Skip to main content

THE DAIMABAD MAN. WHO WERE THE PEOPLE OF THE DECCAN BEFORE THE DRAVIDIANS AND ARYANS?

THE DAIMABAD MAN. WHO WERE THE PEOPLE OF THE DECCAN BEFORE THE DRAVIDIANS AND ARYANS?
“The Dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro is perhaps the most famous icon of the Harappan civilization. The priest-king, also of Mohenjo-daro is a close second - with his officious expression and embossed robes. But have you heard of the Daimabad man, who has foxed historians, archaeologists, and Indologists for long?

 Enigmatic, authoritative, and unique, this symbol of a lesser known, but as old or older, settlement further south, in Maharashtra is fascinating. More so because many believe that this may have been one of the oldest depictions of Shiva!

Along with this now consider this. The ice age ended about 9-10000 years ago. The oceans at that time were almost 40 meters lower than what they are now. This could have meant that the land masses between India and Africa were more easily traversed by foot?

Daimabad is a Chalcolithic or copper age site (2200-1000 BCE) on the left bank of Pravara, a tributary of the Godavari in the Ahmednagar district of present-day Maharashtra. The site was discovered by archaeologist BP Bopardikar in 1956 and the site was excavated three times in the span of two decades. The findings created a stir. Daimabad turned out to be the largest chalcolithic site in Maharashtra and evidence showed that the last inhabitant who lived there, deserted the site at the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE. The site had been untouched by human habitation since then!

One of the most significant discoveries at the site is what has come to be known as the Daimabad man, a bronze sculpture of an ithyphallic man riding a chariot drawn by bulls. Around 45 cm long and 16 cm wide, the sculpture is detailed. It depicts a man riding an elaborate chariot yoked with two bulls The two wheels of the chariot are solid and there is dog standing on the central pole just in front of the man. The platform on which the man rises is truncated and oval in shape and on either side of the man is a pair of birds facing opposite directions. Stylistically these are related to the terracotta bird whistles found in Harappan sites.

Daimabad man could have been a representation of a proto phallic cult - perhaps even the early depiction of a deity that became Shiva!

Interestingly the Daimabad man and other sculptures discovered in the site, didn’t come to light during the excavations. They were found later when locals of the Bhil community were digging out roots of a tree for firewood. There has of course been a lot of discussion on the sculpture. Eminent Archaeologist, the late MK Dhavaliaker who worked on the bronze sculptures of Daimabad has described the 16 cm sculpture as that of a man who was probably a proto-Australiod, similar to the terracotta figurines found in Kalibangan, a contemporary Harappan site. The man has a broad, snub nose with wide nostrils and a thick and protruding his lower lip. His hair is gathered at the back in a sort of elongated roll, but he looks more like a bald man with thick masses of hair on the side and at the back of his head.”

https://www.peepultree.world/livehistoryindia/story/art-history/daimabads-mystery-man

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Helen Mirren once said: Before you argue with someone, ask yourself.......

Helen Mirren once said: Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of a different perspective. Because if not, there's absolutely no point. Not every argument is worth your energy. Sometimes, no matter how clearly you express yourself, the other person isn’t listening to understand—they’re listening to react. They’re stuck in their own perspective, unwilling to consider another viewpoint, and engaging with them only drains you. There’s a difference between a healthy discussion and a pointless debate. A conversation with someone who is open-minded, who values growth and understanding, can be enlightening—even if you don’t agree. But trying to reason with someone who refuses to see beyond their own beliefs? That’s like talking to a wall. No matter how much logic or truth you present, they will twist, deflect, or dismiss your words, not because you’re wrong, but because they’re unwilling to see another side. Maturity is...
Post a Comment
Read more

The battle against caste: Phule and Periyar's indomitable legacy

In the annals of India's social reform, two luminaries stand preeminent: Jotirao Phule and E.V. Ramasamy, colloquially known as Periyar. Their endeavours, ensconced in the 19th and 20th centuries, continue to sculpt the contemporary struggle against the entrenched caste system. Phule's educational renaissance Phule, born in 1827, was an intellectual vanguard who perceived education as the ultimate equaliser. He inaugurated the inaugural school for girls from lower castes in Pune, subverting the Brahminical hegemony that had long monopolized erudition. His Satyashodhak Samaj endeavoured to obliterate caste hierarchies through radical social reform. His magnum opus, "Gulamgiri" (Slavery), delineated poignant parallels between India's caste system and the subjugation of African-Americans, igniting a discourse on caste as an apparatus of servitude. Periyar's rationalist odyssey Periyar, born in 1879, assumed the mantle of social reform through the Dravidian moveme...
Post a Comment
Read more

India needs a Second National Capital

Metta Ramarao, IRS (VRS) India needs a Second National Capital till a green field New National Capital is built in the geographical centre of India. Dr B R Ambedkar in his book "Thoughts on Linguistic States" published in 1955 has written a full Chaper on "Second Capital for India" While discussing at length justfying the need to go for a second capital has clearly preferred Hyderabad over Kolkata and Mumbai. He did not consider Nagpur. Main reason he brought out in his book is the need to bridge north and south of the country. He recommended Hyderabad as second capital of India. Why we should consider Dr Ambedkar's recommendation: Delhi was central to British India. After partition, Delhi is situated at one corner of India. People from South find it daunting to visit due to distance, weather, language, culture, etc. If Hyderabad is made second capital, it will embrace all southern states. People of South India can come for work easily. Further, if Supreme Court...
Post a Comment
Read more