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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.
2/n
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.
3/n
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.
4/n
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.
7/n
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
8/n
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.
9/n
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.
10/n
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".
10/n
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.
11/n
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.
12/n
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).
13/n
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".
14/n
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.
15/n
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.
16/n
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).
17/n
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.
18/n
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.
19/n
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.
20/n
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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More from @MumukshuSavitri

Nov 15, 2024
Talk about a nasty bag full of distortions and outright lies. That Shree Rama existed centuries before Buddha was even born is attested directly by authentic Buddhist sources themselves. I will methodically dissect and disprove every deceptive claim by fact checking it against authoritative and authentic sources. Please read all parts of the entire thread to the end including the screenshots which provide crucial evidence. 🧵

Claim # 1:
Ram is a mythological character, whereas Buddha was a real historical figure—there’s simply no comparison.

Fact: False. This claim is disproven by the oldest & most authoritative Buddhist biography of Buddha’s life itself - Aśvaghoṣa’s (2nd c.) Buddhacharita. The Buddhacharita documents that Buddha belonged to the same Suryavanshi Ikshvaku dynasty as Rama; it pays homage to Valmiki as the Adikavi and mentions Janaka too. After he renounces his family, Buddha’s father sends a wise advisor to the forest to try & convince him to return back home. The advisor tries to persuade him to return by mentioning Rama as an example - as someone from older times, who returned after penance in forests to protect his kingdom against evil. In response Buddha himself says he cannot do what Rama did & refuses to return. This clearly proves that Rama was already revered as an ancient historical personality to be emulated in Buddha’s times.Image
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Claim # 2: Buddha was not a descendant of Ram because Ram never existed in reality.

Fact: False. Disproved by the very first chapter on Buddha’s Birth in the authoritative biography Buddhacharita which records that Buddha was a descendant of the Suryavanshi Ikshvaku dynasty - from the same lineage to which Rama belonged millennia before him. An even older account of Buddha’s ancestral family tree is found in the Buddhist text Mahāvastu, a composite multi-life hagiography of the Buddha (2nd c. BCE) which details how the sons of Ikshvaku built Kapilavastu and were the forefathers of the Shakyas - the clan of the Buddha.Image
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Claim #3: In fact, Buddha lived long before the Valmiki Ramayana was compiled.

Fact: False. We already know that Rama lived many millennia before Buddha from irrefutable evidence in the Ramayana itself & many other Hindu texts.Authoritative Buddhist texts like Mahavamsa also clearly record the Shakya clan as part of Suryavanshi Ikshvaku dynasty with the line of succession from Rishi Sagara to Dasharatha & Rama who lived many generations before Suddhodana (Buddha’s father). Moreover Princeton historian, Robert Goldman's comprehensive comparative analysis of the Ramayana proves that the descriptions of history & geography of Kosala in the Ramayana clearly reflect an era BEFORE the Buddha thus dating it prior to 5th c. BCE (time of Buddha) even by Western standards. His work is considered the most comprehensive & authoritative Western analysis of Ramayana’s historicity. As mentioned before the Buddhacharita also testifies to Valmiki already being revered as the ancient Adi Kavi during Buddha's era.Image
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Read 6 tweets
Nov 11, 2024
Kamal Khan explaining Mughal history is like a chihuahua barking - ear-splittingly irritating, wildly off-key, but you can’t help but watch the spectacle.
Of course the Mughals didn't "harm any community", they just built Minars out of Kafir skulls to show how much they cared for all communities and considered all Indians equal.

These "loving community building" exercises started with Timur's first entry into Hindustan, when he attacked the Hindu kingdom of Kator extending from Kashmir to Kabul. In his autobiography “Tuzak-I-Timuri” Timur describes building tall towers of skulls of “obstinate unbelievers” after raping & enslaving women & kids & plundering towns to dust (May, 1398 CE). The Zafarnama of Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi (Iran, 1425 CE) has a painting which shows how Timur took tribute from soldiers, while an Islamic Minar built out of dead Kafir’s heads looms behind him.

His Mughal descendants like Babur, Akbar, Shah Jahan kept up this grand tradition and built their own towers of Kafir skulls to show their caring loving hearts.

Read the full thread to know more.🧵Image
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The next Mughal, Babur, practically salivated with delight at the prospect of killing Hindus & scattering them like “teased wool & broken bubbles on wine”. He built several Minars out of Hindu heads, during battles in the Doab, near Agra & Chanderi to name a few. So overjoyed was Babur with his bloody crimes that he waxed eloquent poetry about killing Kafirs in praise of God. After creating Minars out of their heads, he proudly declared himself a “Ghazi” as his official imperial title - a term which means “Victorious over the enemies of Islam”Image
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You mention Birbal from the court of the Great “secular” Akbar, who occupied Delhi & Agra in true Mughal tradition by building towers of Hindu heads. He did the same in his conquest of Ahmedabad. He rewarded his commander Khan-i-Khanan (Bairam Khan), for building “8 sky high Minarets of Hindu heads” in Bengal. A painting in the illustrated Akbarnama shows Akbar at the 2nd battle of Panipat, in 1556 CE, where Bairam Khan & Akbar colluded to treacherously behead Hemu. It depicts “Ghazi” Akbar & his army stacking up heads of Hemu's soldiers into a tower/Minar of victory over Islam’s enemies.Image
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Read 6 tweets
Oct 27, 2024
Monument of Love - my foot!

Niccolao Manucci an Italian doctor who worked in Shah Jahan's Mughal court described his "lovin'" ways in his memoirs. He revealed that lover boy Shah Jahan shared his bed with 1000s of women besides Mumtaz, many of whom were his own courtier's wives!

Read to the end 🧵Image
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Shah Jahan's courtiers Ja'far Khan & Khalil Khan's wives were his favorites. Ja'far Khan's wife was called Shah Jahan's "breakfast" & Khalil Khan's wife his "lunch". Ja'far's wife was Shah Jahan's sister-in-law & Khali's wife was his niece through marriage to Mumtaz. Ja'far's wife had to beg for her husband's lifeImage
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Asaf Khan was Mumtaz Mahal's father. Ja'far Khan was Mumtaz's aunt's son & his wife was her sister-in-law, while Khalil Khan was married to Asaf Khan's granddaughter who was Mumtaz's niece. One can imagine how much love Shah Jahan had for Mumtaz that he molested her own family. Image
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Read 10 tweets
Oct 13, 2024
As requested by some of you, I have compiled all the 9 + 1 digital images of Devi Ma which I created for Navaratri along with their descriptions for easy reference. You may use the images as you wish, provided you retain my watermark, treat Devi's image with respect and don't distort the images. Enjoy. 🙏

#Navratri #Dusshera2024 #VijayaDasamiImage
वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्ध कृतशेखराम् ।
वृषारूढाम् शूलधराम् शैलपुत्रीम् यशस्विनीम् ॥
Day 1 of Sharadiya Navaratri is ruled by Devi Shailaputri, daughter of the Mountain lord, the pure, serene one who blesses devotees with self-restraint, patience, victory over difficulties & peace of mind.Image
वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्धकृतशेखराम्।
जपमाला कमण्डलु धरा ब्रह्मचारिणी शुभाम्॥
Day 2 of Sharadiya Navaratri is ruled by Devi Brahmacharini, the epitome of penance, who blesses devotees with purity, freedom from all disturbances and the radiance of wisdom attained by Tapas. Image
Read 11 tweets
Aug 13, 2024
🧵
Hidden deep inside the recesses of the Chhota Sona mosque located in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh, lie four walled up ancient Murtis of our Hindu divinities Varaha, Bhawani, Brahmani and Shivani. No one knows how ancient they are - likely more than a thousand years old. They are silent witnesses to the desecration of a grand ancient Hindu temple razed over and brutally reused to “build” the mosque. The location is in what used to be the Bengali kingdom of Gaur invaded by Bakhtiyar Khalji in the 13th ce. The advent of Islam after Khalji marked the beginning of a cultural holocaust of Bihar & Bengal where innumerable temples were razed, their broken portions brutally usurped to create incongruous “mosques” as markers of conquering Islamic fanaticism.

In 1786, a British amateur explorer Henry Creighton visited the ruins of Gaur & made drawings to document them. In 1817, his description & drawings were published in a short book “The ruins of Gour described and represented in eighteen views”. He described the Chhoti Sona mosque as one of the most beautiful monuments in the area & ascribed its construction in the 15th c. to Wali Muhammad under the reign of Allauddin Husain Shah. It is within the walls of the interior mosque that Creighton discovered these grand Murtis carved on large blocks of stone. Islamic decorations were deliberately carved on the reverse side of the Murti stones. The stones were purposely placed with the Murti facing inwards, blocked forever into the walls, never to be seen again.

Creighton’s drawings show a grand Varaha carving which closely resembles an awe inspiring Varaha Murti from Pala dynasty in 9th century CE., excavated from Nadiya, West Bengal - now on display at National Museum New Delhi. The stylistic rendering of the Varaha sculpture indicates that the temple destroyed to build the Chhota Sona mosque was likely from the same era of 9th c. CE.Image
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Two other drawings of hidden Murtis embedded within the walls of the chhota sona mosque are labelled as that of the Devi consorts of the gods, Brahmani & Bhawani. Creighton's drawing of Brahmani also closely resembles another 9th c. Pala era sculpture of Brahmani. He also describes the image as Shiva in the form of Bhawani. It is an unusual & interesting depiction showing the deity riding atop a lion which is crushing a demon that is supported by an elephant. Creighton observed that the Murtis still had traces of being gilded with gold just like the roof of the structure, which is what gave the mosque the name of chhota sona mosque. The gilded golden roof must have made the temple an extremely attractive target for destruction to the Islamic attackers.Image
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The last image which Creighton documents is labelled Shivani by him, although it does not look like a typical depiction of Shivani. It appears more likely to be some form of Brahma as the iconography depicts the Vedas & a Mala, while the deity with a fairly rotund belly is seated on a lotus.

Today the chhoto sona mosque is a major tourist attraction in Bangladesh & photographs on the internet still reveal remnants of its Hindu past through stray glimpses of Hindu motifs like kalash, & niches where Hindu murtis were chiseled out. Of course this means we will never be able to unearth, photograph, or see those grand ancient Murtis or remnants of the desecrated temple that it was built upon ever again. We will never even know how ancient it was or the full story of that sacred space.Image
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Read 5 tweets
Aug 3, 2024
As promised here is my graphic novel for inspiring Hindu readers of all ages. I dedicate my first creation to the fearless unnamed Hindu hero who avenged Somnath & taught Mahmud Ghazni a lesson he would never forget. This story is based on actual historical events. References from Islamic texts are provided at end of thread. Please read entire thread for whole story. Future comics will be available for purchase at a website to be announced soon.

All images & text for this graphic novel were created by me @mumukshusavitri & should not be reproduced without permission.

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Read 17 tweets

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