Sanauli and Tilwara bull-carts and their solid wheels
0 views
Skip to first unread message
N. Ganesan
May 23, 2025, 8:01:12 PMMay 23
to Santhavasantham, George Hart, Asko Parpola
கோயில் தேர் போன்றவற்றின் டிஸைன் அமைப்புக்கெல்லாம் மூலமான தேர்கள் உத்தரப் பிரதேச மாநிலம், (சனாலி, தில்வாடா) இரண்டு இடங்களில் கிட்டியுள்ளன. அவற்றின் ஒளிப்படங்கள் முதன் முதலாக.
I got the latest of photos of the solid wheel (only half of a wheel) and notes on the ceremonial/ritualistic role they played in the Chieftain's brials. Photos from Tilwara, UP site excavations.
https://x.com/naa_ganesan/status/1925854256898113911
Tilwara, Baghpat district, U.P. is near Meerut. Archaeological Survey of India has discovered a solid wheel embedded with copper triangles, closely resembling the solid wheels found at Sanauli. The two places, Tilwara and Sanauli, are not far off. Tilwara is a Late Harappan site. Here are the two photos of the solid wheel recently excavated, kindly provided by Sri. T. S. Subramanian, Senior journalist, Chennai. Respected Indology and archaeology specialists like Asko Parpola express the view that both at Sanauli/Sinauli and Tilwara, these are bullock carts, and are not horse-drawn.
We can explain teRku (= tel+ku) "South" direction name in Dravidian from tEl/tel/tEL 'scorpion' and tila 'sesame' used in funerals. There is Ereshkigal-Inanna sisters in Sumeria. In IVC the JyeSThaa-Rohini pair (tavvai-koRRavai sisters) and the Astronomy (Lunar mansions) circle with Thuban at center (crocodile mount/vaahana), Rohini (antelope mount) on right, and JyeSThaa (scorpion mount) opposite of Rohini nakshatram. The symbolism of the scorpion-harpoons found in Late Harappan and OCP sites is explaines, all these start with the Astronomy of Nakshatras (Lunar mansions - a key development of the Harappans), the early Harappan ivory seal from Rehman Dheri. https://x.com/naa_ganesan/status/1915722469303857514
>> "Recently, the wood from the Sinauli cart has been carbon-dated. It is from ~1500 BCE, not ~1900 BCE."
"Total four samples (SNLRC-1 to SNLRC-4; Table S1) were selected in order to determine the chronology at the archaeological site Sinauli. Among them three samples were collected from the same burial (Figure 2C); SNLRC-1: decomposed coffin wood, SNLRC-2: calcareous sediment near the coffin, and SNLRC-3: sediment collected from the burial pot, found next to the coffin. Since, SNLRC-3 was collected from the pot, hence used to investigate the food/plant remains using stereo binocular microscope (Leica Z6APO). The microscopic analysis of SNLRC-3 recovered archaeobotanical remains which were identified on the basis of morphological details preserved in the carbonized grains/seeds (Fuller
Reference Fuller2018; Martin and Barkley Reference Martin and Barkley1961; Pokharia et al. Reference Pokharia, Kharakwal, Rawat, Osada, Nautiyal and Srivastava2011). The identified carbonized grains/seeds were then used for the radiocarbon dating. The sample SNLRC-4 was soil-sediment, which has been collected from another burial."
" The AMS date of the carbonized seeds (SNLRC-3) yielded the radiocarbon age 3457 ± 31 yr BP (D-AMS 032053: Figure 3; Table S1), authenticating the actual chronology and time span of cultural practices at the site. Interestingly, the AMS date yielded by carbonized seed (SNLRC-3) is well corroborated by radiocarbon age 3500 ± 127 yr BP (BS-5002: Figure 3; Table S1) of a decomposed coffin wood sediment (SNLRC-1), although obtained using the conventional radiometric method. SNLRC-2 yielded radiocarbon age 3815 ± 295 yr BP (BS-5003: Figure 3; Table S1) also found to be corroborating SNLRC-1 and SNLRC-3, despite being little older. The inconsistency in radiocarbon ages despite of collected from the same burial could be due to the nature of sample type, as the sample SNLRC-1 and SNLRC-3 was majorly organic in nature, hence provided consistent age, however, SNLRC-2 was calcareous and is expected to be relatively older. "
See Figure 3 also in:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/royal-burials-and-chariots-from-sinauli-uttar-pradesh-india-radiocarbon-dating-and-isotopic-analysis-based-inferences/A33F911D8E6730AE557E1947A66A583C
The radicarbon, both traditional and AMS, dates of the Tilwara "chariot" (zebu-carts) will also be around ~3500 BP, as that dates of Sinauli bull-carts. No animal remains have been found in both spots.
-----------
I think these solid wheeled carts are ceremonial in nature. Elaborate funerary rituals would have been conducted for the chieftains. There is a concept of Go-loka in Vedic and Tamil texts. Brahmins have been gifted with black cows and calf after death of the village chiefs. Here is a beautiful gold coin,
https://groups.google.com/g/vallamai/c/8QjyGTRMckk
https://groups.google.com/g/santhavasantham/c/JQKZuYqIpRQ/m/uGymKrHPAAAJ
One ancient poem describing all these. I wrote on this ancient verse and the Tolkappiyam suutram in 2001 CE. Back then India's languages did not have Unicode diacritic fonts (ISO 10646 & ISO 15919), so I used Cologne transliteration scheme for Tamil.
Tolkappiyam grammar calls this gifting to Brahmins as "kapilai kaNNIya vELvi nilai".
In a poem quoted by Naccin2Arkkin2iyar in his commentary on the ancient grammar TolkAppiyam, the godhUli is praised heavily: the gifting of cattle herds with cows and calves to brahmins creates a goloka (which is really a part of the Heaven acc. to purANas) on this very bhUloka! The gifted herds raise so much godhUli that the dust makes the goloka in the skies get covered
with soil dust from the bhUloka with the end result that the goloka of the Heaven appears to be bhUloka! The cow gifts involved gold jewelry decorating the horns and hooves of kapilai cows.
vELvinilai
-----------
TolkAppiyam commentary (tol. poruL. 90. nac.)
pon2 niRainta poRkOTTup, poRkuLampiR *kaRRA* tantu
in2makizAn2 antaNarai in2puRuppar - cen2n2itan2
mAnilamE An2ulakam pOn2Ratu; vAn2 tukaL pOrttu
An2ulakam maNNulakAm an2Ru!
Sri. Mu. Raghava Aiyangar, in his Peruntokai anthology, comments on this poem.
"itan2aik kapilai kaNNiya vELvinilai en2par tolkAppiyan2Ar. cEtAvin2aik koTukkak karutiya koTai en2patu naccin2Arkkin2iyam. poRkOTu - azakiya kompu. pon2 niRainta kOTum, poR kuLampum, kan2Rum uTaiyavAka An2iraiyai aLittu en2ka. in2makizAn2 - mukattAn2 in2imaiyum, akattAn2 makizvumAy. cenn2i vELviyil aLitta aak koTaiyAl pUlOkam kOlOkam pOlavum, avvAn2iraiyin2in2Ru ezunta tULi pOrttalAl, kOlOkam pUlOkam pOlavum mARalAyin2a en2ka."
Note that kaRRA 'calf-cow' herds are mentioned in the poem used in the commentary (probably composed after Tol. which is supposed to be the first tamil book), Naccin2Arkkin2iyar uses cEtA. Cenni - Chozha king. ~NG
------------
I got the latest of photos of the solid wheel (only half of a wheel) and notes on the ceremonial/ritualistic role they played in the Chieftain's brials. Photos from Tilwara, UP site excavations.
https://x.com/naa_ganesan/status/1925854256898113911
Tilwara, Baghpat district, U.P. is near Meerut. Archaeological Survey of India has discovered a solid wheel embedded with copper triangles, closely resembling the solid wheels found at Sanauli. The two places, Tilwara and Sanauli, are not far off. Tilwara is a Late Harappan site. Here are the two photos of the solid wheel recently excavated, kindly provided by Sri. T. S. Subramanian, Senior journalist, Chennai. Respected Indology and archaeology specialists like Asko Parpola express the view that both at Sanauli/Sinauli and Tilwara, these are bullock carts, and are not horse-drawn.
We can explain teRku (= tel+ku) "South" direction name in Dravidian from tEl/tel/tEL 'scorpion' and tila 'sesame' used in funerals. There is Ereshkigal-Inanna sisters in Sumeria. In IVC the JyeSThaa-Rohini pair (tavvai-koRRavai sisters) and the Astronomy (Lunar mansions) circle with Thuban at center (crocodile mount/vaahana), Rohini (antelope mount) on right, and JyeSThaa (scorpion mount) opposite of Rohini nakshatram. The symbolism of the scorpion-harpoons found in Late Harappan and OCP sites is explaines, all these start with the Astronomy of Nakshatras (Lunar mansions - a key development of the Harappans), the early Harappan ivory seal from Rehman Dheri. https://x.com/naa_ganesan/status/1915722469303857514
>> "Recently, the wood from the Sinauli cart has been carbon-dated. It is from ~1500 BCE, not ~1900 BCE."
"Total four samples (SNLRC-1 to SNLRC-4; Table S1) were selected in order to determine the chronology at the archaeological site Sinauli. Among them three samples were collected from the same burial (Figure 2C); SNLRC-1: decomposed coffin wood, SNLRC-2: calcareous sediment near the coffin, and SNLRC-3: sediment collected from the burial pot, found next to the coffin. Since, SNLRC-3 was collected from the pot, hence used to investigate the food/plant remains using stereo binocular microscope (Leica Z6APO). The microscopic analysis of SNLRC-3 recovered archaeobotanical remains which were identified on the basis of morphological details preserved in the carbonized grains/seeds (Fuller
Reference Fuller2018; Martin and Barkley Reference Martin and Barkley1961; Pokharia et al. Reference Pokharia, Kharakwal, Rawat, Osada, Nautiyal and Srivastava2011). The identified carbonized grains/seeds were then used for the radiocarbon dating. The sample SNLRC-4 was soil-sediment, which has been collected from another burial."
" The AMS date of the carbonized seeds (SNLRC-3) yielded the radiocarbon age 3457 ± 31 yr BP (D-AMS 032053: Figure 3; Table S1), authenticating the actual chronology and time span of cultural practices at the site. Interestingly, the AMS date yielded by carbonized seed (SNLRC-3) is well corroborated by radiocarbon age 3500 ± 127 yr BP (BS-5002: Figure 3; Table S1) of a decomposed coffin wood sediment (SNLRC-1), although obtained using the conventional radiometric method. SNLRC-2 yielded radiocarbon age 3815 ± 295 yr BP (BS-5003: Figure 3; Table S1) also found to be corroborating SNLRC-1 and SNLRC-3, despite being little older. The inconsistency in radiocarbon ages despite of collected from the same burial could be due to the nature of sample type, as the sample SNLRC-1 and SNLRC-3 was majorly organic in nature, hence provided consistent age, however, SNLRC-2 was calcareous and is expected to be relatively older. "
See Figure 3 also in:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/royal-burials-and-chariots-from-sinauli-uttar-pradesh-india-radiocarbon-dating-and-isotopic-analysis-based-inferences/A33F911D8E6730AE557E1947A66A583C
The radicarbon, both traditional and AMS, dates of the Tilwara "chariot" (zebu-carts) will also be around ~3500 BP, as that dates of Sinauli bull-carts. No animal remains have been found in both spots.
-----------
I think these solid wheeled carts are ceremonial in nature. Elaborate funerary rituals would have been conducted for the chieftains. There is a concept of Go-loka in Vedic and Tamil texts. Brahmins have been gifted with black cows and calf after death of the village chiefs. Here is a beautiful gold coin,
https://groups.google.com/g/vallamai/c/8QjyGTRMckk
https://groups.google.com/g/santhavasantham/c/JQKZuYqIpRQ/m/uGymKrHPAAAJ
One ancient poem describing all these. I wrote on this ancient verse and the Tolkappiyam suutram in 2001 CE. Back then India's languages did not have Unicode diacritic fonts (ISO 10646 & ISO 15919), so I used Cologne transliteration scheme for Tamil.
Tolkappiyam grammar calls this gifting to Brahmins as "kapilai kaNNIya vELvi nilai".
In a poem quoted by Naccin2Arkkin2iyar in his commentary on the ancient grammar TolkAppiyam, the godhUli is praised heavily: the gifting of cattle herds with cows and calves to brahmins creates a goloka (which is really a part of the Heaven acc. to purANas) on this very bhUloka! The gifted herds raise so much godhUli that the dust makes the goloka in the skies get covered
with soil dust from the bhUloka with the end result that the goloka of the Heaven appears to be bhUloka! The cow gifts involved gold jewelry decorating the horns and hooves of kapilai cows.
vELvinilai
-----------
TolkAppiyam commentary (tol. poruL. 90. nac.)
pon2 niRainta poRkOTTup, poRkuLampiR *kaRRA* tantu
in2makizAn2 antaNarai in2puRuppar - cen2n2itan2
mAnilamE An2ulakam pOn2Ratu; vAn2 tukaL pOrttu
An2ulakam maNNulakAm an2Ru!
Sri. Mu. Raghava Aiyangar, in his Peruntokai anthology, comments on this poem.
"itan2aik kapilai kaNNiya vELvinilai en2par tolkAppiyan2Ar. cEtAvin2aik koTukkak karutiya koTai en2patu naccin2Arkkin2iyam. poRkOTu - azakiya kompu. pon2 niRainta kOTum, poR kuLampum, kan2Rum uTaiyavAka An2iraiyai aLittu en2ka. in2makizAn2 - mukattAn2 in2imaiyum, akattAn2 makizvumAy. cenn2i vELviyil aLitta aak koTaiyAl pUlOkam kOlOkam pOlavum, avvAn2iraiyin2in2Ru ezunta tULi pOrttalAl, kOlOkam pUlOkam pOlavum mARalAyin2a en2ka."
Note that kaRRA 'calf-cow' herds are mentioned in the poem used in the commentary (probably composed after Tol. which is supposed to be the first tamil book), Naccin2Arkkin2iyar uses cEtA. Cenni - Chozha king. ~NG
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages