identifies the word 'Cala' to the Sanskrit 'kAla' (काल) meaning 'black' and to Lord Shiva. 'Kala' is also 'time', 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' in the Sanskrit language.


In his book "oriental Fragments', Edward Moor
traces the sound 'col' in  the names 'Colne', and  'Colchester'
to the Sanskrit 'kala' 
(कालmeaning 'black'.
  Notice that River Blackwater flows nearby..

Edward Moor states, "Cala is not an uncommon name for a river in regions very distant from each other meaning, where a meaning can be traced, black. The river Blackwater runs near Colchester...". 

Referring to the town of Kalamata in Greece he states, "Calamata, I will here note, is at the foot of Mount Parnassus. Mountains or hills, more especially if conical, as then being more probably of volcanic origin, we shall by-and-by see are appurtenances of Siva and Parvati...  which means mountain-born....The river Calamata reminds us that the Nile, and other rivers, have a like meaning of blackness or blueness. Kali is a river famed in Hindu epics. Nila means blue; so does Krishna, or black. The poetical river Jumna, as we call it, is, with Hindus, 'Yamuna, the blue daughter of the Ocean'."

Referring to the name Kalinadi, he states," (It is) a Sanskrit compound name of more than one river in India; best translated by Black-river, or Black-water ; and the name of more than one (river) in Britain". His estimate was that near the Colne and Blackwater rivers, archaeological excavations and time must reveal ancient sites or temples. 

Moor was intrigued by what what Pausanius, an ancient Greek traveller and writer, had noticed in the town of Kalamata - that is, a temple of the Syrian goddess! The temple of Syri, Edward Moor says, could really have been the temple of Kali or Parvati! Syri is a cognate of the Vedic name Sri, which is yet another name of Kali!! Hence the name of the town - Kalamata!!!

About Scotland Moor states, "In Scotland I could find many Kalic-isms, as the recent spelling of Caledonia may lead us to infer. I have before hinted that Kali-dun is the Hill of Kal, Caldew a name of Siva, Cal another.... ". Read Caldew as Kala-deva, and Cal as Kal

Links:
1. The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany, Volume 14
2. Oriental Fragment by Edward Moor

Monday 10 November 2014

THE RIVERS OF GEORGIA -THE SANSKRIT CONNECT AND A BIT ABOUT THE MOON GOD (LORD SHIVA) TEMPLE OF LOMISA

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bound to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. 

The name Georgia is an exonym, used in the West since the medieval period. It is presumably derived from the Persian designation of the Georgians as, 'gorgan', evolving from Parthian wurgan, and Middle Persian wirucan, rooting from Old persian 'vrkan' which means 'wolves', and 'varkana' meaning 'land of wolves'.

However, what is left unsaid is that the Persian 'varkana' itself originates from the Sanskrit 'vrik' (वृक) meaning 'wolf'.  It is from the Sanskrit Vrika that the Persians derived varkana and the Greeks derived Hyrcania. That the root Vri which appears in Sanskrit is not derived from any other language is attested by the fact that Vrik, in Sanskrit, also means to move or go or hide, and appears in animal names such as 'vrishaba' (bull), vrischaka (scorpion), vrikari (dog) etc. For more on this subject and the Sanskrit connect to Georgian names click here.

One of the major rivers in Georgia is the Kura which is a name of Turkish origin. Some have contended that the River Kura gets its name from the ancient Albanian term for 'reservoir'. Even here the Sanskrit connect is evident. In Sanskrit, 'karshu' (कर्षू) means 'river', so does 'kula' (कूल) which is more often used to refer to a 'riverbank'. A 'kupa' (कूप) is a 'well' and 'kulya' (कुल्या) is a small river. Derivatives of 'kula' such as 'kulini' (कूलिनी) and 'kulvati' (कूलवती) also mean 'river'. 

The Georgian name of the river Kura is Mt'k'vari and its roots are traced to the Georgian 'good water'. That too has a Sanskrit connect, for 'vaari' (वारि) and 'vaarii' (वारी) both mean 'water' in Sanskrit. However, a more likely etymology lies in the Georgian word 'mtvare' meaning 'moon'. And there are obvious reasons for his point of view.

The Mt'k'vari river forms a 'sangam' of sorts, a confluence, with another river by the name 'Araghave'. Mainline sources say that the name 'Araghave' originates from old Iranian Ragvi meaning 'swift'. Once again compare this to the Sanskrit 'raghu' (रघु) meaning 'rapid' or even 'raghav' (राघव) meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'. 'Araghave' is the Armenian version of the name 'Raghave'. The Georgian word for confluence is 'seshartavi'. The suffix 'tavi'' appears in the word 'Tavisa', Sanskrit for 'river' or 'ocean'. The confluence takes place near the city of Mtsekhta.


The Aragvi (right) meets the Mtkvari at Mtskheta, one of the oldest inhabited cities of the word. Aragvi, Mtkvari and Mtskheta are names of Sanskrit origins.

Mtsketa is one of the earliest inhabited cities of the world. It was the centre of ancient temples in pre-Christian times, and it became one of the first places to see the destruction of its temples at the time of the rise of Christianity such as the one in Tshika Gora - see picture below.

The temple of Lomisa:
The temple at Lomisa, at its earliest it is said, was dedicated to a lion goddess, hence the name Lomisa. 'Lomi' is 'lion' in Georgian. But this seems to be slight deviation from what might have been the truth. As we see, it appears that eventually the Temple came to be dedicated to a moon god and his bull. This new Lomisa deity was known to have been the rider of the bull. This is the same as the lore of Shiva, who in the Vedic tradition, as the moon god is known as 'Soma' and has a bull as its vahana or vehicle. he is often seen seated on a tiger skin- the tiger was a mystical creature which evolved from all Yagna arranged by antagonist sages to attack Shiva but is slayed by him. Therefore, the 'lion goddess' appears to be the Vedic Indic Durga who is seated either on a lion or a tiger. In later times after the original meaning of the name had been forgotten, the Georgians invented myths to explain its origins. The forgotten memory of Shiv and Soma together seemed to have generated the name
Lomisa. 

Shiva rides the Nandi bull. Shiva as the moon-God wears a half crescent moon and is known as Soma. Hence Loma.  In Lomisa the bulls horn gets associated with the shape of the crescent moon.

Georgian bull-motif from an ancient temple column
excavated in Tsikha Gora, Georgia is a reminder

of the Vedic 'Nandi'.
Picture Courtesy: Encyclopaedia Iranica


The image of the kneeling bull 'Nandi' is a common occurrence in Hindu temples - both ancient and present - and explains the Georgian bull motif.

The kneeling bull- Nandi, India

The Lomisa sacred site in Georgia is dedicated to
the moon god Lomisa who is a rider of the bull.
This is a variation of the legend 
of Soma, the moon god
and his vahana, Nandi- the bull
.

The etymology of the name Mtskheta is unknown. However, there are cities in Georgia which have both 'kheta' and 'khetr' as the suffix. Examples include - Kakheti, Samstkhe and Java Khetr. Now 'kshetra' (क्षेत्र) is Sanskrit for 'area' and is used as a suffix in the names of ancient cities in India, such as Kurukshetra. It is highly likely then that the name Mtskheta has a distorted form of 'kshetra' as its suffix. Mtaskheta thus translates as 'mountain area'.

The name of the highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara and the second highest is Mount Janga. Both the names are of obvious Sanskrit origin- 'shikhar' (शिखर) and 'tunga' (तुङ्ग) both mean 'peaks'.

On the confluence of the rivers Ksana and Aragvi, on a watershed mountain, is located a church surrounded by the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to a bull by the name Lomisi who is associated with the moon god represented by the half-moon

The church at Lomisa, Georgia
with the ruins of an ancient temple associated with
the half-moon-good and a bull.

The ancient Temple of Lomisa at Georgia and
 its legend of the moon-god and his bull
is at once a reminder of Lord Shiva, and his bull, Nandi.


So is there any trace of a Shivalinga at the temple of Lomisa mentioned above?  Here is what a local travel agent, Tinatin Bujiashvili has to say, "The church built of rough stone is a triple-church basilica, in which the nave and aisles are separated by solid, continuous walls instead of by colonnades. The peculiarity of this church lies in the fact that in the middle of its interior 
stands the column, which doesn’t have any constructional function. Some scholars argue that it might symbolically represent 'the life-giving pillar' of Svetitskhoveli, 'sveti' meaning 'pillar' and 'tskhoveli' meaning 'life-giving'."

The central pillar of Lomisa is also believed to have miraculous properties and it is said that around it miraculous water flowed that cured people of diseases. Water is always poured over a Shivaliga which flows around it before channeled away.

Since the cult of the moon-god is forgotten, the reverence for the central-pillar is forgotten too. Unfortunately, the Shivalinga like column at Lomisa today is used to hang a chain used at the time of prayer.

The Shivalinga like structure at Lomisa, once revered, is
now used to hold a chain used at the time of prayer.


An artist's depiction of the 'Svetitskhoveli'.
The Temple of Lomisa is in ruins
but a Svetitskhoveli Temple which is now a church
exists in Mtskheta in Georgia.

The 'Svetitskhoveli' legend seems to be be akin to the Shivapurana legend of the 'Pillar of Light' or 'Pillar of Fire' which is a form of 'Lord Shiva'. The Shiva Purana says that Brahma and Vishnu were touring the Universe one day and found a pillar of light which extended farther than they could perceive in two directions. They were curious and decided to split up to see if one of them could find an end. Vishnu went in one direction and Brahma the other. After some time, they returned to their starting place. Vishnu said that he was unable to find the beginning, no matter how far he traveled. Brahma said that he found a beginning though he had not. Thereupon, the Pillar of Light immediately changed into a form of Shiva. Lord Shiva in this form is known as JyotiLingam. To Read more about the Pillar of Light or Fire of Shiva Purana click here.

Ellora Caves, India
Shiva as 'The Pillar of Light'

And here is a look at the archaeological sites in Georgia. Most of the names are obviously of Sanskrit origins.

Ancient archeological sites of Georgia.
Most of the names have Sanskrit origins.
Courtesy: Encyclopedia Iranica

Notice the river names: Kodori, probably from Sanskrit 'kedar' (केदार)  और 'basin of water', Enguri a cognate of 'angkur' (अङ्कुर) meaning 'water', Sukhumi, a cognate of 'Sukuma ' or su+kuma (सु + कुम) meaning 'good' + 'lake', Virali, a cognate of 'viral' (विरल) meaning 'rare' and so on.

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