VANISHING HISTORY AND HERITAGE OF DOABA
REGION OF PUNJAB i.e. (AMRITSAR-JALANDHAR-HOSHIARPUR-NAWANSHAHAR-ROPAR)---SOME
GLIMPSES OF ITS 'HARAPPAN' PAST AND LINKAGES TO VEDIC
CIVILISATION!
First of all let me clarify that AMRITSAR and ROPAR are not classic parts of the DOABA region but they are its extended limbs on two extremities. How many of you know that AMRITSAR is the FOUNTAINHEAD of 'Vedic and Harappan Civilisations'? How many of you know the difference between these two civilisations? How many of you know that HINDUISM, as a CULTURAL PHILOSOPHY ( PARDON ME, I REFUSE TO CALL IT A RELIGION!), sprang out of the synyhesis of thse two? How many of you have heard that RAMAYANA was written at 'RAMTIRATH', near Amritsar, by 'Rishi(SAINT) VALMIKI' who was perhaps a NAGA but NOT an ARYAN. Why LORD KRISHNA is shown in BLACK COMPLEXION? Was he not an ARYAN? Isn't it that ARYANS were with fare complexion than the indigenous people? What does PUNJABI game of children, called "ADDI CHHARAPPA", mean? Did it imply: ADDI__CH___ HARAPPA or HARAPPA UNDER MY HEEL? Was it a war cry of the victorious ARYANS which later became a game? Think of it. ORAL HISTORY WILL GIVE US MANY HINTS LIKE THIS. Have you ever heard of PUNJABI labourers of DOABA collectively shouting while lifting a very heavy load? They shout, "OYE, HARAPPA: HEY, HARAPPA."
Incidentally, digressing a bit, do you know that LAHORE in PAKISTAN was established by LUV--the elder sibling of Lord RAMA and KASOOR,too, in PAKISTAN was founded by his younger sibling KUSH--who as the legend goes was produced by VALMIKI out of "KUSHA"--'the GRASS'. Have you ever heard of 'ROOP-BASANT' folklore? It had its story enacted in ROPAR. How many of you can even dream about the place where SITA--LORD RAMA's wife was abandoned by LAXMAN--the younger brother of Lord RAMA? How did she reach the 'ASHRAM'( HAMLET) of RISHI VALMIKI---who then added the chapter of 'UTTARAKHAND" to his magna opus--'RAMAYANA'?
A school of thought is fast emerging amongst the INDOLOGISTS and historians that the geographical entity, called SOUTH ASIA today, was inhabitated by a NAGA RACE prior to the coming of VEDIC PEOPLE / ARYANS. Their presiding DIETY was Lord SHIVA. Some also refer to their civilisation as 'HARAPPAN CIVILISATION' after the name of an archaeological site some 40 Kms SW of LAHORE in PAKISTAN. A statue of 'DANCING NATRAJA' found at this site and also the multitudes of SHIVA TEMPLES in the land starting from AFGHANISTAN in the WEST to ASSAM in the EAST and MAHARASHTRA in the SOUTH, bear testimony to this claim. My point is that LORD SHIVA WAS NOT A VEDIC DIETY BUT NAGA GOD. The unification of SHAIVISM with VAISHNAVISM led to the famous TRINITY OF GODS.
The NAGAS find a mention in the MAHABHARTA also. Remember the NAGA PRINCE, TAKSHAK, who sought revenge on PRIKSHAT, ARJUNA's grandson. I reckon TAKSHILA in PAKISTAN was founded by him. NAGAS had a script of 483 characters, which todate has not been deciphered. But it seems they were separate from the ARYANS / Vedic People. The governing Philosophy of NAGAS was : LIVE LIFE TODAY i.e EAT, DRINK AND BE MERY. SURELY, THEY WERE NON-VEGETARIANS. MOST OF THEM LIVED ALONG THE BANKS OF MYTHOLOGICAL RIVER SARASWATI AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. RIVER SATLUJ WAS ITS FAMOUS TRIBUTARY. In a natural calamity of grand scale around 4500 BC the River SARASWATI disappeared and its two famous tributaries, i.e. YAMUNA and SATLUJ took to opposing directions.
The presiding diety of ARYANS or the VEDIC people was Lord VISHNU. They were pure VEGETARIANS and believed in the philosophy of BETTERING YOU FUTURE THROUGH GOOD DEEDS. The confluence of the two took place and SANATAN DHARMA of TOLERANCE & CO-EXISTENCE came out. Later reforms gave rise to BUDHISM & JAINISM, which combined with SHAIVISM & VAISHNAVISM produced the cultural philosophy of HINDUISM.
DOABA region of punjab, along with AMRITSAR & LAHORE geographical areas, is the great LAND where lies the great cultural heritage remains of ancient past -- SHAIVISM & VAISHNAVISM flourished here. AMRITSAR( RAM TIRATH), ROPAR, RAHON, VYAS, KANGRA, DASUYA, HOSHIARPUR, GARHSHANKAR, BALACHAUR and BHADRAVATI(BHADDI) are some of the towns/ places needing to be historically explored. Atleast, an effort must be made to check the unwanted destruction of ancient CULTURAL HERITAGE, which is becoming the victim of madness of unplanned growth of great race for the MODERNISATION.
I would like to digress a bit and inform you about two diametrically opposite views on the place and period of enactment of RAMAYANA & MAHABHARTA. If the first view is correct , then, it lends more weight to the authenticity of historical ruins of DOABA with their vanishing history. According to some INDIAN archaeologists and VEDIC historians : IF ARYANS WERE NOT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THEN, AND also, IF RAMAYANA WAS ENACTED BEFORE MAHABHARTA, then, the place of enactment of RAMAYNA was not present day India but present day AFGHANISTAN. By the way, the ancient & VEDIC name of AFGHANISTAN was ALP GAN STHAN, meaning the land of scarce people.
It is also said that river HEMLAND in Afghanistan was the original SARASWATI river--surprisingly it has a tributary called GANGA even today. Those of you who know our RIG VEDA( A collection of 1056 SANSKRIT HYMNS), should know that River Saraswati was mentioned 60 times in the verses while GANGA only once. And GANGA is our holiest of Holy River. Rig Veda is the oldest religious scripture of VEDIC people. Another view exists that probably GHAGHAR river is the long lost SARSWATI River (Disappeared around 4500 BC in a major earthquake which diverted the path of its tributaries YAMUNA and SATLUJ to present day course) is a latter day SARASWATI--as per the tradition of VEDIC people who carried the geographic names of their ancestral place , as they moved further EAST.
Contrary to the above, most Indian thinkers, historians and spiritual Gurus maintain that ARYANS were indigenous people. They rubbish Aryan -invasion theory. If so, then the archaeologists who insist on the Afghanistan -evidence of RAMAYANA, ask whether MAHABHARTA preceded RAMAYNA. This is because of the geographical layout of the areas of enactment as per our beliefs. It Is becoming a "CHICKEN AND EGG STORY". But I would like people to seriously consider viewpoint of famous Indian ARCHAEOLOGIST, Sh RAJESH KOCHHAR , which states that RAMAYANA MIGHT HAVE BEEN ENACTED IN AFGHANISTAN and the place around GWADER was ancient LANKA. I invite you to read his book "VEDIC HISTORY OF INDIA".
First of all let me clarify that AMRITSAR and ROPAR are not classic parts of the DOABA region but they are its extended limbs on two extremities. How many of you know that AMRITSAR is the FOUNTAINHEAD of 'Vedic and Harappan Civilisations'? How many of you know the difference between these two civilisations? How many of you know that HINDUISM, as a CULTURAL PHILOSOPHY ( PARDON ME, I REFUSE TO CALL IT A RELIGION!), sprang out of the synyhesis of thse two? How many of you have heard that RAMAYANA was written at 'RAMTIRATH', near Amritsar, by 'Rishi(SAINT) VALMIKI' who was perhaps a NAGA but NOT an ARYAN. Why LORD KRISHNA is shown in BLACK COMPLEXION? Was he not an ARYAN? Isn't it that ARYANS were with fare complexion than the indigenous people? What does PUNJABI game of children, called "ADDI CHHARAPPA", mean? Did it imply: ADDI__CH___ HARAPPA or HARAPPA UNDER MY HEEL? Was it a war cry of the victorious ARYANS which later became a game? Think of it. ORAL HISTORY WILL GIVE US MANY HINTS LIKE THIS. Have you ever heard of PUNJABI labourers of DOABA collectively shouting while lifting a very heavy load? They shout, "OYE, HARAPPA: HEY, HARAPPA."
Incidentally, digressing a bit, do you know that LAHORE in PAKISTAN was established by LUV--the elder sibling of Lord RAMA and KASOOR,too, in PAKISTAN was founded by his younger sibling KUSH--who as the legend goes was produced by VALMIKI out of "KUSHA"--'the GRASS'. Have you ever heard of 'ROOP-BASANT' folklore? It had its story enacted in ROPAR. How many of you can even dream about the place where SITA--LORD RAMA's wife was abandoned by LAXMAN--the younger brother of Lord RAMA? How did she reach the 'ASHRAM'( HAMLET) of RISHI VALMIKI---who then added the chapter of 'UTTARAKHAND" to his magna opus--'RAMAYANA'?
A school of thought is fast emerging amongst the INDOLOGISTS and historians that the geographical entity, called SOUTH ASIA today, was inhabitated by a NAGA RACE prior to the coming of VEDIC PEOPLE / ARYANS. Their presiding DIETY was Lord SHIVA. Some also refer to their civilisation as 'HARAPPAN CIVILISATION' after the name of an archaeological site some 40 Kms SW of LAHORE in PAKISTAN. A statue of 'DANCING NATRAJA' found at this site and also the multitudes of SHIVA TEMPLES in the land starting from AFGHANISTAN in the WEST to ASSAM in the EAST and MAHARASHTRA in the SOUTH, bear testimony to this claim. My point is that LORD SHIVA WAS NOT A VEDIC DIETY BUT NAGA GOD. The unification of SHAIVISM with VAISHNAVISM led to the famous TRINITY OF GODS.
The NAGAS find a mention in the MAHABHARTA also. Remember the NAGA PRINCE, TAKSHAK, who sought revenge on PRIKSHAT, ARJUNA's grandson. I reckon TAKSHILA in PAKISTAN was founded by him. NAGAS had a script of 483 characters, which todate has not been deciphered. But it seems they were separate from the ARYANS / Vedic People. The governing Philosophy of NAGAS was : LIVE LIFE TODAY i.e EAT, DRINK AND BE MERY. SURELY, THEY WERE NON-VEGETARIANS. MOST OF THEM LIVED ALONG THE BANKS OF MYTHOLOGICAL RIVER SARASWATI AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. RIVER SATLUJ WAS ITS FAMOUS TRIBUTARY. In a natural calamity of grand scale around 4500 BC the River SARASWATI disappeared and its two famous tributaries, i.e. YAMUNA and SATLUJ took to opposing directions.
The presiding diety of ARYANS or the VEDIC people was Lord VISHNU. They were pure VEGETARIANS and believed in the philosophy of BETTERING YOU FUTURE THROUGH GOOD DEEDS. The confluence of the two took place and SANATAN DHARMA of TOLERANCE & CO-EXISTENCE came out. Later reforms gave rise to BUDHISM & JAINISM, which combined with SHAIVISM & VAISHNAVISM produced the cultural philosophy of HINDUISM.
DOABA region of punjab, along with AMRITSAR & LAHORE geographical areas, is the great LAND where lies the great cultural heritage remains of ancient past -- SHAIVISM & VAISHNAVISM flourished here. AMRITSAR( RAM TIRATH), ROPAR, RAHON, VYAS, KANGRA, DASUYA, HOSHIARPUR, GARHSHANKAR, BALACHAUR and BHADRAVATI(BHADDI) are some of the towns/ places needing to be historically explored. Atleast, an effort must be made to check the unwanted destruction of ancient CULTURAL HERITAGE, which is becoming the victim of madness of unplanned growth of great race for the MODERNISATION.
I would like to digress a bit and inform you about two diametrically opposite views on the place and period of enactment of RAMAYANA & MAHABHARTA. If the first view is correct , then, it lends more weight to the authenticity of historical ruins of DOABA with their vanishing history. According to some INDIAN archaeologists and VEDIC historians : IF ARYANS WERE NOT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THEN, AND also, IF RAMAYANA WAS ENACTED BEFORE MAHABHARTA, then, the place of enactment of RAMAYNA was not present day India but present day AFGHANISTAN. By the way, the ancient & VEDIC name of AFGHANISTAN was ALP GAN STHAN, meaning the land of scarce people.
It is also said that river HEMLAND in Afghanistan was the original SARASWATI river--surprisingly it has a tributary called GANGA even today. Those of you who know our RIG VEDA( A collection of 1056 SANSKRIT HYMNS), should know that River Saraswati was mentioned 60 times in the verses while GANGA only once. And GANGA is our holiest of Holy River. Rig Veda is the oldest religious scripture of VEDIC people. Another view exists that probably GHAGHAR river is the long lost SARSWATI River (Disappeared around 4500 BC in a major earthquake which diverted the path of its tributaries YAMUNA and SATLUJ to present day course) is a latter day SARASWATI--as per the tradition of VEDIC people who carried the geographic names of their ancestral place , as they moved further EAST.
Contrary to the above, most Indian thinkers, historians and spiritual Gurus maintain that ARYANS were indigenous people. They rubbish Aryan -invasion theory. If so, then the archaeologists who insist on the Afghanistan -evidence of RAMAYANA, ask whether MAHABHARTA preceded RAMAYNA. This is because of the geographical layout of the areas of enactment as per our beliefs. It Is becoming a "CHICKEN AND EGG STORY". But I would like people to seriously consider viewpoint of famous Indian ARCHAEOLOGIST, Sh RAJESH KOCHHAR , which states that RAMAYANA MIGHT HAVE BEEN ENACTED IN AFGHANISTAN and the place around GWADER was ancient LANKA. I invite you to read his book "VEDIC HISTORY OF INDIA".
© rajee kushwaha., all rights reserved.
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rronnyy posted 5 yrs
ago
Sainiput posted 5
yrs ago
a nourishing peep into the past, with 'doaba' as the epicenter.
the more you dig the more you learn from the ruins facing
constant plunder.
the 'might is right' theory seems to have played the havoc all along.
and there is a serious need to establish relation between the 'harried
fish' and its 'natural pond'.
let rajee kushwaha take up the cudgils on behalf of the curious lot.
so that reality is found about what is what and what is not.
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