It
was almost six months ago that on the Facebook wall of a Kannada friend I came
across with the following photograph of an ancient stone relief claiming to be
of Sri Rama and Hanuma. That posting stated that the dominant male figure of
the relief is that of Sri Rama and the figurine kneeled before the standing
figurine is that of Hanuman.
I
was greatly amused to see this image and the comment that attempted to connect
it with the Ramayana. But the amateur explorer in me instigated to undertake a
brief research for factual accuracy of this. So, I went on a journey of knowing
the historical details of this image.
After
considerable search on net, I came across with the Flickr.com profile of one
Mr. Osama S.M. Amin FRCP who has uploaded around 28 photographs of this stone
relief and also has given its exact location (on the cliff of mountain Darbadi
Belula, Hori w Shekhan area, Sulaimaniya, near Iranian border, Iraq),
genre (Akkadian) and its antiquity (Circa 2100 BC)
Based
on these vital inputs, I have furthered my study and understood that there was
indeed an Akkadian Empire and civilization that flourished for about 300 years
in 3rd millennia BCE. This being a brief write-up I will not be
narrating Akkadian history as the same can be found on net.
My
interest is in explaining why this image can’t be ascribed to Rama as claimed
by some websites. Hereunder is my brief account:
First
let us take a closer look at the entire stone relief and identify the figurines
carved therein:
So,
as told in the posting of my FB friend, this stone relief does not have two
persons but three images. If Fig 1 is Rama and Fig 2 is Hanuma who is that shown
in Fig 3? This must be explained by the people/websites claiming this to be a
Hindu art.
Even
if I assume that the Fig 3 is either Ravana or Kumbhakarna or any other demon,
are those two figurines resemble the traditional iconography of Rama and Hanuma?
Let us see!
These
are the close-up shot and full size image of the kneeling figurine (Fig 2)
claimed to be of Hanuman:
Undoubtedly,
the kneeling pose resembles that of Hanuma in Dasabhava but this image is certainly missing the unique iconic
details of Hanuma such as the long tail, the club (Gada) and more importantly the monkey face with swollen jaws. Also,
this figurine is not showing the ornamentation that is generally carved on
Hanuman images such as the crown, earrings and the anklet on the left leg.
Hence
it is an unlikely proposition to infer this Fig 2 as Hanuman. It must be a
figurine of a king defeated by an Akkadian king and has been shown as “begging
for life” that gets translated as the victory of the Akkadian king over the
latter.
If
the above figurine has to be called as Hanuma it should have all or the major
insignia of Hanuman. Therefore, it is a puzzle as to how the propagandists are
promoting this as Hanuman?
Now
let us turn towards that prominent male figurine and see:
There
is no doubt that the person is holding a bow in left hand and standing in a
gracious standing pose of a victor. Can the bow alone make this image as that
of Sri Rama? I don’t believe so and hence let us have a closer look at the
features of this figurine other than its bow:
Here
we can see that the quiver is placed right behind the figurine as if on the
ground and in the waistband a battle axe can be seen while the left hand is
holding a dagger in an attacking or thrusting pose.
In
the typical iconographic representations of Sri Rama he is shown with a bow and
a single arrow but never shown with a dagger and battle axe. Also, in typical
representation of Rama, the quiver is shown as tied and projected above his
right shoulder’s back. But the above figurine is missing all these iconographic
details barring the bow.
The
other two major insignia that are missing are (1) sacred thread (Yagnopaveetam)
and (2) matted hairdo (Jata Makuta) in which the former affirms his Kshatriya
origin and the latter stands for the attire (Muni vesha) assumed by him during his exile.
Apart
from all these, the most important aspect that should not be ignored is the
inscription written in Akkadian script which can be seen right behind the
kneeling figurine.
As
part of my search I could not trace a translation of this inscription on net. I
have asked Mr. Osama S.M. Amin FRPC to give the English translation. I have
posted my request on his Flickr profile which is yet to be answered.
Once
the contents of this inscription are known we can zero-in on the persons shown
on the relief. I am sure that the inscription is not talking about Rama or
Hanuma but must be saying something about an Akkadian king who emerged
victorious against a certain other opponent of him.
Therefore,
it is my sincere advice to the propagandists is that they must refrain from
insulting the intelligence of Hindus by spreading unconfirmed and fake
information in the garb of Hindu nationalism. Indians are not duds in knowing
and understanding the history of not their country alone but of the world as
well. Ill-fetched acts such as this shall damage the reputation and erudition
of Sanatana Dharma let alone propagating it as a true and sincere way of life.
||Jai
Sriram||
