Removing The Sheen From Buddhism

[Bodhi]

<<<"Furthermore, the very sitting posture of the Ayyappan deity is suggestive: almost every Buddhist image anywhere, including those sometimes unearthed in the fields of Travancore by farmers, is in sitting position. Whereas practically no other deity in Kerala is in that posture." The argument is absurd.>>>



Of course this argument is absurd. If sitting posture is any indicator, what should spring in one's memory is the image of famous sindhu valley seal pre-dating any bauddha imagery by several centuries:





Another version of the SV image should come to mind where the deity is surrounded by vyAghra and other creatures, to compare it with the popular imagery of ayyappa with several vyAdhra-s around him.



And if his association with the slaying of mahiShI is considered, this SV one becomes even more interesting:





More Pashupati proximity rather than Buddha!



By the way don't we know that even the pashupati shrine was taken over by bauddhas and then reclaimed by the pAshupata-s -- evidence of both occurances abound at that shrine itself.