Indus script and the Muthassis of Kerala

November 11, 2020

Indus script and the Muthassis of Kerala

Indus script and the Muthassis of Kerala

By Rahul Kartha N

According to the renowned epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan, the Indus language was essentially Dravidian. Malayalam is a Dravidian language whose antiquity is still being debated. It is believed that, after the decline of the Indus civilization, various clans migrated to the south of the peninsula and settled on both sides of the Western Ghats. Back then, they spoke a proto-Tamil (Kodum Tamil). It is argued that modern Malayalam has retained most features of Kodum Tamil (than the present day Tamil); thanks to the isolation caused by the sea and mountains. Modern Tamil, on the other hand, was influenced by the chiseled version (Chen Tamil) introduced to suit the poetic needs of the Sangam Era (300 BCE-200AD). Hence I suggest that the Indus language is more Malayalam than any of its Dravidian cousins. Infact several unique aspects of the culture and the language of the west of the Sahyadris could be traced right back to the Indus times.

Mahadevan had proposed that the Indus scripts-like many ancient writing systems (say the Egyptian hieroglyphics)-engaged a rebus writing technique. So many a times an Indus symbol shall not be understood as it is. It might be referring to something that sounded similar - a homophone.

In the below picture (Fig 1 - to be read from right to left) there are three lines followed by an arrow sign. Three lines literally mean Mu(nnu) (in Malayalam means three). But the intended meaning is Mu(tha) (In Malayalam means eldest). The arrow symbol, in the Indus scripts, is often used as a female honorific suffix, according to Mahadevan. Arrow in Malayalam is Amb(u). This symbol however stands for Ampa (or Amma-a nasal accent) in Malayalam that generally refers to a woman of superior social position. Ampa (as in Triambaka) in Sanskrit is loaned from the Dravidian Amp(a). We shall conclude that the writing is to be read, literally, as Mu-Amp. It would mean a senior lady.

Mu(tha)-Amb(a), according to Mahadevan, is referring to the eldest of the priestesses of the Indus Temple/Great Bath. This became tri-amba (ka) in Sanskrit (an incorrect, loan word-loan translation hybrid). I would like to invite your attention to a word called Muthi-amma (referring to an old/elderly/godly woman) in Malayalam that resonates well with the Indus writing. I am not sure if such convenient parallels exist in any other Dravidian languages. We don’t know if the piece of text was understood, as Muthi-amma, during the Indus times.

A female temple attendant (or a Deva-dasi) from the Nair community was often referred to as Achi. The Malayalam word Muthassi or Mutha-Achi (literally the eldest of the temple attendants) is another bilingual parallel having the exact same meaning as that of the Indus script (Fig 1). Thus perhaps the Muthassis of Kerala are indicative of a cultural continuity from the Indus times.

The Indus script is, literally, read as Mu-Amp. This, I suggest, is the root of Moo-ka-mbika (name of the South Indian goddess of learning) as well. Mu-Amp(a) had eventually become Mookambika. This doesn’t resonate with the popular myth associated with the killing of Mookasura (dumb demon) by Parasakthi (a female embodiment of the absolute power). However a legend has it that the goddess has three (Munnu in Malayalam) eyes. This myth is presumably based on the incorrect interpretation of the three lines (as Munnu) in the script.

The below Indus writing, however, had led Mahadevan to the goddess Jyestha (in Sanskrit) or Chetta/ Mu-setta/Mu-devi (as in Malayalam). Chetta is often depicted as the one with flabby belly, thick thighs and large pendulous breasts. She is lazy and carried a lotus, a water pot and a broom stick. All these would make one think of a retired old lady attendant (a mutha-achi) of the Indus temple. Perhaps she was old enough not to be associated with any fertility rites; still lingering around overseeing the activities of the women folk. She was, perhaps, engaged in cleaning and participated in other temple chores. But certainly she was revered back then.

But in the later traditions, we can observe a serious setback in her reputation. She became inauspicious. People began to consider her as an embodiment of negatives and she was to be kept away from the houses. It was believed that a mere glance of hers would bring death to villages. Her images now lay unrecognized in the neglected corners of temples. The popularity of her antithesis - Lakshmi (the Aryan goddess of prosperity) - increased over the time. The Karkidakam (a Malayalam month) rituals symbolizing the dumping of Chetta and welcoming of Cheepothi (Lakshmi) are still practiced in some parts of Kerala. All this could be explained against the backdrop of Aryan invasion and their aversion to the Dravidian culture in general.

Aryan invasion of the Indus territories inflicted damage on the social status of Devadasis in general. This might also explain why Indra was hostile to Apsarasas (and Gandharvas) and used them for several shady purposes as described in the Hindu mythology. In the south, the Chetta was popular perhaps until the onset of brahminical hegemony (8^th century AD) after which things turned in favor of Lakshmi/other Aryan goddesses. It would be worthwhile to note that the Hindu nakshatra (constellation) Thriketta (This was named was after the Chetta/Ketta goddess. It was once revered and hence honorifically called as thiru-ketta) also inherited some of her negative qualities with the passage of time. Now, if the bride enters the house in this nakshatra, her elder brother in law is believed to die.

The Chetta imagery reminds me of the fat lady figurines unearthed from across the world. The fat lady of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, the Venus relief of Laussel and the Venus of Willendorf suggest that the notion of a divine senior lady/priestess was conceived several thousands of years before the Indus times - in the prehistoric era (10000-50000 years ago).

Fig 1: Represents the eldest/senior priestesses of the Indus Temple/Great Bath (Perhaps known as muthiamma)

Fig 2: The first combination represents a divine man – a Gandharva (or Manavalan). The second stands for a divine woman - an Apsaras (an Achi or Devadasi). Third denotes a group (plural) that is divine and epicene (male or female)