Our introduction to Kirati history has been gradual and deliberate; we have seen the Kiratis through the dimly lit periods of mythology during the epic age and presently we will see them emerge into proto-historic period.
The Age of the Historic Buddha
Our mind is conditioned into thinking the Buddha as a god but we are not quite so sure whether he was actually a man or a god divine. In my last chapter, I have portrayed the Buddha's picture in the image of a prince, contemporary to the Kirati King Jite Dasty; as a man, a cousin of the Kiratis.
The noted Oxford historian Professor Vincent Smith had written, "The more I consider the evidence of such traditions and the unmistakable testimony of the early sculptures as at Barhut and Sanchi, dating from about 200 B.C., the more I am convinced that the Mongolian or hill-men element formed a large percentage in the population of northern India during the centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian era. I think it highly probable that Gautama Buddha, the Sage of the Sakyas, and the founder of historical Buddhism, was Mongolian by birth, that is to say, a hill-man like a Gurkha with Mongolian features, and akin to the Tibetans."
Another prominent historian, Professor Percival Spear of Cambridge University had written, "...the tribe in the Nepal Hills from which the Buddha came is thought to have been of Mongolian stock."
By way of introduction, it needs to be emphasised here that in early twentieth century Professor Vincent Smith had begun the pioneering work of writing the Indian history ab initio. Before his time, save a few fragmentary pieces of chronicles of Moslem rulers and some mythological accounts of earlier period were all that were there to represent Indian history.
Throughout human history one notices a recurring phenomena that a personality has emerged from within to influence and lead them through a particular period of instability. We may call it a divine intervention and place Siddhartha Gout'm, who became the Buddha in that category.
Adi Buddha and the Pancha Dhyani Buddhas
Nepalese Buddhists, the Buddha Margis believe that Adi Buddha, the Primordial Buddha created the universe by vocalising the sound A, U, and M, or more simplistically, "aum". We have been informed Adi Buddha created the universe by uttering the word aum but know nothing more about the due process of creation.
A very similar act of creation is found narrated in the Holy Bible.
Adi Buddha desired* from his Self to be many and manifested in Pancha Dhyani Buddhas or Five Buddhas of Eternal Meditaion namely, Akshobhya, Amitabha, Amoghasiddha, Ratnasambhawa, and Bhairochana. Pancha Dhyani Buddhas, in turn, produced from their Self, five Bodhisattwas namely, Bajrapani from Akshobhya, Padmapani from Amitabha, Biswapani from Amoghasiddha, Ratnapani from Ratnasambhawa, and Samantabhadra from Bhairochana.
We know nothing more about them all with the sole exception that Padmapani was engaged by Adi Buddha to create three deities called Brahma, Bisnu and Mahesh. Bodhisattwa Padmapani then assigned the task of 'creation' to Brahma, 'sustenance' to Bisnu and 'destruction' to Mahesh, thereby relegating the supreme brahminic gods to lesser subservient roles.
Pancha Dhyani Buddhas are identified by their colors and the direction they face when represented in a temple; Akshobhya is Blue and faces East, Amitabha is Red and faces West, Amoghasiddha is Green and faces North, Ratnasambhawa is Golden and faces South while Bhairochana is White and is generally placed at the center but more often than not found seated next to Akshobhya facing East.
Ashok the Great and Spread of Buddhism
Ashok was undoubtedly one of the greatest conquerors of ancient historic world but is remembered less for his military genius than his acts of charity and compassion. When he had conquered the entire known world of the region he decided to give it all up to be the champion of faith. Upon making the resolve, he embarked upon a pilgrimage following his Master's footsteps and arrived in Kathmandu to offer worship to Swayambhunath.
Bungsawali records Kirati King Sthunko was the reigning monarch of Kathmandu when Ashok came calling. To commemorate his visit, Ashok founded the City of Deo Pattan, known today as Patan and gave his daughter Charumati in marriage to a Kirati nobleman.
Ashok then proceeded to Lumbini, the birth place of Siddhartha Gout'm and had a pillar erected to record the event which stands there till today in testimony of his charity and benevolence. From the date engraved in the Lumbini pillar we can precisely say that Ashok visited Kathmandu and Lumbini in or around 228 B.C.
Eleven more kings following Sthunko are known to have reigned over Kathmandu when the Kiratis yielded to the Mallas of the Thakuri dynasty. Thus ended the reign of the Kiratis over Kathmandu which had lasted for 1630 years. The Kiratis were however, simply pushed eastward where their sway continued until late eighteenth century when Nepal was finally unified under the leadership of another Thakuri dynasty founded by Prithiwinarayan Sah.
Geographically, the Kiratis had divided their realm in three segments, Wallo Kirat, Pallo Kirat and Majh Kirat where Wallo (This Side) meant the region this side of River Sun Kosi which included Kathmandu Valley, Pallo (The Other Side or Across) or the region eastward of River Arun, and Majh (Central) the region in between. Pallo Kirat was also colloquially known as Limbuwan, or the land of the Limbu tribe, one of the Kirati tribes.
Ashok's emissaries were monks and they travelled far and wide, from Myanmar and Sri Lanka to the Hellenic Kingdoms of the Middle East spreading the message of compassion and redemption. Buddhist monks thus became the first emissaries to have a vision of spreading the message of universal brotherhood to the end of the world transcending local frontiers.
*This divine will or desire is known as 'pra-gnya' the Wisdom that Existed before All, the Wisdom beyond human Comprehension, or the Unknowable God.
There is a parallel reference in the Holy Bible of God being referred to as 'the Wonder far beyond me to know'.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Mythological Age of Kirati History
Anecdotal accounts occupy a great deal of space of Kirati lore. Some of them freely mix myths with actual historical events creating a hypothetical situation while some can be classified as mere figments of over simulated imaginations.
Longevity of Kirati Royalty
Kiratis used to maintain their geneological records in a written form known as 'bungsawali'. However, in a state of gross ignorance and misplaced confidence most of them have either been lost or destroyed but enough of their memory survives to enable us to recount how the Kiratis regarded the longevity of their Hangs (Kings) to be synonymous to their godliness.
One may refer to the Holy Bible to find that the patriarchs of biblical era too lived very very long and blessed life.
According to the bungsawali, Yellung Hang founded the Kiratdom of Kathmandu and reigned over it for 90 years and 3 months. He is found variously referred to as Yellung Kerraut (or Kirat) or simply as Yellumber.
Yellung Hang was succeeded by several generations of his able progenies whose combined regnal period lasted for centuries. An event of historical significance is recorded in the bungsawali when in 528 B.C. during the reign of Kirati King Jite Dasty, the Sage of the Sakya, the Enlightened One came to Kathmandu. In direct line of succession, Jite Dasty is the ninth King to occupy the Kirati throne founded by Yellung Hang.
Tradition has it that the Buddha had made the pilgrimage to Kathmandu to worship Swayambhunath, the Adi-Buddha, which had been mentioned in the previous chapter. Working from the Buddha's visit as the reference point and going backwards through 356 years of eight Kirati Hangs' combined regnal period, we can place with reasonable accuracy the founding of Kiratdom of Kathmandu by Yellung Hang in or around 975 B.C.
Kirati Mythological Anecdotes
It will be a matter of some mythological interest to understand how Yellung Hang was deified by his subjects. A terra cotta statue of antiquity has been identified as that of Yellung Hang which shows the sculpture in unfinished form; the feet are not sculpted out. Legend has it that the Kirati god-kings of antiquity used to walk off to the heaven whenever they became dissatisfied with humans. But, the Kiratis loved Yellung Hang dearly and to ensure that he remained with them forever, they decided to leave sculpting of the divine legs incomplete thus denying Yellung Hang the option.
During his pilgrimage to Kathmandu, the Buddha converted King Jite Dasty and his Kirati subjects to the path of nirwan thus establishing a second Enlightened Kingdom on the wake of conversion of his own father Suddhodhan of Kapilbastu. The Buddha's visit also became a catalyst to several of his kinsmen, the Sakyas to settle down among the Kiratis of Kathmandu. By a strange twist of misreading of the ancient script the word Sakya became Yak-kha the forebears of a branch of the Kiratis of eastern Nepal of today.
Longevity of Kirati Royalty
Kiratis used to maintain their geneological records in a written form known as 'bungsawali'. However, in a state of gross ignorance and misplaced confidence most of them have either been lost or destroyed but enough of their memory survives to enable us to recount how the Kiratis regarded the longevity of their Hangs (Kings) to be synonymous to their godliness.
One may refer to the Holy Bible to find that the patriarchs of biblical era too lived very very long and blessed life.
According to the bungsawali, Yellung Hang founded the Kiratdom of Kathmandu and reigned over it for 90 years and 3 months. He is found variously referred to as Yellung Kerraut (or Kirat) or simply as Yellumber.
Yellung Hang was succeeded by several generations of his able progenies whose combined regnal period lasted for centuries. An event of historical significance is recorded in the bungsawali when in 528 B.C. during the reign of Kirati King Jite Dasty, the Sage of the Sakya, the Enlightened One came to Kathmandu. In direct line of succession, Jite Dasty is the ninth King to occupy the Kirati throne founded by Yellung Hang.
Tradition has it that the Buddha had made the pilgrimage to Kathmandu to worship Swayambhunath, the Adi-Buddha, which had been mentioned in the previous chapter. Working from the Buddha's visit as the reference point and going backwards through 356 years of eight Kirati Hangs' combined regnal period, we can place with reasonable accuracy the founding of Kiratdom of Kathmandu by Yellung Hang in or around 975 B.C.
Kirati Mythological Anecdotes
It will be a matter of some mythological interest to understand how Yellung Hang was deified by his subjects. A terra cotta statue of antiquity has been identified as that of Yellung Hang which shows the sculpture in unfinished form; the feet are not sculpted out. Legend has it that the Kirati god-kings of antiquity used to walk off to the heaven whenever they became dissatisfied with humans. But, the Kiratis loved Yellung Hang dearly and to ensure that he remained with them forever, they decided to leave sculpting of the divine legs incomplete thus denying Yellung Hang the option.
During his pilgrimage to Kathmandu, the Buddha converted King Jite Dasty and his Kirati subjects to the path of nirwan thus establishing a second Enlightened Kingdom on the wake of conversion of his own father Suddhodhan of Kapilbastu. The Buddha's visit also became a catalyst to several of his kinsmen, the Sakyas to settle down among the Kiratis of Kathmandu. By a strange twist of misreading of the ancient script the word Sakya became Yak-kha the forebears of a branch of the Kiratis of eastern Nepal of today.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The Age of the Purans.
Historians are not unanimous in defining the pre-historic classification of the antiquity of Southern Himalayan region. Many historians are content to place the Age of the Purans immediately after the Epic Age while some historians have attempted to group them together as the Early and Late Epic Age. I differ and I voice my opinion through this dissertation.
Even during the Age of the Purans the gods appear quite human for they are seen throughout this period active in the affairs of mankind. To the Kirats however, this age is the moment of reckoning for the gods appear to be happily disposed towards them, even though according to one of the Kirati legends they claim to have arrived in their homeland before the gods came. Traditionally the Kiratis claim they settled down in Kathmandu Valley in the 1500th year of Dwaper Age; in mythological reckoning the Ages are identified as Satya, Dwaper, Treta and Kali. Kali Age, the present age, followed Treta Age some 8000 years ago and with its end the created universe will once again roll back to the Beginning of the Cycle in Eternal Wheel of Life.
Swayambhu Puran
Of all the ancient Epics and the Purans that have ever been written, the Kiratis have held Swayambhu Puran to be the antediluvian of them all. According to it, Kathmandu Valley was once a pristine lake called Naag-Baas. It was a sacred lake and for aeons several Bodhisattwas and mortal Buddhas had from time to time circumambulated it before offering worship to Swayambhunath.
Tradition has it that Manju Sri arrived at the scene accompanied by his devotees and with one swift stroke of his sword slashed the mountain gorge through which the lake was drained out. Geologists agree that the fertile layers of alluvial soil of Kathmandu Valley could very well have been the sedimentary soil at the lake bed and have little doubt in entertaining this Kirati legend that if ever the very narrow gorge could be sealed the Valley would once again regain its primeval lake form. In this symbolic act of creation Manju Sri made Kathmandu Valley suitable for human habitation and the Kiratis became its first settlers.
Swayambhu Puran lays the foundation of the Buddha-Margi* belief system, that Adi Buddha or the Primordial Buddha, who is Swayambhu or Self-Existent God, is worshipped as Swayambhunath in Kathmandu in a pre-brahminic tradition. Adi Buddha and the Pancha Dhyani Buddhas or the Five Buddhas of Eternal Meditation have never left their heavenly abode, only the Mortal Buddhas come to live with mankind and guide them to the path of Nirwan. This account of the Buddha renders the Swayambhu Puran as well as the Temple that bears his name, their pre-brahminic status while confirming the Kirati's claim of their presence before the arrival of the gods.
On Manju Sri
Manju Sri, the Celestial Architect, having created land habitable for his people to settle down proceeded to erect the Swayambhnath Temple which, many of his followers believe is the same one still standing there today.
Its unique style of construction should demand attention; the temple edifice is a half globe representing the visible universe upon which sits a cube with its four sides facing the four cardinal directions each emblazoned with All-Seeing-Eyes of God. A pyramid consisting of thirteen tiers ending in a cupola is placed upon the cube; the thirteen tiers representing the thirteen heavens according to the Buddha-Margis* belief.
The Compassionate Buddha taught that all sentient beings who seek god with sincere devotion and faith must reach heaven of their own seeking. Accordingly, Manju Sri created the thirteen heavens for all the faithful seekers, irrespective of the attributes of the god they seek. In addition, he is acknowledged also as the creator of the earth and the nether-world.
Manju Sri is depicted in Nepalese iconography as one seated upon a lotus flower with his right arm holding a sword raised in anticipation of that strike to drain out River Bagmati which rendered Kathmandu Valley habitable to his people.
Such are the contents of the Swayambhu Puran and upon this basis the Kiratis assert their pre-brahminic existence and claim that their Puran predates the Hindu Epics.
*Followers of the Buddha.
Even during the Age of the Purans the gods appear quite human for they are seen throughout this period active in the affairs of mankind. To the Kirats however, this age is the moment of reckoning for the gods appear to be happily disposed towards them, even though according to one of the Kirati legends they claim to have arrived in their homeland before the gods came. Traditionally the Kiratis claim they settled down in Kathmandu Valley in the 1500th year of Dwaper Age; in mythological reckoning the Ages are identified as Satya, Dwaper, Treta and Kali. Kali Age, the present age, followed Treta Age some 8000 years ago and with its end the created universe will once again roll back to the Beginning of the Cycle in Eternal Wheel of Life.
Swayambhu Puran
Of all the ancient Epics and the Purans that have ever been written, the Kiratis have held Swayambhu Puran to be the antediluvian of them all. According to it, Kathmandu Valley was once a pristine lake called Naag-Baas. It was a sacred lake and for aeons several Bodhisattwas and mortal Buddhas had from time to time circumambulated it before offering worship to Swayambhunath.
Tradition has it that Manju Sri arrived at the scene accompanied by his devotees and with one swift stroke of his sword slashed the mountain gorge through which the lake was drained out. Geologists agree that the fertile layers of alluvial soil of Kathmandu Valley could very well have been the sedimentary soil at the lake bed and have little doubt in entertaining this Kirati legend that if ever the very narrow gorge could be sealed the Valley would once again regain its primeval lake form. In this symbolic act of creation Manju Sri made Kathmandu Valley suitable for human habitation and the Kiratis became its first settlers.
Swayambhu Puran lays the foundation of the Buddha-Margi* belief system, that Adi Buddha or the Primordial Buddha, who is Swayambhu or Self-Existent God, is worshipped as Swayambhunath in Kathmandu in a pre-brahminic tradition. Adi Buddha and the Pancha Dhyani Buddhas or the Five Buddhas of Eternal Meditation have never left their heavenly abode, only the Mortal Buddhas come to live with mankind and guide them to the path of Nirwan. This account of the Buddha renders the Swayambhu Puran as well as the Temple that bears his name, their pre-brahminic status while confirming the Kirati's claim of their presence before the arrival of the gods.
On Manju Sri
Manju Sri, the Celestial Architect, having created land habitable for his people to settle down proceeded to erect the Swayambhnath Temple which, many of his followers believe is the same one still standing there today.
Its unique style of construction should demand attention; the temple edifice is a half globe representing the visible universe upon which sits a cube with its four sides facing the four cardinal directions each emblazoned with All-Seeing-Eyes of God. A pyramid consisting of thirteen tiers ending in a cupola is placed upon the cube; the thirteen tiers representing the thirteen heavens according to the Buddha-Margis* belief.
The Compassionate Buddha taught that all sentient beings who seek god with sincere devotion and faith must reach heaven of their own seeking. Accordingly, Manju Sri created the thirteen heavens for all the faithful seekers, irrespective of the attributes of the god they seek. In addition, he is acknowledged also as the creator of the earth and the nether-world.
Manju Sri is depicted in Nepalese iconography as one seated upon a lotus flower with his right arm holding a sword raised in anticipation of that strike to drain out River Bagmati which rendered Kathmandu Valley habitable to his people.
Such are the contents of the Swayambhu Puran and upon this basis the Kiratis assert their pre-brahminic existence and claim that their Puran predates the Hindu Epics.
*Followers of the Buddha.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Kirats during the Pre-Historic Age.
The Epic Age
The earliest account of the Kirats has been found recorded in the Hindu Epics. Strange as it may sound, god Siva, one of the supreme gods of Hindu Trinity, is portrayed in the Hindu Epics as an ascetic and attired in the manner of a Kirat.
It is the pre-historic era when man was still a hunter-gatherer, Siva appears as one, draped in a single leopard pelt wrap-around, often armed with a trident or a bow and arrow. Surprisingly however, that is the one and only way Siva has been depicted in all Hindu cultural icons. The Kirats have thus been identified with that image of Siva and upon this basis the Kirats claim their noble ancestry.
However, long before the Hindus had arrived in their midst, the Kirats themselves had been claiming a direct lineage from Siva. Kirats have always associated their god Siva to the snow-clad Himalayas, whose residence is an abstract mountain abode known as Kailas. To the Kirats, their god was not a distant god, but one that lived among them sharing their daily pace of life. Somehow, the god of the Kirats appear to have been assimilated into pantheon of Hindu gods even before the Hinduism itself was properly codified.
The Epic Battle
During the Hindu epic battle of Mahabharat fought between the five brothers known as Pandaw against their one hundred cousins known as Kauraw, the Kirats had sided with the latter. Kauraws were annihilated in that battle and so were the Kirats. Students of this epic battle give credit to Krishna, the god incarnate, who had sided with the Pandaw to be the reason of Kauraw's defeat.
There ought perhaps to be some measure of truth attached to this episode, because we find the mention of Kirats completely disappears from all subsequent accounts following this epic battle.
However, just prior to this battle, Arjun the hero of the Pandaw brothers had fought a duel with Siva and the latter, impressed by the hero's prowess, it is mentioned in the same epic, had granted him a weapon endowed with divine power.
There is a curious detail apparently overlooked by the brahmin pundits about the Mahabharat personalities as interpreted by the Kirats. Kirats had not only sided with the Kauraws but according to a benediction* written in sanskrit, Duryodhan, the leader of the Kauraws, is invoked by the Kirats being the most honorable among all men whereas the names of Krishna and Arjun have not even been mentioned.
A Prelude to the Battle
The Pandaws and the Kauraws ruled over neighboring lands and they apparently lived in peace and harmony except that they too had their own share of human frailties, they were subject to a vicious passion of 'tripasha', a form of royal game of dice. During one of their tryst with destiny the Pandaws lost the wager, they lost not only their kingdom but their entire possession including their common wife. (The five brothers were wedded to a single woman).
Duryodhan spared their life but the Pandaws were banished from the land for the next thirteen years with a condition that they must spend the last year incognito and if their concealed identity is revealed they must pay with their lives.
The Epic records in vivid details their thirteen years sojourn in the forests of far eastern Himalayas, but they return nearer home to spend their fateful year of disguise. According to the Birat Parba of the Epic Mahabharat, the Pandaws successfully spent the thirteenth year disguised as domestic servants in the court of Kirati King Birat in Eastern Nepal. This provides one categoric evidence of their agnate relationship with the Kirats, that Pandaws and Kauraws were ethnic Kirats.
*The Benediction in sanskrit (A Father's Blessings).
"Aayurdronasute srayamcha Dasarathe, shatrukshayam Raghawe,
Aishwarya Nahuse gatishchapawane, manancha Duryodhane."
"May thou live the life of Drona's son,**
May thine reputation be as of Dasarath,
May thou vanquish thine enemies as did Raghaw;
May thine prosperity be as of Nahush,
May thou move as does the breeze,
May thou be as honorable as Duryodhan."
** Drona's son Ashwatthama was blessed to live an 'immortal' life.
The earliest account of the Kirats has been found recorded in the Hindu Epics. Strange as it may sound, god Siva, one of the supreme gods of Hindu Trinity, is portrayed in the Hindu Epics as an ascetic and attired in the manner of a Kirat.
It is the pre-historic era when man was still a hunter-gatherer, Siva appears as one, draped in a single leopard pelt wrap-around, often armed with a trident or a bow and arrow. Surprisingly however, that is the one and only way Siva has been depicted in all Hindu cultural icons. The Kirats have thus been identified with that image of Siva and upon this basis the Kirats claim their noble ancestry.
However, long before the Hindus had arrived in their midst, the Kirats themselves had been claiming a direct lineage from Siva. Kirats have always associated their god Siva to the snow-clad Himalayas, whose residence is an abstract mountain abode known as Kailas. To the Kirats, their god was not a distant god, but one that lived among them sharing their daily pace of life. Somehow, the god of the Kirats appear to have been assimilated into pantheon of Hindu gods even before the Hinduism itself was properly codified.
The Epic Battle
During the Hindu epic battle of Mahabharat fought between the five brothers known as Pandaw against their one hundred cousins known as Kauraw, the Kirats had sided with the latter. Kauraws were annihilated in that battle and so were the Kirats. Students of this epic battle give credit to Krishna, the god incarnate, who had sided with the Pandaw to be the reason of Kauraw's defeat.
There ought perhaps to be some measure of truth attached to this episode, because we find the mention of Kirats completely disappears from all subsequent accounts following this epic battle.
However, just prior to this battle, Arjun the hero of the Pandaw brothers had fought a duel with Siva and the latter, impressed by the hero's prowess, it is mentioned in the same epic, had granted him a weapon endowed with divine power.
There is a curious detail apparently overlooked by the brahmin pundits about the Mahabharat personalities as interpreted by the Kirats. Kirats had not only sided with the Kauraws but according to a benediction* written in sanskrit, Duryodhan, the leader of the Kauraws, is invoked by the Kirats being the most honorable among all men whereas the names of Krishna and Arjun have not even been mentioned.
A Prelude to the Battle
The Pandaws and the Kauraws ruled over neighboring lands and they apparently lived in peace and harmony except that they too had their own share of human frailties, they were subject to a vicious passion of 'tripasha', a form of royal game of dice. During one of their tryst with destiny the Pandaws lost the wager, they lost not only their kingdom but their entire possession including their common wife. (The five brothers were wedded to a single woman).
Duryodhan spared their life but the Pandaws were banished from the land for the next thirteen years with a condition that they must spend the last year incognito and if their concealed identity is revealed they must pay with their lives.
The Epic records in vivid details their thirteen years sojourn in the forests of far eastern Himalayas, but they return nearer home to spend their fateful year of disguise. According to the Birat Parba of the Epic Mahabharat, the Pandaws successfully spent the thirteenth year disguised as domestic servants in the court of Kirati King Birat in Eastern Nepal. This provides one categoric evidence of their agnate relationship with the Kirats, that Pandaws and Kauraws were ethnic Kirats.
*The Benediction in sanskrit (A Father's Blessings).
"Aayurdronasute srayamcha Dasarathe, shatrukshayam Raghawe,
Aishwarya Nahuse gatishchapawane, manancha Duryodhane."
"May thou live the life of Drona's son,**
May thine reputation be as of Dasarath,
May thou vanquish thine enemies as did Raghaw;
May thine prosperity be as of Nahush,
May thou move as does the breeze,
May thou be as honorable as Duryodhan."
** Drona's son Ashwatthama was blessed to live an 'immortal' life.
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