INDUS VALLEY STAMP SEAL & TABLET -- SACRED NANDI BULL - ($25 US)
2100 BC study replica
Cast seal, terracotta hydrostone, 50 x 30 mm (approx 2 x 1") plus impression tablet, 60 x 45 mm (2.5"), with translation & parchment description
Replica of an engraved stamp seal recovered from Pakistan's Indus Valley and dated to circa 2100 BC.
The tablet depicts Nandi, the Sacred Bull of Veddic myth, carrier of the destructive Shiva. Shiva is often placed on an idol of the Nandi Bull during festival processions. Similar to the great "Bull of Heaven" in Mesopotamian mythology, Nandi is considered gatekeeper of Shiva's heavenly palace and is chief of the Asura Demons in Shiva's celestial army.
The bull stands before the ceremonial bowl and filter used to process the ruminations of the bull used to make the sacred Soma drink during the religious festivals.
Classic Indus Valley pictographs record a proverb of the day. A language which perplexed scholars until the turn of the century, it is believed to translate as:
"A man is only half a man unless he travels straight and rapid like Rama's arrows."
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The ancient Veddic civilization of the Indus Valley at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa arose in western India contemporary with Sumeria around 3000 BC and flourished until tectonic changes caused the great river to change direction around 1500 BC.
Postage:
Ground: $5 Australian dollars - Australia New Zealand
Air: $5.50 USD - Asia, India, Pacific, Japan
Air: $6.50 USD - USA & Canada
Air: $7.50 USD - Europe, Scandinavia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, Mediterranean, Africa, South America & most other locations.
Combined postage when required postal insurance or more expensive registered mail available on request.
Local Australian ground postage 2-3 days
Airmail Europe, USA & Canada 7-14 days
