Identifying Unicorn and the Cult object in Harappan Seals
Vedic Literature is basically oral and hence called Shruti. It was committed to writing to facilitate learning in historical period. They describe Vidya and Rituals were in practice even before the Shakha. Shakhas describe many versions of the same Ritual. Vedic Literature is made up of Shakhas. Shakhas have Samhita, Brahman, Aranyak have been compiled by the Veda-Acharyas Sindhu seals showing an animal motif commonly known as Unicorn and the cult object below its raised neck have been much speculated about. He discovered a strong relation between the iconography of seals and the Vedic Ritual of Ashvamedha and observed a correlation with the animal motif. For the Unicorn or Urus/bovine bull the associated object is Yupa. Yupa is the ceremonial peg to which the sacrificial animal is tied in Vedic Rituals. For goat and markhor also, a tree like object is seen.
Sindhu seals showing an animal motif commonly known as Unicorn and the cult object below its raised neck have been much speculated about. We have discovered a strong relation between the iconography of seals and the Vedic Ritual of Ashvamedha. We observed a correlation between the animal motif and the object below it:
For the Unicorn or Urus/bovine bull the associated object is Yupa. Yupa is the ceremonial peg to which the sacrificial animal is tied in Vedic Rituals. For goat and markhor also tree like object is seen.
For Bison, Buffalo, Rhino and Tiger we saw the feed-trough. A solitary exception of Rhino with Yupa was seen. All these are wild animals.
The Zebu and Elephant are without any associated object. A solitary exception of Elephant with feed-trough was noted.
Yupa from Vedic texts and practices is seen to have three main components viz. Chashal, Svaru and Main body. The cult object shows these three features very clearly. An ivory object (M-2116, Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions 3.1) confirms identification. The Gate of Ishtar Wall of Babylon has fine and large specimens of Urus bulls. They are readily matched with Harappan seal Unicorn . The above found distinct relation of animal type with associated object led us to the closer scrutiny of the hitherto obscure passages of Ashvamedha Ritual in Vedas and Shrout Sutra and their commentaries.
We were surprised in finding unanimous mention of an animal called GomRuga to be offered on the central Yupa, along with the chief animal Ashva and a hornless goat. This animal is speculated about by Sayanacharya and other commentators showing its unavailability in their times. The zoological evidence of extinction of this animal from Indian subcontinent around 2000 BC affirmed this recognition. The tablet H-176 side A depicts this animal along with Yupa in a more realistic way. The right side shows the cage as the confinement for wild dangerous animals. The side B shows the iconic representation of this cage as a rectangular feed-trough containing the tiger. This leads us to suggest the feed-trough to be the Aroka or Yupantaral for wild animals mentioned in Ashvamedha texts.
The seals are commemorative of Ashvamedha performed around 3000 BC by some sovereign.
Dr. Mrugendra Vinod