Could this famous Wonder of the World be an ancient Shiva temple?

By Bibhu Dev Misra

Petra, the 'rose red city, half as old as time', located in modern day Jordan, is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic archaeological sites of the world.

In a recently conducted Internet poll, Petra was voted by internet users as one of the 'seven wonders of the modern world'. In this abandoned city, which lies hidden behind impenetrable mountains and gorges, magnificent rock-cut temples and palaces have been carved into towering cliffs of red and orange sandstone. The most famous of these structures is the 'Al Khasneh' (or the 'Treasury'), which was made famous in an Indiana Jones film.


Sometime during the 3rd century BC, the Nabataeans began to decorate their capital city with splendid rock-cut temples and buildings. [Right: The Khasneh or "Treasury"] Their economic prosperity and architectural achievements continued unabated even after they came under the control of the Roman Empire in 106 CE. The neglect and decline of Petra started soon after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 324 CE. A series of earthquakes crippled the region in the 7th - 8th centuries and Petra disappeared from the map of the known world, only to be rediscovered centuries later in 1812, by a Swiss explorer named Johann Burckhardt.



The term Dushara means 'Lord of the Shara', which refers to the Shara mountains to the north of Petra. The symbolic animal of Dushara was a bull. All over Petra, Dushara was represented symbolically by stone blocks.

At the entrance of Petra there are three massive standing blocks of stone, known as Djin blocks, which were sacred to the inhabitants. There are nearly 40 such Djin blocks present throughout Petra. In addition, at religious sites throughout the city, the Nabataeans carved a standing stone block called a baetyl, literally meaning 'house of god'.

A baetyl physically marked a deity's presence. It could be a square [Above, left] or rounded like a dome [Above, right]. Some baetyls' were depicted with a lunar crescent on the top. The Nabataeans also appear to be snake worshippers. One of the most prominent structures in Petra is the snake monument, which shows a gigantic coiled-up snake on a block of stone. [Below]


Shiva is still worshipped all over India in the form of a black block of stone known as a Shiva Linga. A Shiva Linga, which is essentially a 'mark' or 'symbol' of Shiva, sometimes appears as an unworked block of stone, much like the idol of Dushara in the temple of Al Deir; but typically it is represented by a smooth, rounded stone which resembles some of the rounded, dome-shaped, baetyls that we find in Petra.


[Right: Black stone Shiva Linga in the coils of a seven hooded serpent. Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh, India, 16th century. Left: The 123 feet high statue of Shiva in Bhatkal, India, with snakes coiled around his neck and the crescent shaped Moon on his matted locks. At the foot of the statue is Shiva's vahana (carrier), Nandi the bull.]


Lions are present at many sites in Petra. At the Lion Triclinium in Petra there are two massive lions protecting the doorway. Lions are also seen at the Lion Monument in Petra, a public fountain, where refreshing water for the perspiring pilgrims would have sprouted from the water outlet at the mouth of the lion. At the Temple of the Winged Lions, a considerable amount of material has been found, including feline statuette fragments, which emphasize the 'feline' association of the mother goddess. The supreme mother goddess was also symbolically associated with vegetation, grains and prosperity, and was frequently depicted holding cereal stalks and fruits.


[Above, left: Idol of Al-Uzza, found in the Temple of the Winged Lions Middle: One of the two reliefs of lion of the Lion Triclinium in Petra, Jordan Right: Durga on a Lion, slaying Mahisarura who has taken the form of a bull. Aihole temple complex, Karnataka, dating from the 6th century CE.]


At Petra, an elaborate processional way leads from the center of the city to the temple of Al Deir. In front of the temple there is a massive, flat, courtyard, capable of accommodating thousands of people. This has led historians to suggest that the Al Deir temple may have been the site of large-scale ceremonies. It is possible that this was a celebration of Dussehra, since Al-Uzza was the 'goddess of the people' and Dussehra is the celebration of the victory of the goddess over the forces of evil.


It is unclear to historians whether all the representations of the female goddess found in Petra refer to Al-Uzza or to the Nabataean goddess triad of Al-Uzza, Al-lat and Manat. Although it is has been supposed that the consort of Dushara may be Al-Uzza, the depictions of Al-Uzza in other places of Arabia do not support such an association.

Al-Uzza (the 'Strong One') was the goddess of the morning and evening star. Isaac of Antioch referred to her as Kaukabta, 'the Star'. She was sometimes depicted riding a 'dolphin' and showing the way to sea-farers. She is, thus, the counterpart of the Indo-European goddess of dawn, Ostara, and the Vedic 'Usas'.


The phonetic and symbolic associations between 'Uzza' and 'Usa' indicate that they are derived from the same source. Al-lat, on the other hand, was widely regarded as 'the Mother of the Gods', or 'Greatest of All'. She was the goddess of fertility and prosperity and was known from Arabia to Iran. It is more likely, therefore, that the consort of Dushara at Petra, symbolized by the lion, was Al-lat and not Al-Uzza. However, it has been observed by historians that Al-Uzza and Al-lat were used quite interchangeably by the Arabs, and sometimes one gained prominence over the other.

It is worth mentioning in this context, that the Hindu goddess of death and destruction -- Kali -- bears stark resemblances to the third goddess of the Nabataean triad -- Manat -- who is generally represented as the terrible, black goddess of death.

Certain rituals associated with Shiva-Durga worship can also be found reflected in the religious practices of the Nabataeans. The Nabataeans ritually made animal sacrifices to Dushara and Al-Uzza, at the 'High Place of Sacrifice' in Petra. The Suda Lexicon, which was compiled at the end of the 10th century, refers to older sources which have since been lost. It states: 'Theus Ares (Dushrara); this is the god Ares in Arabic Petra. They worship the god Ares and venerate him above all. His statue is an unworked square black stone. It is four foot high and two feet wide. It rests on a golden base. They make sacrifices to him and before him they anoint the blood of the sacrifice that is their anointment.' The practice of anointing the Shiva Linga with red vermilion powder (Kumkum) continues to this date in India.





"And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon." -- Genesis 35; 14

Pillars and Dolmens (stones arranged one on top of another) also constituted an essential part of Druidical worship, among the Celts of ancient Britain and France. In the Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions (1894), James Bonwick mentions that the Irish venerated their lithic temples. They not only anointed them with oil or milk, but, down to a late period, they poured water on their sacred surface so that the draught might cure their diseases. Molly Grime, a rude stone figure, kept in Glentham church, was annually washed with water from Newell well. The 'cup symbol' -- observed on stones at Fermanagh, and in the west of Kerry -- may have confused scholars, but to anyone familiar with the symbolism of Shiva, it can be immediately recognized as the 'crescent moon' present on the matted locks of Shiva.


In France some 4000 dolmens are present. In Northern and Central Europe they occur in Belgium, Holland and in the northern plains of Germany. They have been found in large numbers in Denmark and the Danish Islands, and also in Sweden. 'Meteoric stones mounted on carved pedestals' have been found in the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire, and one such piece is, at present, on view at the Etruscan Museum in Vatican, Rome.

Although this ancient cult was worshipped in large parts of the world since time immemorial, there appears to have been a renewed westward thrust of this faith, soon after the conquests of Alexander, which invigorated the ancient land and maritime trade routes, popularly known as the Silk Route, which connected India and China with the western world.

Above: The ancient Silk Route



The Eastern Han emperor Mingdi is supposed to have sent a representative to India to discover more about this strange faith, and further missions returned bearing scriptures, and bringing with them Indian priests. Together with coveted merchandise, rock-cutting skills travelled eastwards along the Silk Road from India to China.

Hundreds of rock-cut caves with statues of Buddha were built between 450 and 525 CE. Among the most famous ones are the Longmen Grottoes in China's Henan province, a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. The Longmen grotto complex contains 2345 caves and niches, 2800 inscriptions, 43 pagodas and over 100,000 Buddhist images collected over various Chinese dynasties.

The Yungang Grottoes near Datong in the province of Shanxi consists of 252 grottoes and more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes, mainly constructed in the period between 460-525 CE. Also on the Silk Road are the Mogao Caves in China's Gansu province. They are best known for their stunning and well-preserved Buddhist art that spans a period of 1,000 years from 366 CE onwards.

Left: Yungang Grottoes, Shanxi province, China; Right: Longmen Grottoes, Henan province, China]

There was also a westward flow of Eastern wisdom along the Silk Route. The effect that this had on the flowering of Greek philosophy and sciences during this period has been grossly underestimated by modern historians. In the Preface to the Vishnu Purana, the translator Horace Hayman Wilson writes:


It is, therefore, quite possible that the ancient faith of Shiva-Shakti may also have migrated westwards along these ancient trade routes during this time. Besides, the Nabataeans, who were essentially a nomadic tribe that got rich by controlling the trade along the Silk Route, could not have suddenly acquired and mastered the technological and architectural sophistication necessary to execute the rock-cut monuments of Petra.

Achieving such a level of finesse and perfection in rock-cut architecture takes generations. Is it possible that, like the ancient cult of Shiva-Shakti, the technology for building these rock-cut monuments was also transferred along the Silk Route?


Ajanta is located 100 kilometers from the medieval town of Aurangabad ('City of Gates'), which is situated right on the ancient Silk Route, and was a flourishing commercial center since time immemorial. In the ancient times, however, Ajanta itself used to be on the Silk Route. Buddhist missionaries used to accompany traders on busy international trade routes through India and the merchants, in turn, funded or even commissioned elaborate cave temple complexes that also offered lodging for traveling traders.


Above: Cave 9 at Ajanta, India. A Chaitya Gathering Hall meant for worship.




The Nabateans built a few other cities in the desert, one of which is the archaeological site of 'Shivta' built in the 1st century BC on the 'Perfume Road' between Petra to Gaza. Like Petra, Shivta too was abandoned by the 8th - 9th century CE, after the ascendancy of Islam.

A few kilometers from Shivta is located the ancient, biblical city of 'Tel Sheva', an archaeological site in southern Israel, which derives its name from a nearby 'well' or 'water source'. The phonetic and symbolic similarities between these cities and 'Shiva' are obvious. In fact, the cult of Shiva-Shakti was widespread across the entire Middle East and West Asia, and penetrated deep into the farthest corners of Europe in the centuries before Christ.

The biblical kingdom of 'Sheba' (Hebrew: Sh'va) believed to be in present day Yemen, as well as the archaeological site of 'Shibham', (Sanskrit: Shivam) located in Yemen, hint at the fact that entire kingdoms and cities were named after this deity.



About the author: Bibhu Dev Misra is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management and has been working as an Information Technology consultant for more than 12 years, for various organizations across the world. He is also an independent researcher and writer on topics related to ancient civilizations, myths, symbols, religion and spirituality and has travelled to many places of historical, religious and architectural importance. His articles have appeared in various internet websites and magazines. He can be contacted at bibhumisra@gmail.com and via his personal blog: http://bibhudev.blogspot.com



Indeed! And while one is contemplating the Shiva connection to Petra, one might also ponder why the Jews exiled to Babylon named their religious schools "Yeshivas." It's no coincidence. At the time of the exodus, the Jews called their Egyptian slave masters or taskmasters the 'naga,' (look up the word 'taskmaster' in any Strong's Concordance) which is a word that is pure Sanskrit and used since antiquity to denote India's most famous cult of serpent worshippers, a cult primarily devoted to the worship of Shiva.

Abraham's hometown of Ur in Chaldea, (Sumer) was dedicated to the Anunnaki lunar god, Nannar Sin. The name indicates that Ur's moon god represented the patriarchal god from the famous 'Sindh' region of ancient India. In the Sanskrit pronunounciation, the "dh" sound is sort of whispered. In Sumer the 'dh' was simply dropped and Sindh became Sin. The Sanskrit word 'Hindu' is based upon the older Dravidian word "Sindhu." Sumer's famous Lunar god, Nanner Sin, was undoubtedly a diety worshiped by the Sindhu, (i.e. Hindu's) as they began extending their territorial rule throughout the Near and Middle East.

In fact the very term 'Anunnaki', made famous by Zecharia Sitchin's ancient extraterrestrial hypothesis appears to have absolutely nothing to do with ancient astronaut theories. Anyone familiar with the Rig Veda knows who the tribe of Anu was. Anu was one of the five sons of the famous Vedic king named Yayati whose sons represented the five tribes of mankind in antiquity. Anu was one of the primary characters in the famous 'Battle of the ten kings' as told in the Rig Veda.

Anu and his followers lost that war and the Rig Veda records that "Of the Anus and Druhyus sixty thousand, six thousand and sixty six warriors were put to sleep." (RV VII.18, 11, 14) (An oh so familiar number, eh?) The bulk of the remainder of Anus tribe was driven out of India and declared a "fallen" race according to the religious dictates of the ancient Vedic Aryans. This tribe evidently migrated west and eventually established Sumer and even Egypt.

The Anunnaki were nothing more than exiled Aryans from India. Their kings and queens became deified "gods and goddesses" in the same manner that the Dali Lama, who is obviously very human, was declared a living god by the Buddhists.

Every single near and Middle Eastern god ever declared 'pagan' by Christian standards can be traced directly back to the Vedic Aryans of ancient India. For instance, the famous evil god of Canaan, Baal, is but a shortened version of the Hindu god, Balarama, and one and the same with the famous Egyptian god of evil, Seth.

Sumer represented the influx of the Lunar Aryan dynasties and their dedication to various avatars and attributes of Shiva, while Egypt became the primary focus of the Vedic Solar cults dedicated to Vishnu and all of his 1000 names.


Kate Kelly