Coin of the Indo-Greek ruler Demetrios I, from the first decade of the 2nd century B.C. The Elephant has long been considered a potent symbol of sovereignty and royal, even imperial power within the Indian/Dharmic iconographic lexicon. Hence, in part, why Lord Indra rides one [Airavata - 'Storm Cloud' ... the other major reason being … Continue reading “MY HAT IS AN ELEPHANT – YOUR SOVEREIGNTY IS INVALID” – A Gandharan Coin of Demetrius I – Arte-Facts #4
Greco-Roman
The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
I've had this coin in my head for awhile now - and it seemed rather appropriate to post for a Wednesday. It's another of the artefacts from the justifiably famed Tilya Tepe burial-site in northern Afghanistan; a roughly two millennia old set of seven graves that are likely of Scythian origin, rediscovered in 1978. But … Continue reading The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
Immortalizing, Through Pitru Paksha
"'Some people say you achieve immortality through your children,' said the minstrel. ‘Yeah?’ said Cohen. ‘Name one of your great-granddads, then.'" - Terry Pratchett Sunday marked the start of Pitru Paksha - the Fortnight of the Ancestors, wherein the borders between worlds are regarded as being thinner and more insubstantial than usual; and the Pitrs … Continue reading Immortalizing, Through Pitru Paksha
Skanda in Kushan [Afghani Arte-Facts Posting #2]
This Is #GangSteppe - a fine 2nd century AD Kushan depiction of Lord Skanda, from Gandhara in present-day Afghanistan/Pakistan. Something I find pretty cool about this particular rendering, is that the well-known Hindu deity has been presented in a manner that doesn't simply 'update' the features of the representation to be more in-line with Kushan mores and … Continue reading Skanda in Kushan [Afghani Arte-Facts Posting #2]
Interpretatio Steppona
Strange thought that I may do some more work upon: If you've spent pretty much *any time at all* around the field of comparative mythography .... then you'll almost certainly have run into the phrase "Interpretatio Romana". And despite it getting a lot of criticism these days for being .. blatantly not quite accurate, at … Continue reading Interpretatio Steppona
ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
The 15th of August marks India's Independence Day; and, as has become my custom, I have penned an article in honour of both the occasion, and the state and struggle for which it stands. Whereas 2017's piece looked at the geopolitical saliency of India, especially from the perspective of a small South Pacific state such … Continue reading ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
NAGA PANCHAMI – A CELEBRATION OF SERPENTS
Today marks the Hindu observance of Naga Panchami - an occasion where we honour the Snakes. Now, this might seem a most curious thing to those cursorily acquainted with Indo-European mythology. After all, pretty much every Indo-European culture and religion has voluminous accountings of the righteous and holy *smiting* of the Serpentine, the Draconic, the … Continue reading NAGA PANCHAMI – A CELEBRATION OF SERPENTS
Hades as Gaurivara, Persephone as Gauri
SHIVA-AS-YAMA, SHIVA-AS-KAAL, bearing a most Gauri bride indeed. Monday Devotional (A)Art(I) Posting! Now, technically speaking, this is actually a depiction of Hades & Persephone by Ulpiano Checa, circa 1888 [the painting, I mean, not when They were depicted]. However, not only do we have reasonable strength of analysis to make a strong linkage between Hades … Continue reading Hades as Gaurivara, Persephone as Gauri
THUNDERSTRUCK – A Brief Comparative of the Weapons of the Striking Son of the Sky Father
"Appropriate for Thursday, - a brief look at the Weapon of the Thunderer/Striker in various Indo-European mythologies. Now, there's quite a bit that could be said and unpacked about the differences between each of these mighty weapons, especially as the cultures in question continued to develop their own mythological corpuses and legendariums over the millennia … Continue reading THUNDERSTRUCK – A Brief Comparative of the Weapons of the Striking Son of the Sky Father
Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
"Instead of posting a multi-thousand word article, I thought I'd try experiment with a shorter-form word-count chart. This time, a) seeking to briefly express how many Indo-European mythologies record a Sky Father - Earth Mother, Striker/Thunderer familial unit; b) show that Greek/Roman mythology did some ... odd things, that lead to at least two 'layers' … Continue reading Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
arya-akasha 