Donkeys, Dravidians, and Dravidian Triumph

Mules were imported from Persia, Arabia, and Sindh, and were favored by the affluent for riding

Dr. J Ravikumar Stephen G.

During my visit to Pakistan in 2003, I was astonished to encounter carts drawn by donkeys. However, upon delving into historical context, it becomes apparent that donkeys hold significance within Dravidian culture.

In ancient Tamil literature, references are made to businessmen employing caravans (சாத்து – Cāttu) of carts drawn by both donkeys and oxen. The Sangam Tamil literature, particularly the ‘Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai’ (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை), provides insight into the transportation methods of the time. It describes how black peppers were bundled to the size of jackfruits and transported on the backs of donkeys by international traders. The following is the reference:

“தடவுநிலைப் பலவின் முழுமுதற் கொண்ட

சிறுசுளைப் பெரும்பழம் கடுப்ப மிரியல்

புணர்ப்பொறை தாங்கிய வடுவாழ் நோன்புறத்து

அணர்ச் செவிக் கழுதைச் சாத்தொடு (caravan of donkeys) வழங்கும்

உல்குடைப் பெருவழிக் கவலை காக்கும்

வில்லுடை வைப்பின் வியன் காட்டி” (பாடல் 77)

Furthermore, mules (அத்திரி) were imported from Persia, Arabia, and Sindh, and were favored by the affluent for riding. They were exclusively utilized for personal transportation rather than the carriage of goods, earning them the moniker ‘Royal Vehicles’. An example can be found in an ‘Akanāṉūṟu’ (அகநானூறு) poem dating between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD, which depicts a Paravar (பரவர் – pearl fisher / merchant) journeying in a mule-drawn cart from the port of Koṟkai (Kapadapuram) to the City of Koṟkai. The lines read as follows:

கொடுநுகம் நுழைந்த கணைக்கால் அத்திரி (mule)

வடிமணி நெடுந்தேர் பூண” (பாடல் 350).

Poem number 343 suggests that donkeys were utilized for traveling in countries with rugged terrain. The lines are as follows:

நெடுஞ்செவிக் கழுதை குறுங்கால் ஏற்றைப்

புறம்நிறை பண்டத்து பொறை” (அகநானூறு- பா.343)

The 2000-year-old Sangam Tamil literature and Kharavela’s Hathigumpha inscription _(refer to the 2nd image)_ found in the Indian State of Odisha share an intriguing coincidence. When kings conquered new territories, a peculiar custom prevailed: they would demolish towns and till the land using donkeys. This practice was widespread across India. Poems 392 from the Sangam literature ‘Puṟanāṉūṟu’ (புறநானூறு) and 25 from ‘Patiṟṟuppattu’ (பதிற்றுப்பத்து) recount instances where Pandya king Muthu-kudumi Peuvazuthi, local chieftain Pokuttezini, and Cheran Selkezu Kuttuvan emerged victorious over their adversaries and employed donkeys to plow their conquered lands.

Development of Horse Drawn Chariots

In Western Eurasia, from as early as 3500 BC, goods were predominantly transported by heavy vehicles equipped with disc wheels, pulled by bovids. Throughout the third millennium BC, nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists of the Yamnaya Culture and subsequent Catacomb Culture utilized such four- and occasionally two-wheeled vehicles across the Eastern European Steppe. Around 2000 BC, a cluster of settlements, some heavily fortified, emerged within the Sintashta-Petrovka cultural complex between the Southern Trans-Urals and northern Kazakhstan. This period witnessed a diversification in transportation methods, marked by the introduction of light, two-wheeled carts with spoked wheels, drawn by domesticated horse teams. Initially documented in cemeteries at Sintashta moglia (or Sintashta SM), Krivoe Ozero, or Kamennyj Ambar-5 (KA-5) of the Sintashta-Petrovka cultural complex, these vehicles, initially designed for human transport rather than cargo, underwent significant transformations to evolve into horse-drawn chariots during Eastern Europe’s Middle Bronze Age (2500–1800 BC).

Archaeological evidence of early chariots around the turn of the second millennium BC is found in three primary Old World regions: the ancient Near East including its Bactrian periphery, the Central Eurasian Steppe, and the Carpathian Basin. Through examination of archaeological, stratigraphic, and radiocarbon data concerning early chariots and the utilization of horses as traction animals, the Sintashta Culture emerges prominently in the Central Eurasian Steppe. This culture is particularly associated with the Kamennyj Ambar-5 kurgan cemetery, situated in Chelyabinsk Oblast, southern Russia.

Prior to the arrival of horse-riding aliens in India, donkeys held a distinct and esteemed position within Indian society. However, with the marginalization of local rulers by the invading Aryan forces, several significant shifts occurred:

1. After the establishment of Aryan kingdoms in India, Aryan rulers began to parade criminals in public to humiliate them by making them ride donkeys—animals that the Dravidians had once proudly regarded as cultural symbols. The criminals’ bodies would be painted with black and white spots and they were led in a procession. As a result, riding a donkey came to be viewed as uncivilized.
2. Initially revered as the vehicles of Indra and Agni in the Atharva Veda, donkeys later came to be associated with Jyeshta (Muthevi – மூதேவி).

Donkey Symbol of Dravidian Royalty

The association of donkeys and mules with royalty and kingship, initially observed in ‘Genesis’, is reiterated in subsequent passages such as the book of ‘Judges’. This symbolism is further underscored in later narratives, including ‘Samuel’, where we learn of David’s flight from Jerusalem following his son Absalom’s rebellion. In this account, Ziba provides two donkeys for the king’s household to ride upon.

In ‘Kings’ Chapter 10, we learn that in order to seek the wisdom of King Solomon, people presented offerings of silver, gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, according to a set rate year by year. Additionally, ‘Kings’ records that King Solomon possessed one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. Despite this, King Solomon chose to ride on a mule, following the example set by his father, King David, who also rode a6 mule. This deliberate choice symbolized Solomon’s lineage and continuity with David’s reign, as evidenced by David’s sons all riding on mules.

Just as in Tamil culture where owning donkeys was regarded as a symbol of prosperity, among the Israelites, the possession of horses and horse-drawn chariots was associated with their enemies.

From the narrative provided, it may be inferred that the Israelites (including the Jordanians and Arabs) belonged to the Dravidian ethnicity, while their adversaries were of the same race as Hitler.

During Jesus’ time, Israel was under Roman rule and governed by Herod the Great, who hailed from the Edomite lineage. Perceiving Jesus as a potential threat to his reign, Herod ordered the massacre of all male children under the age of two upon hearing of Jesus’ birth. To protect Jesus from this mass infanticide, his parents fled to Egypt.

All the invaders of Israel, beginning with the Assyrians and the Babylonians, followed by the Persians and the Macedonians (Greeks) under Alexander the Great, utilized horse-drawn chariots. The Romans similarly employed this mode of transportation.

Read: Debunking Myths: The Truth about Dravidian Identity and Aryan Invasion

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem posed an open challenge to Caesar, who had proclaimed himself the Son of God. Jesus entered the walled city of Jerusalem accompanied by those considered outcasts, who were typically forbidden from entering the city limits.

Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, *riding on a donkey, was not merely an impromptu decision, utilizing whatever animal was available. It was a carefully orchestrated plan with a distinct purpose. This act served as an overt challenge to the dominant invaders. The choice of a donkey or mule, traditionally associated with peaceful rule as the king’s mount, contrasted sharply with the horse, symbolizing warfare.

Riding on a donkey symbolizes royalty among the Dravidians, who espouse beliefs in the Citizenship of the World and equality from birth. This practice was observed by King David and continued by his son, King Solomon. Understanding this tradition sheds light on why Jesus also chose to ride on a donkey.

Hail to you on this blessed Palm Sunday,

Where jubilant Hosannas fill the air,

May joy and peace upon you stay,

As palms and praises everywhere declare.

Happy Palm Sunday to you, dear friend,

May blessings upon your path descend!

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Dr. J Ravikumar Stephen G., is the Founder, Dravidianism Revival Centre, Peace Coalition of the People of South Asia, and Sages of the New Covenant. He is also the Presiding Bishop of General Convention of the Episcopal Churches in Southern and South Eastern Asia.  The Dravidianism Revival Centre is located in Badlapur, Greater Thane Maharashtra, India. Emal: Peace.Evangelist@gmail.com