The Indus Civilization c6.16

c6.16

This scene, like many others on the seals, is somewhat difficult to interpret; the *pipal* is, however, one of the many trees regarded as sacred in most parts of India to-day, and there are several ceremonies connected with its cult. For example, on certain days Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is supposed to take up her abode in it, and the Hindus walk round and round the tree, saying prayers and paying out a thread of cotton, while on other festival occasions the trunk is smeared with red lead or ochre. The leaves of the *pipal*, like those of the poplar, are agitated by the slightest breeze, and it may be for this reason that it has been looked upon from ancient times as the dwelling-place of a spirit or goddess. Women make offerings to it in the hope of giving birth to a male child, while a vessel of water is sometimes fastened to its branches for the refreshment of the souls of the dead. All these beliefs, which are undoubtedly very old, may also have been associated with the *pipal*-tree in prehistoric times. It seems certain that this tree was connected by the Indus Valley people with a particular beast, which was the urus-ox so commonly shown on the seal-amulets. A well-known seal-amulet depicts a conventionalized form of the tree, with two heads and necks of this animal projecting from its base (Pl. M, 3).