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Indus Religion

Working Paper · January 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1272.6801

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Indus Religion

DMR Sekhar

dmrsekhar@yahoo.com

Introduction

Figure.1 Potu Raju

There is general consensus among researchers that some sort of religious practices were
followed during Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) and a seal found at Mohenjo – Daro (an IVC
city built around 2500 BCE) is famously described as Pashu Pati 1. The seal depicts a human
being in sitting posture at the centre surrounded by animals. The sitting posture is thought
to be yogic. Pashu Pati is a Sanskrit composite word. Pashu means animal and Pati means
king or husband. Pashu Pati thus means king of animals or ruler of animals.

The Dravidian Solution

Iravatham Mahadevan shows Dravidian solution for interpreting Indus Script 2. He said
that Indus civilization was pre Aryan and importantly Dravidian. Aryans (R1a haplogroup
carriers from West Eurasia as per population genetics) arrived into India in several waves
and the arrival 3 - 5 around 2000 BCE (+ or – 200?) was major in that it changed the very
demography of India. Indo European languages came to India 6 presumably with Aryans.
Asko Purpola identifies 7 two waves of migration from North West into India first that of
Asura Aryans during 1700 to 1900 BCE and the second one during 1500 to 1700 BCE that of
Souma Aryans. The migrant Aryans continuously mixed up genetically with Indus People till
1500 CE.
Thus the so called Pashu Pati seal found at Mohenjo Daro (2500 BCE) must have a
Dravidian name. Potu Raju in Telugu a Dravidian language roughly translates to Pashu Pati.
While pashu means animal, Potu specifically means male animal. Potu Raju is a deity
worshiped in the villages of Andhra Pradesh even today. The erect stone that represents
Potu Raju (the ruler of male animals) may be the symbol of ‘Phallus’ which means ‘lingam’
(Dravidian) indicating fertility in other words Potu Raju is a God of fertility.
Potu Raju is the youngest of his seven sisters who are also deities. The eldest sister is the
most powerful of all called Poleramma or Polimeramma or Polamma. Polimera or Poli is the
boundary or outer limit of the village. Polamma positions herself at the boundary of the
village and protects the village from evil spirits and from diseases.

2. Potu Raju bowing down before Poleramma,

Seven forms of poleramma are at the bottom

Worship of Poleramma is ‘Kolupu’ and the associated celebration of (harvest) festival is

‘Jatara’. It is also believed that the six sisters of Polamma are her own Avatar/images. The
seven sisters are called at different places with different names such as Bangaramma,
Ankamma (Ankallamma), Gajulamma (Mother with bangles, reminding us of Harappan
female deities, figure. 2) and so on. In general Polamma assumes the name of the particular
village she guards. At Valluru (Andhra) village, she is Valluramma that is the Mother of
village Valluru. The story of seven sister deities with a younger brother is not confined to
Andhra Pradesh. At Zawar mines (Rajasthan) she is Zawar Mata that is the Mother of Zawar
village. In the present day Pakistan she is Hinglaz Mata with her sisters and younger brother.

3. Female deity handling Tigers,

It is possible that Hinglaz is Singhlaz [as Sindhu became Hindu] or Singala Jee or Singamma.
Singala Jee/Singamma may be the title of the lady/deity who fought with the tigers and
protected the villagers. Singalu is the plural of the word Singa. At Deshnok (Bikaner,
Rajasthan) she is Avadi Mata. Amma and Mata mean Mother thus polamma is Mother
Goddess. In many villages these female deities and Potu Raju are represented by stones.
An important aspect is that the eldest sister is all powerful and Potu Raju and other sisters
are subordinate. Polamma is called by Madiga community as Yellamma. Yella also means
boundary. The female deity needs to be kept peaceful and satisfied by offering animal
sacrifice and the animal is always a male, buffalo or goat or sheep or a fowl. If the

Figure. 4 Animal Sacrifice and Potu Raju

Mother Goddess is not kept satisfied by offering of animal sacrifice, villagers had to face the
wrath of the Mother by way of droughts, floods and some other disasters. Diseases such as
‘small pox’ may strike the villages. The epidemic ‘small pox’ is believed to be due to
dissatisfied Amma Vaaru, the Mother Goddess.
In each village Yellamma has a high priestess called Matangi. Kolupu (court where Mother
Goddess is the presiding deity) is performed by sacrificing a male animal and the blood is
poured on cooked rice and rice smeared with the animal blood is sprinkled along the
boundary of the village which is known as ‘poli pettadamu’ a sort of offering food to
Polamma.

Aryanisation of Indus Religion

Potu Raju becoming Pashu Pati is the first proof of Aryanisation of Native belief systems.
Another form of Potu Raju is Siva or Siva Lingam as worshiped by Chenchu Tribes of Andhra
Pradesh. The Siva temple at Srisailam is built by Chenchu Tribes. Similarly Ahobilam Siva
temple belongs to Chenchu tribe. It is important to note that the Bhils of North India are
genetically same as Chenchu tribe of Andhra Pradesh.
Poleramma the all powerful female deity is Adi Shakti in her Aryanised version. Adi means
the first and Shakti is power. Durga, Mahankali the mother goddesses are yet another forms
of Adi Shakti. An important “adjustment” of Indian mythology is that Potu Raju/ Siva
becomes the husband of Durga/Parvati modified forms of Polamma. Thus Shakti cult
(Tantra) becomes Shiva- Shakti cult.
According to Boppuri Nagaiah belonging to Madiga community (from village
Cherukumpalem near Ongole town Andhra Pradesh) who tells ‘Jamukula Katha’ (folk tale)
during ‘kolupulu’, Poleramma has a third median eye and can burn to death, anybody by
opening (seeing through) the third eye. Eons back at the beginning, Poleramma was alone in
the universe with water everywhere. An egg (Guddu/Andam) appeared and Brahma
emerges out of the egg. Polamma expresses her desire to co inhabit with him as man and
wife. Brahma was burned to death by poleramma by opening her median eye as Brahma did
not accept. Another egg is born and Vishnu is born out of it. Poleramma again express her
desire to co inhabit with Vishnu. Vishnu also is reduced to ashes as was Brahma for rejecting
the offer of Poleramma. The third egg emerges and Siva is born out of it. Poleramma
expresses her desire to Siva also. Siva objects poleramma’s desire as she is the most
powerful and offers to accept if she is willing to share her powers. Poleramma concedes.
Thus Siva acquires half the spiritual and magical powers of Polamma that included the third
eye. Now Poleramma is sans the third eye. Siva asks Poleramma to come back after taking
bath in the sea. Siva first resurrects Brahma and Vishnu from their ashes with the powers he
got from poleramma. When Poleramma returns, Siva reduces her to ashes by opening his
newly acquired third (median) eye. Siva makes four parts of the ashes of Poleramma and
creates Saraswati (who becomes the consort of Brahma), Laxmi (who becomes the consort
of Vishnu), Parvati (who becomes the consort Siva) and Poleramma is resurrected from the
fourth part of the ashes albeit with reduced powers. There are several other examples of
Aryanisation of the beliefs of Native Indian Tribes.

Figure 5 Poleramma with her sisters are Sapta Matri in

Aryan Version. Ravan Chavri at Mandor

Folk tales that are carried from generation to generation by the word of mouth but folk tales
do contain traces of ancient beliefs. Converting Poleramma to Parvati and making her the
consort of Siva may be the indication of matrilineal (Dravidian) Indus society transforming
into patrilineal (Aryan) upon the arrival Aryans into India. Further Vedic Brahma and Vishnu
are brought at par with Potu Raju /Siva of Dravidian origin.
Ramachandra Rao8 wrote, “By the way, interestingly, some (some, not all) of the people
depicted in the older section of Ajanta paintings resemble Malas and Mahars of today. As
far as specific cultural elements are concerned, there is a link of the Malas to the deity
Vetaal (also called Bhetal), dismissed by upper caste researchers as "goblin". But it is
actually a hunter's deity of prehistoric times. Vetal is also depicted as a horse rider, so there
seems to be a cavalry connection to the old mala-mahar. Vetal shrines are extremely
common in Deccan area, especially Maharashtra. Further, it is my observation that in
medieval times an important Vetala shrine was modified to become a well -known
pilgrimage centre for Hindus (Pandharpur). The name was modified to Vitthala. . The annual
convoys of pilgrims still traverse the old routes. During medieval times the reformers
incorporated this shrine in their movements for social reform. Similarly another old cultural
element which could be linked to mala-mahars is the deity Khandoba, or sword bearing
protector. Here also hunting and warfare link is seen. (Khandoba is the familiar Skanda/
Kartik /Murgan elsewhere in India). Then there is some connection with the Parsurama cycle
of legends, especially his mother Renuka. This group of legends is connected to the Yellama
cult. Possibly the stories are a residual history of very long ago times, since they are shared
by other old communities.”
Similarly Matangi the high priestess of Madiga community becomes 9 one of the ‘Dasa
Maha Vidya’ and further changes to a form of Sarasvati.

Conclusions
(1) Population genetic studies show that Bhils, Chenchu, Madiga and Mala
communities have least genetic content of Ancestral North Indians (genetically
similar to Middle East, Central Asia and Europe or just West Eurasians or carriers
of R1a haplogroup) and hence may be clustered as Native Indians of Indus Valley
Civilization.
(2) The Religion of Native Indians prior to 2000 BCE that is of Indus People in all
probability is Mother Goddess/ Amma Vaaru//Polamma/Yellamma and Amba
Mata/Ambaji/ Maata Ji in Aryan version. Seven sister deities and their younger
brother are still worshipped in India even today.
(3) Despite everything Indians (Hindus) did not accept Shruti Scriptures and Vedic
Gods such as Brahma, Varuna, Mitra, Indra etc. This has lead to Aryanisation of
Native Deities through Smriti Scriptures, Purana mythologies and Epics (deifying
native legendry heroes such as Krishna and Rama who are dark skinned) since
1500 CE. Krishna’s family followed Dravidian kinship relations see for example
 Abhimanyu the son of Subhadra (sister of Krishna) married Sasi Rekha, the
daughter of Balaram (brother of Krishna).
(4) Hindu or Hinduism is not a religion. Hindu just means India.

References:

(1) Pashupati seal, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashupati_seal

(2) Iravatham Mahadevan, Interpreting the Indus Script: The Dravidian Solution,
Convocation Address, 26th February, 2015, Dravidian University.
(3) David Reich, et al, Nature 461, 489-494, 2009.
(4) Klyosov, AA and Rozhanskii, IL, Advances in Anthropology, 2012. Vol.2, No.1, 1-13,
Published Online February 2012 in SciRes , http://www.ichg2011.org/cgi-
bin/showdetail.pl?absno=20168
(5) Priya Moorjani et al, The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2013. See:
http://genetics.med.harvard.edu/reich/Reich_Lab/Welcome_files/2013_AJHG_Priya
_India_Date.pdf
(6) Bouckaert, R., Lemey, P., Dunn, M., Greenhill, S. J., Alekseyenko, A. V., Drummond, A.
J., Gray, R. D., Suchard, M. A., & Atkinson, Q. D.*, Mapping the origins and expansion
of the Indo-European language family. Science, 337:957–960.
http://language.cs.auckland.ac.nz/ , 2012.
(7) Asko Purpola, The Coming of the Aryans,
https://www.harappa.com/script/maha2.html
(8) Ramachandra Rao, V., A brief note on the MALA community of Andhra Pradesh,
http://indculture0.tripod.com/mala.htm
(9) Dasa Maha Vidya, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matangi

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