Can anyone explain the Star of David on...

Rob_The_Pom

Humayoun's Tomb.

Here's a picture showing what I mean...

http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...500/ppuser/228

Anyone know why the Star of David is on the tomb?
Is it something to do with Akbar building his father's tomb? Akbar was well know for his multi-faith approach (and this is represented in his own tomb).
This is something that has fascinated and confused me for a long time!

Any ideas?

Cheers

Rob

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Arun

Most people are quite surprised to learn that the six-pointed star has been widely used as a singularly Jewish symbol for only about 200 years. The menora (candelabrum), on the other hand, has been a universal Jewish symbol for much of the history of the faith.

As Islam utilizes geometrical shapes in place of pictures of living things, the six-pointed star is a common fixture, alongside the eight-pointed star. Mughal architecture in India is full of these, as is Ottoman architecture in the Middle East.

Compared with the prevalence of swastikas in India (Ganesh, not Nazis) [see Judaism in India, this all makes for a distinctly Indian jumble!

Rob_The_Pom

Well, I'm always pleased to learn something new!
That's great, thanks Arun.

Clare Turland

Actually the star you are talking about is also on one of the entrances to the the Red Fort in Agra and is not the Jewish Star of David. Although looking the same, the star is actually a Hindu symbol that consecrates the union between the Shiva (male) aspect with the Shakti (female) aspect that makes up a whole. Similar to the yin and yang for the Chinese. The star is made of two triangles that intersect, one triangle denoting the Shiva part and the other, the Shakti part. Can't remember which is which though, one points down and the other points up. Hope that helps, there is always confusion around this symbol and the guides at these monuments have a variety of explanatory stories that perplex you even further!

Rob_The_Pom

Thanks! Now that's interesting as well, but if it's true it just increases the mystery. Why would Humayoun have a Hindu symbol on a Moghul tomb?
As far as I understand it, Humayoun didn't have the same sort of religious attitudes as Akbar.
I love this history lark!

xealot

Mormans also display this six pointed star on all their temples... there are probably many more religions that use this symbol for whatever reason.

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satory

hey, I got one on my avatar - image from tibetan thanka, mandala in the form of six-pointed star...
this symbol is really universal and yes - jews using it only for a couple of centuries

machadinha

To add to the above, sadly the references I have here are notoriously vague on the subject. Wikipedia's entries seem likewise underdeveloped: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagram , although if you read on under the "Star of David" entry it has quite a bit to say on its Jewish history & use.

From the Wordsworth Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions:

This still tells us precious little about its use in Islam or other religions; Idries Shah's otherwise excellent Oriental Magic is silent on the subject as such,* as is Robert Graves's The White Goddess. My guess would be that as suggested above it has to do with the Islamic penchant for geometrical patterns, perhaps combined with folklore regarding its magical or auspicious properties that was so engrained as to pass virtually unnoticed.

*Shah mentions them in his The Secret Lore of Magic however but confusingly refers to them as pentacles (mostly in connection to Solomon, unsurprisingly), strictly speaking pentagrams but by extension any similar figure including the hexagram. I suspect a search along these lines in books of esoteric or occult reference might produce more results.

I have heard of the Hindu explanation mentioned above, with the feminine being the downward-pointing triangle I believe, not that it matters all that much I think (well it might to active followers). I suspect this is how it shows it up in most yantras; it would be interesting to know what relation this in turn might bear or not to certain Tibetan esoteric beliefs as hinted at above.

Anyway before we open up a can of worms of occult inferences here...

Quite

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Maheswara_shishya

This is just a guess but I suppose the Tibetan Buddhists adopted the star from the Bon Tribal religions which in turn adopted it from Hindu cultures in india or maybe directly from Nepal. Thats just a crazy guess. Most of the tibetan buddhist "theistic"(I say theistic because Theravada Buddhism, which seems to be the most popular world wide is an aethistic/voidest or shunyavadin tradition, supposebly direct from Gotama)teachings were adopted from the Bon tradition as well as Mahayana buddhism.

Paagla Dashu

RTP,

Thats because the tomb of Humayoun was built by Akbar after his death.

And the star is indeed an important Hindu symbol - also used by Aurobindo Society iin Pondicherry.

machadinha

Hmm I've been following your posts on which religion took precedence over which and I can't say I agree out of hand or find your views wholly unprejudiced (esp. your distinctions between Gautama Buddha and whatever other Buddhist origin if I understood you correctly, I don't think any Buddhist authority nor any historian that I know of follows this point of view. That is to say no one will contest that Buddhism originated as a reformist movement within Hinduism, which is something else than to say it is a Hindu school that, or parts of which, had nothing to do with the Buddha. But maybe I just understood you wrong.)

If you're saying though both Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism derived from more ancient beliefs, including the Bon religion at least in the Tibetan case, this is widely believed to be the case yes.

machadinha

nb One interesting possibility as to the belief in the hexagram's magical properties is in one of Wikipedia's links:

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MagicHexagram.html

If this were known at the time it wouldn't be the first symbol to have been declared "magical" for its "hidden" meanings.

bijapuri

13 posts, and all we got is hot air . . .
it remains a mystery

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Paagla Dashu

No it does not.

If we are talking about Humayun's tomb - then read this

"Humayun's tomb is known as the first example of the monumental scale that would characterize subsequent Mughal imperial architecture. Commissioned, it is believed, by Humayun's senior widow, Haji Begam, or by her son Akbar, the tomb is the first to mark the grave of a Mughal emperor; Humayun's father Babur, who founded the dynasty, had requested out of piety that he be buried in a garden. Humayun's Tomb is now one of the best-preserved Mughal monuments in Delhi. .............................. .............................. .............................. ............

Although the architect of the tomb was 'imported' from Persia, it has been observed that the distinctly Indian aspects of the tomb, such as the Hindu chattris (domed pavilions) that surround the central dome, set Humayun's tomb firmly in the Indo-Islamic tradition that was already emerging at the time. "

Also this

"The tomb's formal symmetry recalls Persia, and the bulbous dome is pure Islamic, covered in the native white marble instead of Central Asia's brilliant azure tiles. But the roof is crowned with small domed kiosks from Indian tradition; the star motifs and finials with inverted lotus are familiar Hindu designs; and the facade is covered with Delhi's distinctive red sandstone."

About Akbar's tomb in Sikandra:

Four kilometer from Agra is the mausoleum of Akbar. Construction of this beautiful monument was started by Akbar himself . This structure has a perfect blending of Hindu, Christian , Islamic, Buddhist, Jain motifs. The blending is much like Deen-e-Ilahi, a new religion started by Akbar. But Akbar died before his mausoleum could be completed and his son Jehangir completed it.


The STAR or the Hexagram
"A hexagram is a six pointed star composed of two overlapped triangles, found in use by a number of faiths and cultures. Outside of the cross and the swastika, the hexagram is one of the oldest and most universal spiritual symbols.

It is associated with the Biblical Solomon, known as the Star of David in the Jewish religion.

In Ritual Magick, the hexagon is called the Seal of Solomon, and represents Divine Union, being composed of a female, watery triangle, and a male, fiery triangle. The traditional elemental triangles of earth, air, water, and fire are derived from the seal.

When the points of a hexagram are connected, a hexagon is formed. Kabbalistically, the hexagram represents the Sefirah Tifaret, perfection.

Hindu Shatkona

In the Hindu religion, the hexagram is called the Shatkona, and is equivalent to the symbolism in ritual magick. The Shatkona is the combination of the Shiva kona (trikona, triangle), the symbol of the God Shiva, representing the element of fire, and the Shakti kona, representing the element of water. Together, they represent the union of male and female, and the heart chakra."

Rob_The_Pom

I was always under the impression that it was commissioned by Humayoun's wife, rather by Akbar.
Wouldn't this have been before Akbar's 'multi-faith' period though? As far I can recall it was as his reign progressed he started becoming more interested in blending multiple faiths.

I'm generally prepared to go with the simpliest explanation, and that so far seems to be the Islamic love of geometric design, and it being a good luck symbol.

Still, I don't suppose we'll ever actually know the answer!

Cheers all,

RTP