History Mystery :The Vulva Rock Cuts

 

      You may think I am writing about an obscene topic or obscene word but not so, the word cunt or valva is a mythical word in the ancient times. In A dictionary of Slang, Eric Patridge notes that cunt was once part of the Standard English but after 15^th century this term has been avoided owing to its strong sexuality to polite the English. Cunt is the implication of Oriental goddess in Sanskrit Kunti, Kundra or Cunti means the Yoni of the universe (Indian readers please do remember the name Kunti Devi in the great epic Maha baratham). There are various entomology and disputes in it but it simply means the Power of Female or Female Potency. Though we can talk about this more; this much is enough.  So simply saying the cunt symbolizes the female power. Let us keep it in mind and precede our journey to pre historic period.

         In Europe,Africa ,America and Australia we can find the Inscriptions of  Cunt- Valva signs in the rock shelters, boulders and stone blocks. In Spain the Vulva signs are painted at Tito Bustillo and finely carved reliefs are available at Roc-Aux-Sorciers in France. The vulva petro glyphs are found in La Ferrrassie in the Dordogne in France. Most of them are carved on stone blocks. One of the carving has sculptured animal head on one side and a high relief vulva on the other side. And one more boulder has a vulva prominently placed under the animal’s belly.

         Abrigo do Sol (means Sun Shelter) a Brazilian site, a group of vulva incised rocks tells you a different story. Both sides of the stones have markings and deep gouges, some of which were used for tools sharpening and millings. And others for the animist custom of grinding out rock dust for ritual use. Some of the rock cut vulva have various symbols of solar signs, foot prints etc. According to the Wasusu people these signs are “tokens of the long vanished women’s” (remember the women were the warrior s by that time and they were in memory of that killed warrior women long ago.

          One of the ancient rock shelters in Australia has varieties of deeply engraved vulvas.  A thick cluster of vulvas has engraved on the rock faces in California. In Northeastern Thailand Vulvas are scooped out of the stone in a cave painted in vivid crimson, they appear among the myriads of shapes and lines. The Mesolithic period rounded vulvas encircled by concentric circles appear on a rock wall in the South west China as a Imprints of the maternal worship. In a rock wall in Algeria depict a woman lifting her arms in a ceremonial stand; a line is drawn from her vulva to a hunter raising a bow and arrow. In Easter Island vulvas are superimposed on bird man petro glyphs at the ceremonial centre, and the vulva motif is the single most prevalent design on the Easter Island.  More than 500 were recorded.

          In Bolivia a deeply carved around thirty vulvas are there and people s offer respect to the Salt mother before taking holy bath in the water. In the Cave of the Holy Spirit, the vulvas, lines and animals are painted and people maintain the sacredness even now.

            In Nilachal Hill in Assam there is one famous shrine of vulva in the cave of Kamakhya. It is famous all over North India as a Devi Pitham where the yoni of Shakthi devi fell to the earth. Inside the grotto, a natural stone vulva is watered by a spring. During the monsoon the rainwater flush through and the water turns to red   symbolizes the menstruation of the women. Inside the cave the men are forbidden and the women celebrate the mysteries; dance to the drums and blowing the conch until the power of the Shakthi Devi descends in the middle.

                 In the Neolithic period the free standing sculptures were made. The most adorned one is a curvilinear vulva and another fish faced woman placing a claw like hands beside her vulva with the traces of red ochre.

   

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