Continuation from the previous post
If only Tilak, the author of the Arctic origins had been alive today, he would not have proposed those views, for, with the advancement of scientific tools to know the movement of man, we are getting better insight in our understanding of our scriptures. As I told in the article, Puranas do talk of people having lived near both the Polar Regions and not just the North Pole. It is told in numerous places in Puranas, that Devas have lived in the Southern region also where the day extended for 6 months! Their lord, Indra in that region of the South was known by another name Naganatha – which means 'the lord of snakes'! Such a name was given because they lived in underground tunnels like snakes. The opposite of this occurred in the Northern region where they lived on the mountains. Please recall my article on dwellings above the ground level which you quoted in your blog.
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2011/11/ages-of-sun-worship-and-its-diffusion.html
The current growth of populations has sprung from the South according to genetic researches. The explosion of Mt Toba about 70,000 years ago, fits with the Puranic allusion of Shiva slaying Tripuarntaka with a bow. This happened in the Asura land – which means somewhere in the South. Though it is an Asura land, the Devas were present there. They were disturbed by the Tripura asuras and therefore sought the help of Shiva to slay the asuras. What were the Devas doing in the South, in the Asura domain, if their location is near the North Pole? This question could not have been answered convincingly even a few decades ago, when we were not aware of Mt Toba and the genetic researches. With the revelations of these two studies, we are able to understand what this Puranic allusion stands for. I have written this in my blog on the Mystery of Toba.
The people of the globe had shifted between north and south periodically due to climate and other factors that facilitate habitation. The North Polar Region was beyond the bounds of human habitation when Mt Toba erupted. But people had lived around the vicinity of Toba –something confirmed by genetic studies. Devas have survived so also Maya! Maya was identified on the basis of his maternal lineage in Hindu texts.
There is reference to one male lineage mingling with 13 females as shown in the marriage of sage Kashyapa marrying 13 daughters of Prajapathi (the progenitor for people). The off springs of each of them are known separately of which only a few are surviving till today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashyap
One of them are Danavas, coming in the lineage of Danu. Maya came in that lineage. I consider that this lineage had peopled most of Europe taking a route from Atlantic Ocean (through Atlantis which is same as Romaka Desa of Maya of Surya Siddhantha) and entered through West Europe.
Another lineage born to Diti were all mentioned as having inhabited the South only. They were called as Daityas and their location could have been around Sundaland, China or even Africa.
Yet another lineage is that of Manavas, the lineage of Manu who are the people of India.
There is no direct reference to Devas but I concur that this is the early migrant people from the South after the impact of eruption of Mt Toba subsided. It is worth mentioning here that Bhaskara, a 12th century astronomer of India had said in his book Siddhantha Shiromani that 4 types of people lived in the world, namely Devas, Asuras (Daityas), Danavas and Manavas.
The genetic studies show an early group moving through India and to the Nothern regions. This had happened 40,000 years ago and lasted until the Ice age set in. This fits with the description of Polar Devas. Their prevalence ended before 10,000 years ago which I find corresponding with the extinct of Woolly Mammoth, the elephants found in extreme North. Indra (leader of Devas) was known for his elephant, named Iravatha.
At that time and until that time, India was sparsely populated. Graham Hancock's maps on the vegetation of India give us the reason.
The region of Sarasvathy where Vedas flourished was a desert about 21,300 years ago. Only the southern part – Tamil nadu and the western fringes of had the climate and vegetation for living. These regions were peopled by early Tamils. The western shore was occupied by Manu (Dravideswara).
By 12,000 years BP, Manu had entered the North western mainland through river Sarasvathy and spread gradually throughout the Indian main land as it became increasingly habitable.
This pic shows scope for movement of people from the edges of India to mainland India. The migration to India had happened from the South and not from the North. The Himalayas had stood tall as a Northern barrier and the only opening in the North West India also had posed a barrier for people beyond that. Because the dry lands at that time in that region would not have held anything for people outside that North West region to come to this part of India. On the other hand the coastal people from the south and west would have found a vast opportunity to spread within India and flourish. That is what had happened.
Now coming to the question of Devas, the early population had moved from Southern hemisphere to the North about 40,000 years ago according to genetic studies. The occupation at deep North is identified with Devas according to Hindu texts. But the current studies show that this occupation had happened before historic times about which we have no substantial information. We do not have extra inputs from Puranas other than the information that their days and nights were 6 months long. Whatever else we have in the texts, is about the interaction with Kings.
To name them, Mandhatha, an early ancestor of both Rama of Ramayana and Chola, a Tamil king was a friend of Indra and had helped him in guarding his city (Amaravathy) in his absence. There was one Uparichara vasu, a king in the region on Himalayas north of Mt Kailash being a friend of Indra. Then there was an account of Ravana's son having imprisoned Indra in Lanka! That incident gave him the title Indrajit. Kings like Ravana and others had visited Deva land. But there was no account of Devas having interacted with manavas (people) of India! No one had seen Indra and Devas!! A veil of secrecy and supremacy was maintained by them when it came to people. That is why I say strongly say that there was no mix up of people with beings of Deva land.
On the question of Vedas coming from Devas, no it is not so. The Vedas were conceived by sages of Bharat (ancient India). One strong reason to say is that the Vedas and Vedic rituals are inseparable with astrology! You will find this mentioned by Tilak in his other book The Orion. The Vedic ritual itself means Year! The rituals go on throughout the year. The year is known by the seasons and the ayanas (solstices), the stars of the day and the thithi of the day (the distance between Sun and the moon in a day) and so on. This division of time comes upto day and night (ahoratra) which is more or less equally divided and known by Hora which changes every hour. Such as division works only in the tropics and more accurately near the Equator. Another factor is that the seasonal noting on Vedas and rituals fit with Indian Climate only and not even with Middle east. Without this time factor, Vedas and Vedic rituals are redundant. Therefore there is no chance to relate the Vedas with North pole or say that it was transferred from the North Pole.
In the period between 10,000 and 5000 years, Uttarakuru had gained importance. This was the period when the dissipated population around the North pole had found a home at lower latitudes. We say that the Deva culture had degraded by this time and what remained was only the urge to retain the secrecy about themselves. This is what we gather from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vishnu purana which speak of this land as keeping its doors shut for outsiders. Only a few kings have interacted with them. The 5 Pandavas and Karna had the beings of this land as their biological fathers. That is the only connection of India with Uttarakuru.
Lastly on Tilak's version of Orion period, I must say that he has understood it wrong. The star of the Orion which is called as Mrigashirsha in India stands for a philosophical import. We in India, particularly in Tamilnadu piously follow the rituals in the month denoted by this star (called as Agrahayani in Vedic times and also mentioned so by Tilak in the Orion). This month is currently on. The location of that star is shown below. My article on this can be read here:-
http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2012/01/cosmic-krishna-in-month-of-maargazhi.html
The fact was that Tilak misread this star for equinox. The precession of equinox as seen from the earth is limited by the sway of the tilt of the earth. Vedic sages have identified it as moving to and from for 27 degrees on both sides of the zero degree of Aries. It can be depicted as follows.
A detailed article on this can be read here:-
The star of the Orion that Tilak mentions does not come within the seeing range of equinoxes. Tilak was obviously excited by the space science that existed at his time. We have now come a long way from then.
Speaking on stars, I am reminded of the star Canopus, that Vedic people were obsessed with. There are allegorical stories on this star to show the change in the tilt of the earth. The interesting g feature is that this is a southern star. It is visible throughout the year in the South pole. The Vedic ritual which finds a special mention in Varahamihira's Brihad Samhita is about the time of heliacal rising of this star. This rising is visible only upto 37-18 degree North, that is upto North India.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus
On the contrary, what relevance this star has for the people if they had come from Northern latitudes as they would have never known this star?
