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Bhagwan Skanda is revered by Hindus for millennia, but did you know that he is the primary deity of the ancient Yezidi culture. Today Yezidis are known for being savagely victimized by ISIL, but they have a long history as remnants of an ancient culture with Hindu roots.
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In Yezidi religion, Melek Ta’us is regarded as the greatest among archangels and an emanation of God Himself. Melek/Malik is an ancient Semite god of Babel and Canaan. It resembles the old Tamil word Malaiklavon, another name for Murugan, an ancient name of Skanda.
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Yezidi consider Melek Ta’us (Skanda) as an avatar of the eternal God (Shiva). He is represented by a blue peacock. But the Yezidis lived in lands which had no blue peacocks, they are native only to the Indian subcontinent. This indicates an ancient connection with India.
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It is this same Melek that Christians refer to as the evil Pagan God “Moloch of the Valley of Hinom”. The Bible refers to Moloch’s valley as the place where evil devotees beat drums to drown out the ghastly cries of children offered as sacrifices to the bloodthirsty god.
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The Yezidi story of creation offers clues to the origins of Moloch. Remarkably, their creation stories refer to esoteric Hindu concepts such as the process of universal energy manifesting first in physical form as the Hiranyagarbha (golden cosmic Womb).
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The Yezidis call it the “White pearl” made of pure light
which explodes & fills the Universe with rays of light. This is when the Yezidis say the concept of both cyclical time (Hindu Yugas) & linear time come into physical existence.
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The divine light first forms seven angels called the Seven mysteries or Heft Surr (Sapta Sura?). Their leader is Melek (Moloch). Surprisingly the Mahabharata, contians the Kaumara legend (MBH 3.230 ) which introduces Skanda as the commander of the seven-fold troops of Maruts
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They represent the power & ferocity of the primal forms of energy & Skanda is their leader. Skanda is also nurtured by the Sapta Matrikas representing the Krittikas or Pleaides constellation. In the Mahabharata the Matrikas are associated with inauspiciousness if angered.
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But the Matrikas are also the ones who protect & nurture children below the age of 16. Their energy defends children from death & disease in the most vulnerable years. In essence, they represented fertility & healing as well as the destructive aspect of natural forces.
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It is likely this association of children which was distorted by Semitic faiths to paint a ghastly picture of Pagans sacrificing children Moloch the bloodthirsty god. The Yezidi god is also called “shaytan” This is why Yezidis are called "devil worshippers".
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Yezidi oral tradition acknowledges that they originated from India thousands of years ago. Their holy homeland was called Perani which may be derived from word Palani. Palani hills is one of the most ancient sacred shrines of Skanda in Tamil Nadu.
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The serpent is the totem of Melek Ta'us in Yezidi. Skanda also holds the serpent to symbolize his complete mastery over the Kundalini Shakti Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us in the form of a rooster on a candlestick. Both rooster & peacock are well-known as symbols of Skanda.
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Yezidi have many Hindus rituals such as putting tilak marks on foreheads, worship facing the sun (Surya), fire ceremonies (Yagna), prayers with large oil lamps ((Aartis). They believe in Karma, reincarnation, Avatars, & the Wheel of time (Kaal Chakra).
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Skanda's peacock symbol is particularly dear to them & decorates their holy shrines. Tall standing brass oil lamps in peacock shape just like Mayura Deepams called Sanjaks play a central role in their foremost festival; the Yezidi New Year or the "Parade of the Sanjaks".
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The Yezidis history hints that they were a Vedic people who now live in the Nineveh Province of Iraqi Kurdistan. Their calendar is 6,764 years old and is the oldest in the Middle East. This number may well represent the time period when Yezidis migrated from India.
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One of the most intriguing clues to their real origins may lie with the Mitanni, a Vedic tribe which migrated to the West from India (1550 BCE). Several Mittani names & inscriptions are clearly derived from Sanskrit & refer to Vedic deities.
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A significant theme of Mittani art is peacocks and other birds showing similarities with peacocks. Mittani kings had names such as Tushrutha, Arthashumra, and Arthatama.Their deities were named Shuria (Surya), Maryatas (Marutas) & Simalia (Himalayas).
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In 2019, Archaeologists uncovered a 3,400 year old ancient Mittani palace in Kurdistan Region on the banks of the Tigris River where Yezidis lived centuries ago. The Mittani culture thrived in the heartland of Kurds, where the Yezidis have lived for centuries.
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The ravages of time & influences of Islam, Christianity, Sufism, etc. have all clouded the story of Yezidi origins in the mists of mystery. Today’s Yezidi religion is a but a shadow of its past, yet its Hindu roots still remain inescapably apparent.
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Only about 600,000 Yezidis survive today. Their population has been decimated by Islamic terrorism. If this lost branch of Skanda worshippers becomes extinct, one more invaluable facet of Hinduism’s over arching influence over the ancient world too will disappear.
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References:
Names of god & forms of address to God in Yezidism. Kh. Omarkhali
Assyrian Origin of the Izedis or Yezidis-the So-Called "Devil Worshippers", W. Francis Ainsworth
historynewsnetwork.org/article/162022
Ancient palace of the Mittani Empire - Kurdistan24.net
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