Serpent Queen:Indus Valley to Sabarimalai
![harappan snake seal.webp harappan snake seal.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1131-ad3e26164531091fafc2f88f3afc8e99.jpg?hash=NWZJwt3iDR)
Harappan Snake Seal
The most famous snake queen figure came from the Minoan Civilization in the island of Crete. British archaeologist Arthur Evans excavated at the palace of Knossos in Crete and revealed to the world the fascinating details of a new civilization that existed between 2700 BC and 1500 BC coinciding with the Indus Valley Civilization. The famous serpent queen figure is of a priestess holding two snakes in her two hands. The same motif is found throughout in India from Vedic times to modern day. We have a faience figure in Indus Valley with two snakes.
Rig Veda, the oldest religious book in the world, refers to a Sarpa Ranji (serpent queen). Atharva Veda also mentioned two snakes called Aligi and Viligi. Modern research by scholars showed that these were actually the names of two Assyrian Kings who lived in 3000 BC. If it is correct the Atharva Veda predates Indus Valley civilization. The fact that the Vedic civilization is older than the Indus valley is confirmed by the BARC (Bhaba Atomic Research Centre) research on Saraswati River that had frequent references in the Vedas. Saraswati River dried even before Indus culture reached its peak. May be the Indus culture was the continuation of Vedic culture. Now we have two proofs, one from the Assyrian sources and the other from the Vedas to prove its antiquity.
![snake_goddess.webp snake_goddess.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1133-3bd314c079a660946380b9240c8d3dea.jpg?hash=EqsrECglzI)
Minoan Snake Goddess 1600 BC
The serpent worship is universal. There is no ancient culture without a serpent God. Whether it is Egyptian or Mayan, Indus or Vedic, Minoan or Babylonian we see serpents with Gods and Goddesses. But Hindus are the only race in the world who maintains this culture until today. We have Nagapanchami celebrations celebrated throughout India where live snakes are worshipped. Hindus respect Nature and Environment and use the natural resorces to the minimum.
Snake Goddesses such as Manasa Devi and Naga Yakshi are worshipped in India. The Vedas has an authoress named as Serpent Queen. She was one of the 27 women poets of Rig Veda and her poem is in the Tenth Mandala (10-189). We have two more references to this lady in Taitriya and Aitareya Brahmanas. Sarpa Vidya (science of snakes) is mentioned in Satapatha and Gopatha Brahmanas. (see Vedic Index of name and subjects by authors AB Keith and AA Macdonell,page 438 for more details).
![HIndu snake goddess.webp HIndu snake goddess.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1135-c1fb5ac9c2284bbabc2b640f76e2fbe8.jpg?hash=kih__vQDlN)
Naga Yakshi
Aligi is the name of a kind of snake in the Atharva Veda (V-13-7) and Viligi, another snake, is also mentioned in the same hymn. Earlier scholars like AA Macdonell and AB Keith mentioned them as snakes in their Vedic Index Volumes. Bala Gangadhara Tilak did lot of research and told us that these were from the Akkadian languages. He dated the Vedas to 6000 BC. Modern research by scholars Dr Bhagawatsharan Upadhyaya and Dr Naval Viyogi showed that they were not snakes, but kings of Assyria- Aligi (Alalu) and Viligi (balalu) of 3000 BC.
Taimata is twice mentioned in Atharva Veda (V-13-66; V-18-4) as a species of snake according to Whitney and Bloomsfield. Once again the old Vedic translations are wrong. Actually Taimata is nothing but Tiamat found in Babylonian literature as a Goddess. May be it is the corrupted form of Sanskrit DEVA MATA (Goddess). More and more research shows many Sanskrit words in Sumerian and Babylonian literature such as Berorus (Vara Ruci), Ottaretas (Urdhwaretas), Mesopotamian god Dumuzi/Tammuz/Sammata (fish God). They are pure Sanskrit words. One and the same god was called in different names by different cultures at different times and that too in corrupted forms. When we read Sumerian names we have to remove prefixes Nan, Nin,Sin. They are equal to Sri, Sow etc. Future research will prove that they have migrated from India in the remotest time.
Naga Yakshi worshipped in all the Ayyappan temples including Sabarimalai and other goddess temples found in the Middle Eastern countries around 3000BC. We see them in Indus valley and the Vedas as well. (Please see the attached pictures and compare them). A goddess or a god will be holding two snakes in their hans on either side or will be flanked by two snakes. This is nothing new for a Hindu. All the Hindu gods are associated with snakes in one or other form.
My conclusion can be summarized as follows:
1. Vedic translations of Aligi, Viligi and Taimata are wrong and they were all really people, may be people with snake totem (Nagas).
2. Since Atharva Veda mentions Kings who lived around 3000 BC, it must be dated around that period. Rig Veda is (linguistically) older than Atharva Veda.
3. We see snake gods or goddesses in all ancient cultures. In India, we see it from Vedic days. They are worshiped until today proving that Indian culture is the oldest living culture.
4. Last but not the least; such continuity is possible only when this worship originated in India. So we can safely conclude that Hindus went to different parts of the world taking their culture. Like we lost the whole of South East Asia after 1300 year Hindu rule, we lost the Middle East long before that.
(Please read my other articles on Indus Valley 1. Bull Fighting: Indus Valley to Spain via Tamil Nadu 2. The Sugarcane Mystery: Ikshwaku Dynasty and Indus Valley 3. Mysterious link between Karnataka and Indus Valley 4.Vishnu in Indus valley seal 5.Indra on Airavata in Indus valley)
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![harappan snake seal.webp harappan snake seal.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1131-ad3e26164531091fafc2f88f3afc8e99.jpg?hash=NWZJwt3iDR)
Harappan Snake Seal
The most famous snake queen figure came from the Minoan Civilization in the island of Crete. British archaeologist Arthur Evans excavated at the palace of Knossos in Crete and revealed to the world the fascinating details of a new civilization that existed between 2700 BC and 1500 BC coinciding with the Indus Valley Civilization. The famous serpent queen figure is of a priestess holding two snakes in her two hands. The same motif is found throughout in India from Vedic times to modern day. We have a faience figure in Indus Valley with two snakes.
Rig Veda, the oldest religious book in the world, refers to a Sarpa Ranji (serpent queen). Atharva Veda also mentioned two snakes called Aligi and Viligi. Modern research by scholars showed that these were actually the names of two Assyrian Kings who lived in 3000 BC. If it is correct the Atharva Veda predates Indus Valley civilization. The fact that the Vedic civilization is older than the Indus valley is confirmed by the BARC (Bhaba Atomic Research Centre) research on Saraswati River that had frequent references in the Vedas. Saraswati River dried even before Indus culture reached its peak. May be the Indus culture was the continuation of Vedic culture. Now we have two proofs, one from the Assyrian sources and the other from the Vedas to prove its antiquity.
![snake_goddess.webp snake_goddess.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1133-3bd314c079a660946380b9240c8d3dea.jpg?hash=EqsrECglzI)
Minoan Snake Goddess 1600 BC
The serpent worship is universal. There is no ancient culture without a serpent God. Whether it is Egyptian or Mayan, Indus or Vedic, Minoan or Babylonian we see serpents with Gods and Goddesses. But Hindus are the only race in the world who maintains this culture until today. We have Nagapanchami celebrations celebrated throughout India where live snakes are worshipped. Hindus respect Nature and Environment and use the natural resorces to the minimum.
Snake Goddesses such as Manasa Devi and Naga Yakshi are worshipped in India. The Vedas has an authoress named as Serpent Queen. She was one of the 27 women poets of Rig Veda and her poem is in the Tenth Mandala (10-189). We have two more references to this lady in Taitriya and Aitareya Brahmanas. Sarpa Vidya (science of snakes) is mentioned in Satapatha and Gopatha Brahmanas. (see Vedic Index of name and subjects by authors AB Keith and AA Macdonell,page 438 for more details).
![HIndu snake goddess.webp HIndu snake goddess.webp](https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/data/attachments/1/1135-c1fb5ac9c2284bbabc2b640f76e2fbe8.jpg?hash=kih__vQDlN)
Naga Yakshi
Aligi is the name of a kind of snake in the Atharva Veda (V-13-7) and Viligi, another snake, is also mentioned in the same hymn. Earlier scholars like AA Macdonell and AB Keith mentioned them as snakes in their Vedic Index Volumes. Bala Gangadhara Tilak did lot of research and told us that these were from the Akkadian languages. He dated the Vedas to 6000 BC. Modern research by scholars Dr Bhagawatsharan Upadhyaya and Dr Naval Viyogi showed that they were not snakes, but kings of Assyria- Aligi (Alalu) and Viligi (balalu) of 3000 BC.
Taimata is twice mentioned in Atharva Veda (V-13-66; V-18-4) as a species of snake according to Whitney and Bloomsfield. Once again the old Vedic translations are wrong. Actually Taimata is nothing but Tiamat found in Babylonian literature as a Goddess. May be it is the corrupted form of Sanskrit DEVA MATA (Goddess). More and more research shows many Sanskrit words in Sumerian and Babylonian literature such as Berorus (Vara Ruci), Ottaretas (Urdhwaretas), Mesopotamian god Dumuzi/Tammuz/Sammata (fish God). They are pure Sanskrit words. One and the same god was called in different names by different cultures at different times and that too in corrupted forms. When we read Sumerian names we have to remove prefixes Nan, Nin,Sin. They are equal to Sri, Sow etc. Future research will prove that they have migrated from India in the remotest time.
Naga Yakshi worshipped in all the Ayyappan temples including Sabarimalai and other goddess temples found in the Middle Eastern countries around 3000BC. We see them in Indus valley and the Vedas as well. (Please see the attached pictures and compare them). A goddess or a god will be holding two snakes in their hans on either side or will be flanked by two snakes. This is nothing new for a Hindu. All the Hindu gods are associated with snakes in one or other form.
My conclusion can be summarized as follows:
1. Vedic translations of Aligi, Viligi and Taimata are wrong and they were all really people, may be people with snake totem (Nagas).
2. Since Atharva Veda mentions Kings who lived around 3000 BC, it must be dated around that period. Rig Veda is (linguistically) older than Atharva Veda.
3. We see snake gods or goddesses in all ancient cultures. In India, we see it from Vedic days. They are worshiped until today proving that Indian culture is the oldest living culture.
4. Last but not the least; such continuity is possible only when this worship originated in India. So we can safely conclude that Hindus went to different parts of the world taking their culture. Like we lost the whole of South East Asia after 1300 year Hindu rule, we lost the Middle East long before that.
(Please read my other articles on Indus Valley 1. Bull Fighting: Indus Valley to Spain via Tamil Nadu 2. The Sugarcane Mystery: Ikshwaku Dynasty and Indus Valley 3. Mysterious link between Karnataka and Indus Valley 4.Vishnu in Indus valley seal 5.Indra on Airavata in Indus valley)
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