Historical Background of Lord Shiva

This is 21st century. So may the truth be told and spread among the humanity.

This is how Kirat religion felled into Brahmanical religion. Or in other word, this will give summary on how Kirat religion was taken by Aryan and later make it as theirs.

According to Shiva Raj Shrestha in his work (The Vedic-Aryan Entry Into Contemporary Nepal), the "Kirata" is a term broadly used by Vedic Aryans for the Mongolic people living in the middle Himalayan valleys and lower foothills (Sivalik or Chure hills).These Mongolic people had hundreds of kings and fortresses all over Himalayas.

The descriptions of satpath Brahman Grantha and various Puranas, it seems that the Aryans from Vedic Swaraswat civilization had entered Nepal at around 4,000-4,100 years B.P(Before Present). Already by this time, the Himalayas and the Kathmandu valley was a stronghold of Kiratas. In the latter Vedic Age, more Aryans seem to have visited Nepal with this statement that Krishna had cut opened the dam on the foot of Chandra Giri (Chovar Gorge or the gorge at Katuwal Daha) and released water from the Naga-Hrada lake with a view to built the cities and villages in the present day Kathmandu Valley according to Himabata Khanda of Skanda Purana.31. This ~uranic story, if supported by archeological evidences, will show as to how the last of the Later Vedic Aryans had reached Central Nepal.

According to Mahabharata Epic and Vishnu Purana, Arjuna was the first
Aryan commander, who had reached as far east as Assam and conquered the ancient kingdom of Mani Pura and married Naga Princess Ulupi. These Puranic record simply show that by the time of Mahabharata War (some 3,000 years B.P.), the Aryans had conquered most parts of the lower Himalayas and the latter Vedic civilization was penetrating in the important population centers of Nepal.

It seems that later on, the Kinnar-Kiratas and Naga-Kiratas had become friendlier with Aryans as their common enemies were Nishadhas. After the defeat of great Kirata Emperor Sambara, the Nishadhas were the main enemies of Aryans.) Aryans must have realized this and by accepting Kiratas' Supreme God Lord Shiva as their own, developed friendly ties with Kiratas. The Vedic Aryans could not have reached up to Mithila without the support of Kiratas. This is clear and simple.

For more on this please read
The Vedic-Aryan Entry Into Contemporary Nepal
[A Pre-Historical Analysis Based on the Study Of Puranas] By Shiva Raj Shrestha

here's the link:
himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk


In other words you will not be surprised if many elements of Hinduism were taken from different cultures existing in historic south Asia to create a bond and flow of history between different people. Thus, portrayal of Hinduism can be deceptive.

This is a verse from Brahma Sutra.
"Ekam Brahm dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
trans.
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."
So when the sacred book teaches the vedic Aryan that their ultimate God is Brahma and told NOT to worship idols. But today they are doing so.


The following verses from the Yajurveda describe the concept of Aryan God:
"na tasya pratima asti
"There is no image of Him."[Yajurveda 32:3]

Here's another verse from Yajurveda.
"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"
trans.
"They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.).
"They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti." [Yajurveda 40:9]
Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

So after the adoption of Kirati religion and placing it into Brahmanica religion, the vedic Aryan have been worshiping the idol but not before giving him name of (Siva/Rudra).

This showed that Kiratas worshiped Shiva but did not call themselves Shivas at that time. The present Kiratis have different names, in which Limbu call Tagera Nyingmaphuma and Rai call Paruhang.

One of the leading Nepali historian Regmi quoted "we may thus conclude that Shaivism has become popular among the Kiratis a very long time ago. A linga of Kirateshwar Mahadeva stands near the Pashupatinath temple, which is obviously connected with the Kiratis. The Himavatkhanda and other Puranic works describe Shiva in the Kirati incarnation."

Even the ancient text such as the Himavatkhanda describes Shiva in the Kirati incarnation.
This definitely tells that Shiva also known as Kirateswor(Lord of Kiratas) came from Kirat culture or originated from Kirat tribe just like Gautama Buddha was from Shakya tribe, Jesus was from Judah tribe and Prophet Muhammad from Quraysh tribe.

Kirateswor is better known as "Paruhang" by Rais and and Tagera Nyingmaphuma by the Limbus. But in Sasnkirt he was renamed "Shiva" "Mahadev" "Shanker" and Rudra after he was adopted into Brahmanical religion to bring the Kiratas and other non-aryan tribes into Aryan society.


One can still see the pure form of Shivaism in this video. Click the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHf_-qd4ME

Kiratis-of-Nepal: Here we come.....

Buddha was born in Nepal and he was Mongoloid race
-------------------------------------------------

So my friends if Indians try to spread another lies that Lord Buddha was born in India, read this articles and answer them, spitting at their face. I am sick and tired when not one, not two or three Indians but the India as a country itself claims that Buddha was born in India.

563 BCE:
Many people in the world consider Siddhartha Gautama as the greatest Guru in the world. Siddhartha Gautama before he became "Buddha" or the enlightened one was born in about 563 BCE in Lumbini, Nepal. He was born into King Suddhodana Gautama and his queen Mayadevi, rulers of the Shakya tribe of Kapilavastu region near Lumbini. The fact was that the life of Buddha was not a myth but reality comes from one of the inscriptions in the pillar erected by Indian King Asoka in 239 BCE. The inscriptions read "Here was the Enlightened One born". Today the UNESCO has declared Kapilavastu, and Lumbini, as a World Heritage site. It is told that before Siddhartha Gautama was born, queen Maya had dreamt that a white elephant with six tusks carrying a lotus flower entered her womb. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilvastu for her father's kingdom to give birth. However, she gave birth on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree. On this journey, Queen Maya realized the birth was imminent, halted at Lumbini Park, lay down beneath a sandalwood tree and gave a birth. The child was given a name of Siddhartha, meaning "he who has achieved his goal"

According to astrologer's prediction, Siddhartha would grow up to be either a great emperor, or that he would turn his back on privilege and power to become a great spiritual leader. Queen Maya died a week later and the tasked of looking after Siddhartha was given to Prajapati, sister of Maya. Because of the latter predicament, King Suddhodana grew troubled. One of the wise man had told King Suddhodana that "if the prince were to see four signs- a sick man, an old man, a corpse and an ascetic- then he would renounce the materialistic world. Therefore to protect his son from ever coming into contact with four signs, young Siddhartha grew up within the palace walls, having no contact with the outside world. He learns the skills and engaged in the pastimes of princes. King Suddhodana wishing for Siddhartha to be a great king shielded his son from religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering.

At the age of about eight, Siddhartha Gautama started receiving his education. Thus at around this age, the young prince curiosity in life began to arouse. This was clearly mentioned by the fact that in some of his field trip to the countryside, he pondered about some question. He noted in the fields how all things live to feed another, how creatures are born only to nourish other orders of beings, how the peasant sweated in the fields and so on.

The growing discontent in his life was further fuel one day when he ventured out with his charioteer Channa after finally persuading his father to let him go outside the palace walls to see the city. Though King Suddhodana had ordered the city streets cleared of anyone of human misery, Siddhartha met a dying old man at the side of the road. This was the first of four signs the young prince was destined to meet. He journeyed out into the city several times after his first sight and came across a sick man and a dead man. On his fourth and final sight, Siddhartha encountered a sage that would have the biggest influence on his life. "He is poor, for only rags cover him, and he is old and thin, like the other aged man we came across, yet there is no pain, no suffering in his face". Though the sage appearance was in dire condition physically, but within him, the sage seems to have found the peace and purpose in life. This was the final convictions that Siddhartha Gautama led to his renunciation of his princely life and began his ascetic life seeking truth about life.

While wandering throughout the northern India, seeking to understand the misery and sufferings of the human world, Siddhartha Gautama was joined by five other ascetics. One was Kondanna, the youngest of eight astrologers and fortune-tellers whom King Suddhodana had consulted when Prince Siddhartha was born. The place where Siddhartha Gautama got enlightenment or nirvana was in a village call Uruvela, in the state of Bihar, India. This place is now better known as Bodh-Gaya. It is believed that Siddhartha Gautama became Buddha mediating under the pipal tree. "Because it was under this tree that he was to find enlightenment, it is called the Bodhi-tree (Tree of Enlightenment) and is revered by Buddhists everywhere. Upon reaching nirvana, that is the state of being free from suffering, Siddhartha Guatama is now known as "Buddha" or the awaken one. Still others call him Shakyamuni ("sage of the Shakyas"). It is said that Buddha rested under the Bodhi-tree for seven days after reaching the Enlightenment.

After he reached the nirvana or becoming Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama and his five disciples traveled around different Kingdoms in northern India teaching the doctrine of Buddhism. When Lord Buddha and his disciples came to the Kathmandu valley King Jitedasti, 7th King of Kirat dynasty was ruling Nepal. Though Kirats refused to follow his doctrine but still welcomed Lord Buddha and his disciples. Historical record and closely studied on city and town planning, layout and old buildings in the Kathmandu valley showed that Kirat were civilized people of ancient Nepal. Kirati people used brick-stone-metal-wood to build unique architectures like "Kailaskut Bhawan". Kirat have 18 unique skills like brick, wood, metal, textile, farming, bamboo, building builder, livestock, fish farming, homeopathy, medicine, weaponry, pottery, carving, paper producing etc. that helped to build Nepal in early period. This was all discovered after extensive research and excavation of ancient sites and historical landmarks in Kathmandu valley by various scholars and historians. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari (The brick and the bull: an account of Handigaun, the ancient capital of Nepal, 2002) wrote that Kirati people used to have Law and Order, rules and regulation, government and justice systems. Tiwari and various scholars, historians and archeologist who studied on ancient Nepal concluded that the Kirat had the knowledge of 18 building trade groups, among these the art of brick building, water tanks, drainage system etc. that help to spur Kathmandu ahead.

239 BCE:
In around 239 BCE the Indian King Ashoka followed the footsteps of Lord Buddha and came to the Lumbini. He ordered the pillar to be built to commemorate his visit. King Ashoka then also came to the Kathmandu Valley with his daughter princess Charumati. At this time, King Sthunko was at the throne. He was the 14th King of Kirat dynasty. During his stay in the valley, King Ashok had built four stupas in four directions and one in the centre of Patan. He had arranged his daughter Charumati's marriage with a local young prince named Devpal. This is one of the reasons on why Buddhism existed and flourished in Nepal though by 12th-13th century, Buddhism had ceased to exist almost completely in India, the very place where Lord Buddha gaining enlightenment had preached his doctrines before he died. On the other hand Kirat king were very tolerant of the new teaching s that was developing though Kiratis had their own indigenous religion (worshiping of Mother Nature, land and ancestors).

In his teachings, the Buddha retained many elements of the vedic religious teachings of India of his time, including the concepts of samsara and karma. However, the Buddhist differed from the vedic teachings in a sense that Buddha opposed the animal sacrifices. In addition the Buddha taught that anyone regardless of caste who followed the Eightfold Path could achieve nirvana. And yes Buddha was not Hindu nor was he Brahmins. He was born into Shakya family, whom are Mongoloid in race. But because the Brahmins realize that Buddha would become major obstacles in spreading Hinduism, the Brahmins cleverly wrote that Buddha was incarnation of Hindu God, Vishnu. Remember how the Brahmins also spread the fictitious myth that the former Shah King of Nepal was incarnation of Vishnu.

During his lifetime, the Buddha institutionalized his teachings by forming the sangha. It is written that the Buddha lived till nearly eighty years and died under the sal tree in Vaishali. It is also believed that the Lord Buddha died at the same day he was born. The last sermon before he died was quoted "decay is inherent in all component things; work out your salvation with diligence!"


source:
Temples of the Nepal valley By Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2009
Buddha: His Life and His Teaching By Walter H. Nelson, 2008
Living Religion By Mary P. Fisher, 2007
Encyclopaedia Of North-east India, Volume 1 By Col Ved Prakash, 2007
The brick and the bull: an account of Handigaun, the ancient capital of Nepal
By Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2002
Tribal and indigenous people of India By Rabindra Nath Pati and Jagannatha Dash, 2002
Tribal roots of Hinduism By Shiv Kumar Tiwari, 2002
The ancient settlements of the Kathmandu Valley By Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2001
A Cultural History of the North-East India: [The Kiratas (Bodo etc.) By B. Chakravarti, 2000
In The Kingdom Of The Gods By Desmond Doig, 1999
Politics of Culture: A Study of Three Kirata Communities in the Eastern Himalayas By
Tanka Bahadur Subba, 1999
Ancient communities of the Himalaya By Dinesh Prasad Saklani, 1998
Encyclopaedia of Indian tribes By Padma Shri S.S. Shash, 1994
Social history of Nepal By Tulasi Rama Vaidya, Triratna Mānandhara, Shankar Lal Joshi, 1993
The Kiratas in Ancient India By G.P Singh, 1990
Kirata-jana-krti (The Indo-Mongoloids-The Contribution To The History And Culture Of India)
By Suniti Kumar Chatterji, 1974
Ancient Nepal By D. R. Regmi, 1969
History of Nepal By Shew Shunker Singh, Gunanand and Daniel Wright, 1966
Tribes in ancient India By Bimala Churn Law, 1943

Roots of Kiratas-Shaivism

Well i am going to throw more insights about Kirant. The Kiranti came about after the Sensitization process in Nepal.
That is Kirat>> Kirant and Kirati>>Kiranti

Kirantis are the same non-Vedic tribes called Kiratas in Veda and many other ancient works such as Purano, Ramayana and Mahabharata epic.

Here's some of the work i have come across through my studies on these group. Only after studying the aboriginal tribes you would understand the roots of Hinduism
better.

I have define Hinduism as below.

Hinduism =pre-vedic religion(aboriginal) + Vedic religion

Please note that the term Hinduism itself is a new word coined by scholars in about 19th century to differentiate all the religious practices in India that was different from Islam. Veda never said it was going to be call Hinduism.

Some definition of Hinduism are
Hinduism is the oldest world religion and began in North India. It was founded by a blend of conquered people of Indus and Aryan beliefs. It is a polytheistic religion.


Here's some short excerpt from scholars, Western as well as Indian about Shaivism.

The religion of most of the ancient communities of the Central Himalaya was primarily based on the superstitious beliefs and was connected with the practice of sorcery,exorcism, and magic. The tree worship, the worship of Mother-Goddess and Chandika Devi, snake worship, stone worship in the form of linga or the cult of phallus, held very important place among the ethnic communities in ancient India. The aborigines of the mountain tribes of the country, who had not come into contacts with
Brahmin's revered an invisible supreme spirit, various other evil spirits, minor deities.., etc the practice which still survives.


Shaivism:

Shiva, generally considered a non-aryan deity, secured a prominent place among the Kiratas.
It can be roughly asserted that Shiva-worship might have begun among the Kiratas in the mountainous regions of the Himalaya in pre-Vedic times, before the advent of aryans. Shaivism, in some form, was the prevailing religion of the aboriginal Kiratas.
On the basics of an episode described in the Mahabharata, as well as in the Kiratarjuniyam(Shiva in a form of Kirat fight against Arjun), of Bharavi, the Kirata may be identified with Shiva, and it may be suggested that Shiva was their popular deity.

Romila Thapar, while supporting this literary evidence, also has admitted that in all likelihood the Kiratas were the worshippers of Shiva. The assertion that Shiva, the god of the Himalayan mountain, was worshiped by the non-Vedic kiratas, can be proved in many ways. Some of the foreign scholars have also consolidated the concept that Shiva was a patron god of the aboriginals. Megasthenes has also referred to the two Indian deities-- Dionysus(identified with Shiva) and Herakles (identified with Krishna). The former was worshiped as the highest gods on the mountains and the latter was adored in the plains.Thus it is clear that the practice of worshiping Shiva might have begun much earlier to the Christian era, even though the Kiratas did not call themselves Shaivas.

Chandrapida, the prince of Ujjian, in course of his expedition against the Kiratas and the kindred tribes, inhabiting the vast tract of forest extending beyond Suvarnapura, as far as the mountain Kailash(the abode of Shiva) in Tibet, saw both the Shiva temple and a cave in its southern direction, as recorded by Banabhatta in his Kadambari.
That is a definite indication of Shiva worship in the Kirata region of the northern Himalaya. The concept of Shiva worship originally flourished among primitive tribes, living in the hills and forests --the Vratyas, the Nisadas, and other non-aryan. ~ Ancient communities of the Himalaya by Dinesh Prasad Saklani


"The clear conception of Siva arose in the Upanisadic age. Siva as been, for the first time, explicitly mentioned as the Aryan god in the Svetasvatara Upanisad in the background of Yoni-Linga relationship. There was never mention of Siva as Aryan god in Rig Veda, the oldest text of Aryan". From here it can be ascertain that Siva was worshiped by the aboriginal Kirata before the advent of Aryan. ~Tribal roots of Hinduism By Shiv Kumar Tiwari

The Aryan incorporated Sivaism which was the religion of the aboriginal Kirat people into Vedic religion and also other religion sects as given by scholars below;
According to "The Indo-Aryans of ancient South Asia" By George Erdosy, the primitive Saivisim, Vaishnavism, Sankhya and Yoga which are the four corner stone of modern Hinduism was recognized as non-vedic by the orthodox exponent of the Vedism in the early periods.

Kiratas along with other tribes non-conforming to Vedic teachings was classified as Mleccha(babarians) in many early texts, in a sense that they were destroyers of Aryan. Hence the Siva was name as destroyer in the Hindu Trinity. ~ G.P Singh (The Kiratas in Ancient India, 1990)

"When the Aryan found that their gods like Agni, Indra, Varun etc. were loosing popularity and people did not worshiped the gods which they brought, rather they were worshiping Subra(Siva)and following Saivisim, then they placed Sibarai worshiping under banned. At first the Aryanised conquerers held this religion (Saivism) in disdain and placed in under a ban. But it did not helped; ultimately peoples over come such banned and Saivism continued to strive among the aborigines. At the same time to secure easy recognition by the aboriginal people, they placed Siva into Hindu pantheon".
~ Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization By John Marshall, John Hubert Marshall Sir

Until you study the Kirat people, you won't understand the root of Hinduism or the early civilizations in India. Many books written about India and Indian civilizations are biased because many do not cover the aspects of the aboriginal tribes. Though many scholars have studied about Kiratas, these group are still unknown to the world because
lack of much publications and largely because the Kirat people live in Nepal where the Brahmin's government have all sort of censorship and control for the past 250 years after coming to the power.

What is Kirat and who are these people?

I will let you know on my next post.