Someone from the royal family of Mankapur gave me my most prized possessions, a stone head found in his property of an old god. Dated as several thousand years old it has the face of a dog and beautiful rich necklaces round its neck.
Every time I hear of a municipality/an individual who has killed dogs, I wonder whether education is simply the ability to write your name or whether it is to refine your senses and honour your culture. Through the ages the dog has been worshipped. Today some dogs are “pet” and others are homeless “junglees”. Perhaps a quick history recap might change your perspective.
The oldest records are those of the Egyptians. The Egyptians treated dogs with great respect. They were buried in family tombs just as they buried humans with goods for the afterlife and family members would shave their heads in mourning. At Hardai (later called Cynopolis "Dog City"), the sacred city of the dog headed god Anubis there are many dog cemeteries. How sad that no city in India has one: the family pet is simply supposed to be thrown on the trash. Anubis represents Guidance, Magic, and he leads you into the afterlife. To throw him into the trash is to lessen the magic and wisdom in your own life and invite the same fate. Anubis weighs the souls of the deceased for truth and order. Socrates the Greek philosopher referred to Anubis when he swore to tell the truth "by the Dog of Egypt."
The Egyptians have more than one dog god Anpu is the god of orphans, the lost, wanderers. Wepwawet is the opener of the ways: he opens the way to victory, he is the army scout and he forms an integral part of royal rituals, symbolizing the unification of Egypt. He is also, in some Egyptian texts “Ra“ the Sun, the Opener of the Sky. The Pharaoh flag had an image of Wepwawet as he was supposed to carry Pharaoh into heaven after his death.
There is Set, god of the desert and the storm. Osiris, one of the most prominent deities of ancient Egypt, is sometimes portrayed as a dog together with Anubis who some say was his son. Another one of Osiris’ sons, Duamatef, also had a dog head.
The indigenous tribes of the Americas, lumped together now by the illiterate European settlers as Red Indians, revere the wolf, coyote and the dog. Most tribes were names after the wolf like the Mohican (wolf people) and the Pawnee. Most tribes had wolf divisions. While the ancient Egyptians called the star Sirius the "Dog Star," the Americas called it “Wolf Star." Both the Amerindians and the Inuit of Alaska regularly crossed their domestic dogs with wolves, blurring the lines between wild and domestic dog. The coyote (a small North American wild dog) was a god and creator of humans and the Milky Way. Dogs were treated like family members and were accorded burial and mourning rites. In many Indian tribes, people were named as the father, mother, brother or sister of such-and-such a dog...
In Central and South America, like Indian deities have animal vehicles/companions, they have the nahuali or animal twin for each human and god. The twin of Quetzalcoatl, the god of goodness and light, is the dog god Xolotl who guides the dead and the Sun and is the personification of the planet Venus, the most important Mesoamerican planet/star. The great Chichimec dynasty of Mexico means "of dog lineage."
Among most Turko-Mongol and Siberian peoples, the wolf and dog hold a very high place. One of the legends is the descent of the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan from the wolf. Many Mongolians have adopted his tribal name Borjigin, "the blue wolf." Till today Mongolians believe that people reincarnate from dogs so one should never hit a dog. Genghis called his four great generals -- Zev, Subedei, Zelme and Khubilai -- the "dogs of war" a very honorable title among the Mongols. In Siberia, many people claim the wolf and dog as ancestors
Turkic people like the Kazakhs, Uygyrs and Uzbeks consider the wolf as the mother of all Turks. Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, is known affectionately as the "Gray Wolf."
The Tibetans also believe that dogs are closest to humans in reincarnation and that high lamas often reincarnate as dogs. Tibetans used dogs as holy temple guards or charms for monasteries. The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama kept dogs as pets and sent them as gifts to other kings. Two great sages in Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism were intimately associated with dogs -- Kukkuripa and Kukuraja.
Bau is one of the three main deities of the Sumerian pantheon and the goddess of physicians. She is portrayed as a dog-headed goddess of healing and life. Dogs, her sacred animals, are found at her temples. In the latter religion of Babylon and Assyria, the god Bel-Merodach, king of all heavenly gods, had four dogs named Ukkumu (Seizer), Akkulu (Eater), Ikšsuda (Grasper), and Iltebu (Holder).
In the Greek pantheon, Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, took the form of a wolf. Artemis was known as the "Wolf Goddess" and had a wolf on her shield. Both she and her Roman counterpart Diana were accompanied by dogs.
The Roman Goddess of death Hecate is closely linked with dogs. Her pet Cerebos, the three-headed dog, guards the entrance to Hades. Rome was built by Romulus and Remus, both suckled by a she-wolf who became the emblem of Rome.
The Norse supreme deity Woden (Odin) chose two wolves, Freki and Geri, as his companions.
Bhairava is a form of Shiva with dog companions. Khandoba, another manifestation of Shiva has the same attributes. These deities appear in Nepalese Buddhism as Yamantaka, a god who conquers death.
In Vedic literature Indra has as his companion Sarama. She gives birth to two sons, the Sarameyas, who become the companions of Yama, the lord of death.
In the Mahabharata the Pandava brothers and Draupadi set off on their final journey up the Himalayas. Ultimately only Yudhistira and his companion dog were left. As they neared the top, they were greeted by the god Indra in his chariot. The god bid Yushisthira board the chariot and the Pandava beckoned for his canine friend. Indra said that dogs were not allowed in his heaven. Yudhisthira said that he could not abandon such a faithful companion and declared he would rather stay on earth. Both were taken to heaven. Upon arriving the dog transformed into the god Dharma, the lord of the correct way of living.
Among Muslims the Saluki breed is proclaimed in the Koran no less as the "gift of Allah." The saluki was also known by such names as al-Hor "the Noble One," and al-Baraha "the Blessed One."
In China, from the Han Dynasty onward, dogs had royal status. The Emperor Ling Ti (156-189) bestowed royal titles to the palace dogs as imperial guards and viceroys. In fact, in the oldest known royal tomb -- that of Shang ruler Fu Hao (1250 BCE) in Anyang – archeologists found six dogs under the royal corpse. Stories about dog ancestors abound in the regions of China among the Hmong, Mien, Li, Shan, Shaka tribes of South China and northern Indochina . In the Mien version of this story, the Chinese emperor Pien Hung offers his daughter to anyone who can defeat the invader Emperor Kao Wang . The three-colored dog, Phan Hu, penetrates enemy lines and kills Kao Wang. Taking the emperor's daughter as his wife, they produce 12 children from which spring the twelve clans of the Mien.
In Africa, Nyambe, the Louyi creator god has a beloved dog. Nyamurairi, the supreme god of the Nyanga people of the Congo had a dog named Rukuba, who gave the gift of fire. The Yorubas have the dog-headed Aroui and Odudua, the mother goddess who is depicted with a dog, the animal sacred to her son, the war god Ogun. The deities Legba of the Dahomey and Nzassi of the Fjort have companion dogs. A number of tribes in West and South Africa claim a dog as ancestor including a prominent Bantu group in southern Africa . Other peoples who held such beliefs include the Kyrgyz, the Nicobarese, the Pomotu islanders, and groups in Myanmar , Papua New Guinea and Finland .
In the ancient Samoan religion, the dog was sacred the companion of many of the highest gods. The pan-Polynesian goddess Hina has dogs. In the Philippines , Kimat is the dog of the supreme god Kadlakan and is the personification of lightning. Among the Ifugao of the Philippines , the deities Wigan , Kabigat and Balitok all have dogs. The dog is considered sacred to Mithras the Persian god of the sun.
That the dog should have been elevated to high status by so many people throughout history should come as no surprise. The relationship between dogs and humans goes back a 100,000 years. It is believed that the domestication of the dog led to the domestication of other animals and was a turning point in the history of humans. To kill him is to kill your oldest and best friend.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Every time I hear of a municipality/an individual who has killed dogs, I wonder whether education is simply the ability to write your name or whether it is to refine your senses and honour your culture. Through the ages the dog has been worshipped. Today some dogs are “pet” and others are homeless “junglees”. Perhaps a quick history recap might change your perspective.
The oldest records are those of the Egyptians. The Egyptians treated dogs with great respect. They were buried in family tombs just as they buried humans with goods for the afterlife and family members would shave their heads in mourning. At Hardai (later called Cynopolis "Dog City"), the sacred city of the dog headed god Anubis there are many dog cemeteries. How sad that no city in India has one: the family pet is simply supposed to be thrown on the trash. Anubis represents Guidance, Magic, and he leads you into the afterlife. To throw him into the trash is to lessen the magic and wisdom in your own life and invite the same fate. Anubis weighs the souls of the deceased for truth and order. Socrates the Greek philosopher referred to Anubis when he swore to tell the truth "by the Dog of Egypt."
The Egyptians have more than one dog god Anpu is the god of orphans, the lost, wanderers. Wepwawet is the opener of the ways: he opens the way to victory, he is the army scout and he forms an integral part of royal rituals, symbolizing the unification of Egypt. He is also, in some Egyptian texts “Ra“ the Sun, the Opener of the Sky. The Pharaoh flag had an image of Wepwawet as he was supposed to carry Pharaoh into heaven after his death.
There is Set, god of the desert and the storm. Osiris, one of the most prominent deities of ancient Egypt, is sometimes portrayed as a dog together with Anubis who some say was his son. Another one of Osiris’ sons, Duamatef, also had a dog head.
The indigenous tribes of the Americas, lumped together now by the illiterate European settlers as Red Indians, revere the wolf, coyote and the dog. Most tribes were names after the wolf like the Mohican (wolf people) and the Pawnee. Most tribes had wolf divisions. While the ancient Egyptians called the star Sirius the "Dog Star," the Americas called it “Wolf Star." Both the Amerindians and the Inuit of Alaska regularly crossed their domestic dogs with wolves, blurring the lines between wild and domestic dog. The coyote (a small North American wild dog) was a god and creator of humans and the Milky Way. Dogs were treated like family members and were accorded burial and mourning rites. In many Indian tribes, people were named as the father, mother, brother or sister of such-and-such a dog...
In Central and South America, like Indian deities have animal vehicles/companions, they have the nahuali or animal twin for each human and god. The twin of Quetzalcoatl, the god of goodness and light, is the dog god Xolotl who guides the dead and the Sun and is the personification of the planet Venus, the most important Mesoamerican planet/star. The great Chichimec dynasty of Mexico means "of dog lineage."
Among most Turko-Mongol and Siberian peoples, the wolf and dog hold a very high place. One of the legends is the descent of the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan from the wolf. Many Mongolians have adopted his tribal name Borjigin, "the blue wolf." Till today Mongolians believe that people reincarnate from dogs so one should never hit a dog. Genghis called his four great generals -- Zev, Subedei, Zelme and Khubilai -- the "dogs of war" a very honorable title among the Mongols. In Siberia, many people claim the wolf and dog as ancestors
Turkic people like the Kazakhs, Uygyrs and Uzbeks consider the wolf as the mother of all Turks. Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, is known affectionately as the "Gray Wolf."
The Tibetans also believe that dogs are closest to humans in reincarnation and that high lamas often reincarnate as dogs. Tibetans used dogs as holy temple guards or charms for monasteries. The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama kept dogs as pets and sent them as gifts to other kings. Two great sages in Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism were intimately associated with dogs -- Kukkuripa and Kukuraja.
Bau is one of the three main deities of the Sumerian pantheon and the goddess of physicians. She is portrayed as a dog-headed goddess of healing and life. Dogs, her sacred animals, are found at her temples. In the latter religion of Babylon and Assyria, the god Bel-Merodach, king of all heavenly gods, had four dogs named Ukkumu (Seizer), Akkulu (Eater), Ikšsuda (Grasper), and Iltebu (Holder).
In the Greek pantheon, Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, took the form of a wolf. Artemis was known as the "Wolf Goddess" and had a wolf on her shield. Both she and her Roman counterpart Diana were accompanied by dogs.
The Roman Goddess of death Hecate is closely linked with dogs. Her pet Cerebos, the three-headed dog, guards the entrance to Hades. Rome was built by Romulus and Remus, both suckled by a she-wolf who became the emblem of Rome.
The Norse supreme deity Woden (Odin) chose two wolves, Freki and Geri, as his companions.
Bhairava is a form of Shiva with dog companions. Khandoba, another manifestation of Shiva has the same attributes. These deities appear in Nepalese Buddhism as Yamantaka, a god who conquers death.
In Vedic literature Indra has as his companion Sarama. She gives birth to two sons, the Sarameyas, who become the companions of Yama, the lord of death.
In the Mahabharata the Pandava brothers and Draupadi set off on their final journey up the Himalayas. Ultimately only Yudhistira and his companion dog were left. As they neared the top, they were greeted by the god Indra in his chariot. The god bid Yushisthira board the chariot and the Pandava beckoned for his canine friend. Indra said that dogs were not allowed in his heaven. Yudhisthira said that he could not abandon such a faithful companion and declared he would rather stay on earth. Both were taken to heaven. Upon arriving the dog transformed into the god Dharma, the lord of the correct way of living.
Among Muslims the Saluki breed is proclaimed in the Koran no less as the "gift of Allah." The saluki was also known by such names as al-Hor "the Noble One," and al-Baraha "the Blessed One."
In China, from the Han Dynasty onward, dogs had royal status. The Emperor Ling Ti (156-189) bestowed royal titles to the palace dogs as imperial guards and viceroys. In fact, in the oldest known royal tomb -- that of Shang ruler Fu Hao (1250 BCE) in Anyang – archeologists found six dogs under the royal corpse. Stories about dog ancestors abound in the regions of China among the Hmong, Mien, Li, Shan, Shaka tribes of South China and northern Indochina . In the Mien version of this story, the Chinese emperor Pien Hung offers his daughter to anyone who can defeat the invader Emperor Kao Wang . The three-colored dog, Phan Hu, penetrates enemy lines and kills Kao Wang. Taking the emperor's daughter as his wife, they produce 12 children from which spring the twelve clans of the Mien.
In Africa, Nyambe, the Louyi creator god has a beloved dog. Nyamurairi, the supreme god of the Nyanga people of the Congo had a dog named Rukuba, who gave the gift of fire. The Yorubas have the dog-headed Aroui and Odudua, the mother goddess who is depicted with a dog, the animal sacred to her son, the war god Ogun. The deities Legba of the Dahomey and Nzassi of the Fjort have companion dogs. A number of tribes in West and South Africa claim a dog as ancestor including a prominent Bantu group in southern Africa . Other peoples who held such beliefs include the Kyrgyz, the Nicobarese, the Pomotu islanders, and groups in Myanmar , Papua New Guinea and Finland .
In the ancient Samoan religion, the dog was sacred the companion of many of the highest gods. The pan-Polynesian goddess Hina has dogs. In the Philippines , Kimat is the dog of the supreme god Kadlakan and is the personification of lightning. Among the Ifugao of the Philippines , the deities Wigan , Kabigat and Balitok all have dogs. The dog is considered sacred to Mithras the Persian god of the sun.
That the dog should have been elevated to high status by so many people throughout history should come as no surprise. The relationship between dogs and humans goes back a 100,000 years. It is believed that the domestication of the dog led to the domestication of other animals and was a turning point in the history of humans. To kill him is to kill your oldest and best friend.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.