Unicorn Seals

Indus Valley Seals - Unicorn or Holy Cow?

Unicorn Seal from Harrapa, Punjab

I have been fascinated by the Indus Valley civilization ever since I studied the subject in my junior high school in India. 

One of the unique identifier for the Indus Valley is the so called "Unicorn Seals". A number of variations of this seal has been found across various Indus Valley sites. But most of the characteristics are the same.  The seal from Mohenjo-daro measures 29 mm (1.14) inches on each side and is made of fired steatite. Steatite is an easily carved soft stone that becomes hard after firing. On the top are "pictographs" of an as yet undeciphered Indus script, one of the very first writing systems in history. Below is the well-known unicorn figure of Indus Valley culture. Whether it designates a real or mythical animal is also disputed. Beneath it is a "sacred object," which could have been anything from a tree, religious banner, an animal's trough, an incense burner, or a UFO.

Now lets focus our attention on the "unicorn" being displayed on these seals. Is it really a unicorn? Did unicorn use to inhabit the Pujab and Sindh region?

Unicorn Theory

The  mythological Unicorn

The European scholars take lead from biblical references of "unicorn" and see a mythological unicorn in it. In European folklore, the unicorn is often depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long horn and cloven hooves (sometimes a goat's beard). In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. In the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. 

My Verdict: WRONG

Is it the Holy Cow?

Looking through the seals and inscriptions, it is clear that male bovines were important symbols to the people of the Indus Valley Civilization. The Harappans seem to have been  the ancient West Asian cultural area where the bull was a central motif. Even today in Hindu South Asia, the bull is an important symbol, for example Nandi as the vehicle for Siva. Note there are clearly carved collar, garland and necklace on the unicorn. The holy cow and the sacrificial animals in village India are often garlanded and decorated in similar ways today.

Holy Cow Worshiping in India

My Verdict: WRONG

It's Neelgai 

Well, we can be sure that the animal depicted in Indus seal is not a cow, bull, rhino, or a cow. 

Animals from Indus Seals

Take a closer look at the above seals. Each seal carries a distinct pictograph that may or may not be related to the animal displayed. These animals clearly show a bull, elephant, rhino, tiger, and other animals found in that region during that period. The first seal shows an animal that seem to have a single horn, has hooves like cows, but the body shape looks so different than a cow.

Neelgai Painting 

So, we can think that the hybrid character of the Indus seal animal is Neelgai, or the Blue Antelope. This animal is regarded as sacred as the cow by Hindu farmers in Punjab-Rajasthan border area, 

Now, let's see two images of the nilgai, in order to show that it can correspond to the unicorn of the seals:

As is possible to note, the neck of the first picture has some deep wrinkles that can be identified with the lines often found on the neck of the unicorn of the Indus seals

Here is another picture of the Neelgai in the wild:

So, textual and zoological evidence leads me to the conclusion: the authors of the Indus seals intended to depict a mythical Neelgai with one long horn.

Side-by-side Comparison

Holy Neelgai and Farmers

The population of the wild Neelgai has alarmingly increased in the Punjab-Rajasthan border areas. The farmers complain that these wild animals raid their farms and damage and eat their crops.There has been a number of road acidents involving these wild Neelgais. The state governments are tentative in culling these animals as it is considered "holy" by some locals.

Neelgai Bull on streets of Rural Punjab, India

Neelgai Hunting in USA

The Indians may be shocked to learn that Neelgai hunting is a popular sport in Texas, USA. The King Ranch acquired the ranch's first neelgai brood stock principally from the San Diego Zoological Garden in the late 1920s. Today, as a living testament to Caesar Kleberg's vision for game management, the neelgai, like all the other game on King Ranch, are flourishing. The neelgai has been a particular success, and King Ranch is now home to some 10,000 of these majestic animals.

Here is a video on YouTube marketing the hunting of Neelgais: