With the outbreak of war in Europe, India, the Crown Jewel of the British Empire, joined the Allies in battle on the 4th of August 1914. Contributing the most volunteers of any of the British imperial holdings that fought in the war, India produced between 900,000 to 1.5 million troops for combat by 1919. One in six men in the British Empire forces was from India.
Who can forget the heroism of Sikhs in the battlefields of World War I. Sikh formed 20% of the Indian Army even though they were only 1% of the Indian population in 1914. Known as the Lions of the Great War after the war, during the war they were often called the Black Lions.
Around 1,30,000 Sikhs served in WWI and fought in the battles of Ypres, Flanders, the Somme, Gallipoli, East Africa, Palestine, Egypt / Suez Canal, Mesopotamia, and numerous other battlefields in nearly all theatres of the war.
In the first battle of Ypres at Flanders in 1914 a platoon of Dogra Sikhs died fighting to the last man, who shot himself with his last cartridge rather than surrender.
After the bloody battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915 the Sikh regements had lost 80% of their men, 3 regements stood at only 16% of their original compliment.
“It was the dark days of 1914 when our men had to face mortars, hand grenades, high explosive shells for which they themselves were not provided. They could reply only with their valour, their rifles and two machine guns per batallion. And yet they did it.” (Lt. General Sir James Wilcox, Commander of the Indian Corps)
Group of British & Sikh officer at Le Sart, France.
It is also said that some Sikh, captured in Belgium, were believed to have been Muslims by the Germans and taken to Turkey to fight along side their fellow ‘Mohammedans‘. However, they still remained loyal to the British Crown and escaped on a long trek to the British posts in Afghanistan, from Turkey through the Middle East, to once again fight under the British flag.
Though being paid a mere 11 rupees a month for his services to the Empire, Many Sikh soldier, however, also saw it as their duty to bring honour to their clan or caste, by fighting bravely on the battlefield. Some communities liked to imagine themselves as warriors.
A Sikh soldier, Indar Singh, fighting on the Somme in September 1916, wrote home:
It is quite impossible that I should return alive. [But] don’t be grieved at my death, because I shall die arms in hand, wearing the warrior’s clothes. This is the most happy death that anyone can die.
As Sikh soldiers were shipped out to faraway lands as part of the British Indian Army to fight the Great War, the British felt it necessary to nourish Sikh fanaticism by allowing the Sikhs areas to set up temporary Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples). Sikhs were allowed to take the Guru Granth Sahib, their Holy Book and Spiritual Guide with them as well as musical instruments for Kirtan, the singing of the Holy hymns which they regularly did in their base camps wherever they were posted.
Sikhs were also allowed to use traditional Sikh weapons such as Chakrams and Talwar swords. It reminds Sikhs of their commitment to fighting injustice and oppression in any form.
A letter home from a Sikh soldier:
“Thousand and hundreds of thousands of soldiers have lost their lives. If you go on the field of battle you will see corpses piled upon corpses, so that their is no place to place or put hand or foot. Men have died from the stench. No one has any hope of survival, for back to Punjab will go only those who have lost a leg or an arm or an eye. The whole world has been brought to destruction.“
War memorial The Chattri in the city of Brighton and Hove. It stands on the site where Indian soldiers were cremated during the First World War –Image SourcePatcham Down Indian Forces Cremation Memorial records the names of the Sikhs & Hindu casualties. –Image Source
Official figures suggest that 64,449 Indian soldiers died in the war. One Indian soldier, doubting that he would survive, consoled himself with the thought that his name would be written in letters of gold and inscribed in the list of the brave. The names of all of India’s known war dead were indeed carved on the main memorial to the Indian Army, the massive arch of India Gate in New Delhi. The Indians were also commemorated on the Western Front itself. There are many Indian names on the Menin Gate at Ypres.
100 years after the First World War, the Indian Army’s significant role was acknowledged by British. The British army has honoured the contribution made by Sikh soldiers during World War One.
John Dalton (1766 – 1844) is the man credited today with the development of atomic theory. However, It would be surprising for many people today to know that the theory of atoms was actually formulated 2,600 years ago by an Indian sage and philosopher. The first Indian philosopher who formulated ideas about the atom in a systematic manner was Sage Kanad who lived in the 6th century B.C.
Kanad was born in 600 B.C. in Dwarka, Gujrat. His real name was Kashyap. He was the son of a philosopher named Ulka. From his child days Kashyapa displayed a keen sense of service. Minute things attracted his attention.
Once he went on a pilgrimage, he saw thousands of pilgrims littered the town roads & the banks of river Ganga with flowers and rice grains which they offered at the temple. He started collecting the grains of rice. Everybody thought he was insane as he was from a good family. Crowd gathered around him & one person asked him why was he collecting the grains even beggars wouldn’t like to touch these. He told them that individual grains in themselves may seem worthless, but a collection of some hundred grains make up a person’s meal, the collection many meals would feed an entire family and ultimately the entire mankind was made of many families, thus even a single grain of rice was as important as all the valuable riches in this world. Since then people started calling him Kanad, as “Kan” in Sanskrit means “Smallest particle“.
Kanad was the first person in the world to discuss atoms and molecules. It was Kanad who first propounded that the Parmanu (Atoms) was an indestructible particle of matter. According to the material universe is made up of Parmanu (Atoms). When matter is divided and subdivided, we reach a stage beyond which no division is possible, the indivisible element of matter is Parmanu (Atom). Kanad explained that this indivisible, indestructible atom cannot be sensed through any human organ.
This theory occurred to him while Kanad was walking with food in his hand, breaking it into small pieces when he realised that he was unable to divide the food into any further parts, it was too small. From this moment, Kanad conceptualized the idea of a particle that could not be divided any further. He called that indivisible matter Parmanu (atom).
Kanad further held that atoms of same substance combined with each other to produce dvyanuka (biatomic molecules) and tryanuka (triatomic molecules). Kanad also put forward the idea that atoms could be combined in various ways to produce chemical changes in presence of other factors such as heat.
Kanad founded the Vaisheshika school of philosophy where he taught his ideas about the atom and the nature of the universe. He wrote a book on his research “Vaisheshik Darshan“. People started calling him “Acharya” –mean Teacher and became known as “The Father of Atomic theory.”
Reference to matter consisting of atoms appear also in Jainism School and Buddhist School. Three different schools of thought Vaisesika, Jainist, and Buddhist came to similar but slightly different conclusions.
Another Indian philosopher, Pakudha Katyayana who lived around the 5th or 4th century B.C. and was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, had also propounded ideas about the atomic constitution of the material world.
Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, the atom is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 8, Verse 9)
This Indian concept of the atom was developed independently and prior to the development of the idea in the Greco-Roman world. These Indian ideas about atom and atomic physics could have been transmitted to the west during the contacts created between India and the west by the invasion of Alexander. Greeks came into India only in the 4th century B.C. Thus it is quite possible that the Greeks borrowed the ideas about atom from Indian philosophers in the 4th century B.C.
It remains a fact that Indian ideas about atom are the oldest. But the credit of developing these ideas further, goes to the Greeks and other western philosophers as Indian theories about the atom are greatly abstract and enmeshed in philosophy as they were based on logic and not on personal experience or experimentation.
Brahmi is the earliest Indian alphabetical script. The origin of the script is still much debated, but according to most scholars it is connected to the much older and as-yet undeciphered Indus script. As per its regional variations, it is identified as Tamil-Brahmi, Asokan-Brahmi, Northern-Brahmi, Southern-Brahmi and Sinhala-Brahmi. All modern Indian scripts are the evolved forms of Brahmi.
Inscriptions have been found on cave beds, pot sherds, Jar burials, coins, seals, and rings. Due to overseas trade, few pottery pieces and a touchstone bearing personal names in Tamil-Brahmi script are recently noticed in Arab countires Egypt and Oman.
Tamil-Brahmi Script Found in Egypt
A few years ago, a broken storage jar with inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi script has been excavated at Quseir-al-Qadim, an ancient port with a Roman settlement on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. This Tamil Brahmi script has been dated to first century B.C. The same inscription is incised twice on the opposite sides of the jar. The inscriped text is “பானை ஒறி” (paanai oRi) which means ‘pot suspended in a rope net’.
Potsherd with Tamil Brahmi inscription, circa first century B.C., found in Egypt.
A pottery specialist at the British Museum,London, identified the fragmentary vessel as a storage jar made in India.
Iravatham Mahadevan, a specialist in Tamil epigraphy, has confirmed that the inscription on the jar is in Tamil written in the Tamil Brahmi script of about first century B.C.
According to Mr. Mahadevan, the inscription is quite legible and reads: paanai oRi, that is, ‘pot (suspended in) a rope net.’
Earlier excavations at this site about 30 years ago yielded two pottery inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi from the same era. Another Tamil Brahmi pottery inscription of the same period was found in 1995 at Berenike, also a Roman settlement, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt.
Tamil-Brahmi Script Found in Oman
Yet another 1900 years Tamil-Brahmi script inscribed on a potsherd was found at the Khor Rori area in Oman. The script reads “nantai kiran” and it can be dated to the 1st century CE.
Found by The Italian Mission to Oman during its second archaeological excavation in 2006 in the Khor Rori area, this potsherd was deciphered when the piece came for a pottery exhibition in Kerala in September 2012.
The potsherd was found in a residential area of Sumhuram city in a layer mixed with a few pottery pieces and animal bones.
“Potsherd could be dated to first century CE or a little earlier. There was so much of Indian material, including beads, coins and pottery, discovered during the excavation that it was important to show the relationship between India and the southern coast of Oman,” said Alexia Pavan, an Italian archaeologist, who found this potsherd.
The text nantai kiran is a fragment or a complete personal name in two words. The last word that could be read as Kiran, is a popular personal name in Tamil, since very early times. There were many poets of the Changkam corpus who had that name. According to archaelogists, the broken piece of the pot carries the personal name of an important trader who commanded a high regard in the trading community.
The port of Sumhuram could be dated to circa third century BCE to fourth century ACE. The discovery in the ancient city of Sumhuram has opened a new chapter in understanding the maritime trade of the Indian Ocean countries, according to specialists in history.
It was generally believed that India’s contact with the Mediterranean world began with the Roman trade and much of the studies were concentrated on the Red Sea ports such as Quseir al-Qadim and Berenike, both in Egypt. The latest discovery in Oman was significant as it opened a new avenue in understanding the impact of the Indian Ocean trade, particularly on the west coast of the peninsular India.
These discoveries provided material evidence to corroborate the literary accounts by classical Western authors and the Tamil Sangam poets about the flourishing trade between the south India and Rome (via the Red Sea ports) in the early centuries A.D.
Tamil Brahmi script is also noticed in other countries like China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
There is much evidence—archeological and linguistic—to support the notion that the ancient Vedic (Aryan) civilization was spread far beyond India, and that it was much earlier than the civilizations we have been taught to believe were the first.
Controversial historian and author P.N. Oak has pushed the idea that the glorious Vedic civilization was at one time spread all over the world and it preceded the Greek and even the Egyptian and Babylonian epochs.
Vishnu Idol Found in Russia
In 2007, during an excavation in an abandoned village in the Volga region of Russia, archaeologists excavated an ancient Vishnu idol. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries, was found in Staraya Maina village which is much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities. The Times of India reported that this discovery raised questions about the prevalent view of the origin of ancient Russia.
The Vishnu idol is depicted with a hammer in one left hand while the deconglated seventh arm on the right side holds a reticulated sickle.
This translates into Staraya Maina is the name of the land of the 45 rivers (on whose banks the noble Rishis conducted the famous Horse Sacrifices), where the sun god descends.
The period 6-7th century also marked flourishing trade ventures by Indian rulers. Palas in the North and Cholas in the South were enterprising dynasties. During their times the Indian influence through trade spread to Far East and to regions beyond the mountainous border.
According to a 2010 religious census population of Hindu in Russia is 140,000.
According to Mahabharata, Indraprastha was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandava. The Demon Maya, built the city and the palace of Indraprastha for the Pandavas. The area for the palace was created by clearing the forests of Khandava by Arjuna and Lord Krishna. Pandavas also built other cities like Swarnaprastha (modern-day Sonipat) and Panaprastha (Panipat) in their province.
The exact location of Indraprastha is uncertain but Delhi is thought by some to be located at the site of the legendary city of Indraprastha. Although there is not much physical evidence about the city but locals did claim that there existed a huge mound (which could have contained the remains of the city) upon which the Mughals built the Purana Qila (Old Fort). The fact that until 1913 there was a village within the fort called Indrapat gives credence to the belief that Purana Qila was built on the ruins of Indraprastha.
The ruins of this fort are located on a small hill which once stood on the banks of the Yamuna river. It is where Humayun‘s capital Din Panah was located. The Purana Qila was constructed by Sher Shah Suri between 1538 to 1545.
The ASI’s excavation at Purana Qila in New Delhi – Image Source
In historical times, human settlements were always made closest to a river bank or source of water. The excavation spot at Purana Qila has been identified because of its proximity to the original flow of the Yamuna, so archaeologists are confident of finding evidence.
The ongoing excavation at the Purana Qila site might lead to discovery of concrete evidence that will help in studying the culture and art patronised by the Pandavas. The clue that Archaeological Survey of India’s members are looking for to establish the link is painted grey ware PGW. It is grey pottery painted with geometric patterns in black that archeologists associate with the Mahabharata period. Similar stuff has been noticed in other sites associated with the epic Mahabharata as well. If the ASI is successful in finding painted grey wares from the Mahabharata period, it will prove the existence of the city of Pandavas.
A 12th Century Vishnu idol found during the excavation. – Image Source
“There is a possibility that once we excavate further will find some evidence. In the first excavation in 1954, painted grey wares were discovered. However, the wares were not found in stratified deposit. If they were found in stratified deposit, we could support that there were traces of the Mahabharata period,” said Vasant Swarnkar, superintending archaeologist of ASI.
The Purana Qila mound contains remains of a continuous cultural habitation starting from Mauryan period (3rd century BC) to the Mughal through Sunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput and Sultanate periods. The archaeologists has discovered artefacts from all the eras which includes a rare 12th century sculpture of Vishnu, a terracotta seal from the Gupta period, pottery typical of the Kushan and Gupta periods, structures from the Rajput and Kushan periods, copper coins, terracotta human figurines, beads made of semi-precious stones and glass, ear studs of terracotta and charred wheat and rice grains. Latest findings included an ivory pendant, human figurines, a Gajlakshmi tablet and objects from the Mauryan period. The Archaeological Survey of India has also discovered a Mauryan Period ring well 4.4 metres below the earth.
Opened after a span of 40 years, the Archaeological Survey of India has carried out an excavation here since February this year. This was the third and largest excavation in Purana Qila after the one ASI did in 1955 and in 1969- 73. Due to Monsoon The Archaeological Survey of India has put excavations at Purana Qila on hold till November.
The ASI also hopes that it will also be able to convince the government to declare Delhi a World Heritage City.
Indian Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest known case of a successful human brain surgery after unearthing a 4300 year old skull from an ancient Harappan site in India. This discovery was done by the scientists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) who found evidence pointing this to be the oldest known case of successful “Trepanation” in the world meant to treat a skull injury.
The trepanation, also called “trephination” had been the oldest craniotomic surgical procedure practised by mankind since the Stone Age by way of drilling holes in the damaged skull to remove shattered bits of bone from a fractured skull and clean out the blood that often pools under the skull after a blow to the head.
Much older trepanation cases have been found across the world. It was first noticed in Peru and later in Europe as well around 5000 years ago. However, the current discovery gives a concrete proof about this being a case where the person who underwent the surgery had survived the drilling of his skull. The damages to the skull which looks like was caused by a strong blow on the head, and the areas of the surgical incursions performed with healing skull structures clearly show that the person survived the surgery for a considerable time after the brain operation.
During the Bronze Age trepanation was practised as a common means of surgery in the Indian sub continent. Sushrutha Samhita is the oldest known surgical text and it describes in detail the examination, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of numerous ailments, as well as procedures on performing various forms of cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and rhinoplasty.
Creationism vs Evolution has always been a topic of hot debate between religious views and modern scientists. Because science claims that human beings evolved from monkeys but these religions preach that God created humans and sent them to the earth. It might come as a surprise to many people, but Indians actually explained Darwin’s theory of Evolution Thousands of years before Darwin! The ten incarnations or ‘DashaAvatara’ of Lord Vishnu is an extraordinary recording of the evolution of human life and advance in human civilization.
In Hindu religion, the three main deities are Lord Brahma, Vishu and Shiva. Brahma creates, Vishnu protects and Shiva destroys – three faces of Mother Nature. Lord Vishnu descends on Earth to uphold dharma and to cleanse the Earth of evil. So far, Lord Vishnu has appeared NINE times on Earth and the tenth, Kalki, is expected.
A surprising and much documented aspect of the Dashavatara story is its connection with evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory, when viewed from a certain perspective, neatly intersects with the ten incarnations. Man’s origins in the waters is evoked by the pisciform nature of Matsya. Then come the tortoise and the boar, taking us from amphibians to land animals. This is followed by a therianthropic form (Narasimha), and then homo sapiens proper, and so on. All this was recorded by Hindu sages thousands of years before Christ.
Stage 1 – (Fish) – Life started in the water
Modern Science: Proto-Amphibians that primarily lived in the water, this can be seen as the first stage of life. Examples are prehistoric fishes.
Hinduism: The first incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu was in the form of a fish and is known as Matsya Avatar. It clearly parallels with the scientific view.
Stage 2 – (Tortoise) – Amphibious – Life moved from water to the land.
Modern Science: Fish finally evolved out of water became Reptiles (with legs to be accurate). The examples are tortoise, lizards etc.
Hinduism: Second avatar of Vishnu is Kurma. Kurma means Tortoise which is a reptile that walks on four legs. We all know that tortoise is a creature capable of living both on land & in water, which indicates the transition of life from water to land. Again it’s a direct parallel with the scientific view.
Stage 3 – (Boar) – Complete animal – Adapted to live on land.
Modern Science: Reptiles evolved into the semi-amphibian and then the animals that live in swamps and slush and that could bear children and lived only on the land.
Hinduism: The Varaha Avatara, in the form of a wild boar, portrays the birth of the mammal. You may ask – why Boar? Why not a deer or monkey or some other mammal? The reason is that Boar belongs the the Suina family whose maxillary or teeth are in front and therefore they do not have to swallow and regurgitate their food just like us humans! It’s extremely enlightening to note that Hinduism had such a very insightful knowhow thousands of years ago!
Stage 4 – (Half ape) – Transformation from animal to ape.
Modern Science: Finally primates were evolving into Hominidae forms that looked more like humans, were partially bipedalled (walk on legs) but their brains were still not quite developed. They can be figuratively seen as having partly human lower body and animal like upper body.
Hinduism:Narasimha Avatar is a Half man and Half animal, and indicates the transformation from animal to human form. The interesting thing to note here is that Narasimha has the upper body of a lion but lower body of a man. This is important because this directly relates to the idea of a pre-human without a well developed brain but with the partial ability to become bipedal (walk on legs). This may be early-extinct human ancestor such as someone who could be the missing link between apes and humans.
Stage 5 – (Dwarf) – Transformation from ape to human, developed intelligence.
Modern Science: Finally Hominidae got closer to Homo Erectus was evolved. He was bipedal (walk on legs) more human looking but very short (dwarf).
Hinduism:Vamana Avatar represents a being that is very close to humans but is extremely short. It indicates the complete transition into human form, and the beginning of intelligence in humans.
Stage 6 – (Forest dweller) – Humans developed stone tools.
Modern Science: Homo Erectus and then Homo Sapien was evolved that was
about as tall as present day humans and could use tools. Homo Sapien is the present day human and biological evolution ends and at this stage the human might have a wavering mind, uncontrollable and act without reasons.
Hinduism: Sixth Avatar of Lord Vishnu was forest dweller called Parasuram, who has weapons such as axe for survival. This is the first avatar of Vishnu that has no animal characteristics and wields an Axe. So basically, Parashuaram is what the current day human would be who could also use tools, in other words Homo Sapien.
Stage 7 – (Hunter) – Humans used superior weapons, bows and arrows, created villages.
Modern Science: At this stage the humans developed to be perfect and they started giving importance to penance than the pleasure and started respecting other humans. The survival of the fittest started here and this led to mutinies between mankind. This was the beginning.
Hinduism: The seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu is Lord Rama, who is well known among Hindus and is worshipped in temples as a deity. He civilized and has developed more superior weapons like the bow and arrows. He has cleared the forests and developed small communities or villages. He is very vigilant and protects his villages and people. Rama was a very moral man, and was very obedient to his parents. This shows the psychology and simplicity of early human beings.
Stage 8 – (farmer) – the beginning of full-fledged cultivation
Modern Science: People began planting seeds and covering the countryside with food producing plants. The earliest and most successful crops were grasses with large seeds such as barley, wheat, and rice.
Hinduism: The eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu is Lord Balarama. He is portrayed with the plough – the beginning of full-fledged cultivation. Human civilization has developed agriculture and is no longer depended on meat and forest for food.
Stage 9 – Advanced in civilizations and culture and to todays world
Modern Science: Mankind never stopped since they learned to use tools and all the Neanderthalensis were eliminated. Civilizations were formed, wars were fought, kingdoms were born and finally the world is as we see it today. The chief characteristic here is the increasing complexity of life and society. The perfect human with cleverness and ability to think and win developed at this stage. The humans started loving music, dance, etc…
Hinduism: Lord Krishna is another popular deity worshipped in many temples, and is a clear representation of advanced human civilization. Recent excavations of Dwarka city confirm the well planned construction of cities, towns and streets.
Stage 10: End of the World
Modern Sciences: According to Big Bang theory and other Modern theories the universe is not stable. The life in world should end at one point and the creation starts from the beginning. This whole loop continues infinite times.
Hinduism: The 10th form is the final life form where Hinduism surpasses the modern theory of evolution, and predicts the future. Remember that we are looking at all the life forms that dominated planet earth since millions of years. So what would the final dominant species look like? According to Hindu mythology 10th Avatar of lord Vishnu, called Kalki is yet to be taken and this occurs when the whole life on earth ends. He would be here to restart the whole cycle, so that it starts again. Species will be disappearing and the world will come to an end.”
Alternate lists
Various versions of the list of Vishnu’s Avatars exist. Some lists give Balarama as the 8th avatar and Krishna as the 9th. While other give Krishna as the 8th avatar and the Buddha as the 9th avatar. However modern day philosophers and sculptors have completely removed the Balarama (Farmer) and inserted Lord Buddha.
Dashavatar carving on a pillar which show Balrama (Farmer) before Rama (Hunter)
A Pillar at Rayar Gopuram in Mahabalipurum show Balarama as 8th Avatar of Vishnu. According to legends entire structure was left unfinished because a sculptor made a simple mistake in carving this pillar and carved the hunter (Lord Rama) after the farmer (Balarama). This does not fit the evolution theory and makes the entire carving pointless. However, to the so called primitive people who lived thousands of years ago, such a mistake was unacceptable and they completely abandoned the entire structure.
Historian Comments
Monier Monier-Williams wrote “Indeed, the Hindus were … Darwinians centuries before the birth of Darwin, and evolutionists centuries before the doctrine of evolution had been accepted by the Huxleys of our time, and before any word like evolution existed in any language of the world.”
J. B. S. Haldane suggested that Dashavatara gave a “rough idea” of vertebrate evolution: a fish, a tortoise, a boar, a man-lion, a dwarf and then four men (Kalki is not yet born).
C. D. Deshmukh also remarked on the “striking” similarity between Darwin’s theory and the Dashavatara.
The Krishna’s butterball is a giant balancing rock, 5 meters in diameter, perched on a smooth slope, seemingly defying all laws of physics. It weighs over 250 tons and miraculously stands on an extremely small, slippery area of a hill.
This monolithic granite rock found in Mahabalipuram, India. Its original name is Vaan Irai Kal. In Tamil language, the original language of the land, it means “Stone of The Sky God“.
The rock is balanced upon a 4 feet area of the hill and is perilously resting at an angle of 45 degrees. The base of the rock is firmly attached to the hill below. This rock is bigger and heavier than the monolithic stones of Ollantaytambo, Peru. It is also much bigger than the rocks found in the mysterious Machu Picchu.
In Hindu mythology Lord Krishna had an insatiable appetite for butter, and as a child, would often sneak a handful from his mother’s butter jar. Situated on a hill slope near the Ganesh Ratha this massive natural rock boulder is attributed to a bolus of butter the young Krishna would steal.
It’s a common sight to see visitors placing hands under the stone posing for pics, which looks as though they are holding it! The rock provides welcome shade if you dare to sit underneath it, and local kids have discovered that the slippery nearby hillside also makes a great natural slide.
The rock is believed to be naturally formed but theorists believe a natural formation such as this is highly improbable, as natural corrosion could not have brought upon such a shape.
There has been a lot of debate how this enormous rock ended up on the hill. Even in modern days, moving a 250 ton rock uphill would be a very difficult task and require complex equipment such as cranes. How did the people do it thousands of years ago?
Several attempts to move the rock have been made, but none of them has been successful. In 1908 the Governor of Madras (Chennai) Arthur Lawley thought that this rock was too dangerous and would slide off the hill and cause harm to people and houses nearby. So he ordered it to be moved with help of seven elephants. However, the rock did not move an inch and the Indian government gave up leaving Krishna’s Butter Ball where it is now.
This mysterious rock raises a number of unanswered questions. How does a 250 ton rock stand on less than 4 feet base? Is there something hidden underneath? If it was impossible to push this rock downhill, how was it pushed up the hill? Who or what put the rock on this slope? Why is the name of the rock related to Sky Gods?
Was the “Stone of The Sky God” placed on the hill by giants, or heavenly gods who wanted to show their strength? Could this superior ancient technology be of extraterrestrial origin?
Krishna’s butter ball stands alone on this hill, boasting of its majestic stature and is a testimony to the limits of our modern technical superiority. No matter who placed Krishna’s Butter Ball here, it will be reminder that our understanding of history is incomplete.
Thuggees were an organized gang of professional assassins who operated from the 13th to the 19th centuries in India. The term Thuggee is derived from Hindi word ṭhug (ठग), and Sanskrit word sthaga which means Theif, deceivers, concealment and fraudulent. Sometimes described as the world’s first mafia, Thugs were Hindu and Muslim whose Thuggee cult was based on the worship of goddess, Kali.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Thuggees were responsible for approximately two million deaths, however estimations vary widely since there is no reliable source to confirm when the practice first began. The first known record of the Thugs as an organized group, as opposed to ordinary thieves, is in Ẓiyāʾ-ud-Dīn Baranī’s History of Fīrūz Shāh dated to around 1356. Although the Thugs traced their origin to seven Muslim tribes, Hindus also appear to have been associated with them from an early period.
Thugs traveled throughout India in gangs of 10 to 200 members, all dressed in various guises. They targeted travelers, especially wealthy travelers; gaining the confidence of their soon to be victims. When a favorable opportunity arose, Thugs strangled their victims with a Rumal (handkerchief) or noose around the victim’s neck. Once the victim was dead, the Thugs then plundered his belongings and buried the body.
Their crimes involved a high degree of teamwork and co-ordination both during the infiltration phase and at the moment of attack. Each member had a well-honed specialty; some distracted their quarry, some made noise or music to mask any cries, while others guarded the campsite from intruders and escapees. Thugs of the highest rank performed the actual killings. Thugs who were too old or infirm to perform the travel and ritual attacks on travelers, served as guides, spies, supply providers and more. It was a matter of honor for the Thugs to let no one escape alive once they had been selected for death. Membership to the fraternity of Thuggees was often through hereditary lines, passed down from father to son, with the women of the home being kept unaware of the men’s cult activity. Others trained with a guru, similar to an apprenticeship, or tried to align themselves with other Thugs in the hope of being recruited. Sometimes the children of travellers who were killed were groomed to become Thugs themselves, as the presence of children would help allay suspicion. Because of the closeness, secrecy and discipline of the Thug organization, they were rarely if ever, suspected of any wrongdoings. They were recognized by many as normal law abiding citizens and went unmolested for centuries. However, there were average persons, especially travelers, who were well aware of the dangers presented by the strange Thugs.
There is evidence, however, that all Thuggee assassins were united by common superstitions and rituals, which led to the gang being branded a cult or sect. The Thugs were a very close fraternity and used special jargon (ramasi) and hand signs to communicate with each other. Such secret communication methods allowed fellow Thugs to recognize each other in the furthest, most remote parts of India. They were also bound by a set of rules, such as the prohibition to steal a person’s property without killing them in accordance with ritual first. Brahmans were not killed because of their purity, killing of the sick was considered an unworthy sacrifice, and women were not killed because they were considered to be incarnations of Kali.
For the members of Thuggee, murder was both a way of life and a religious duty and they considered themselves to be holy and honorable men. They believed their killings were a means of worshiping the Hindu goddess Kali. Kali is believed to be the destroyer of evil spirits and the preserver of devotees. Kali is Goddess of life, death, and rebirth. She is the Dark Mother who creates and destroys.
To the members of the Thuggee cult, she was something else entirely. Their Kali craved human blood, and demanded endless sacrifice to satisfy her hunger. According to Thuggee legend, Kali once battled a terrible demon which roamed the land, devouring humans as fast as they were created. But every drop of the monster’s blood that touched the ground spawned a new demon, until the exhausted Kali finally created two human men, armed with rumals, and instructed them to strangle the demons. When their work was finished, Kali instructed them to keep the rumals in their family and use them to destroy every man not of their kindred. This was the tale told to Thuggee initiates.
The Thuggee assassins were eventually suppressed by the British rulers of India in the 1830s, after the implementation of the Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts.
Mahabalipuramis an ancient historic town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. During the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE) Mahabalipuram was a bustling seaport, used by Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South East Asia.
It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock in the 7th and 8th centuries. Here in Mahabalipuram, we can find some evidence of ancient drilling technology. An eight feet wide, Giant hole is drilled out of granite rock. As we know Granite is one of the hardest rocks in the world and today we use diamond tipped tools and laser to make drills in it. How could ancient Indian drill a humongous hole like this 1300 years ago and why?
Called by locals as Seetha’s Bathtub, this Giant hole is 8 feet wide and 5 feet deep.The circumference is a perfect circle. Walls looks so smooth and looks like it is made with a modern machine.According to conventional history, People did not use any complex tools. But how can a perfect circle that is 8 feet wide be carved on a rock.Nobody knows the reason behind this giant hole drilled out of this rock.
Academics think that this was carved with chisels and hammers. If it was true, at one point, this would have taken years to make it look perfect. Why would they need to create a perfect cylinder out of a rock and what is the reason behind making it a perfect circle? If you wanted a well for water, you can dig one with much less manual labor. If you wanted to create a water tank, you can just use pots or metal vessels. Even water wells or tanks don’t need this much of effort. Was it used to fit something that was a perfect cylinder?
Another interesting Site at Mahabalipurum is Krishna’s Butter ball, a20 feet high and 5 meter wide rock estimated to weigh over 250 tons miraculously stands on an extremely small, slippery area of a hill.
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