CRYPTODIMENSION ARTICLE :.

WAS THE YETI KNOWN IN ANCIENT INDIA?

  Posted May 30.03

From time to time there are reports of sightings of the Yeti or Migoo or "abominable snowman", an elusive mysterious man - like creature who roams around in the Himalayas. Why should it be abominable while minding its own business no one could explain, but the name has stuck.

There are reports of similar creatures in other parts of the world and local people have their own names and mythology. In Canada the corresponding gentleman is called Sasquatch, or Bigfoot for obvious reasons. Apart from Canada and the Himalayas, the Pamir range in Asia also is said to be the home of a huge apeman. (Almaty is said to be the nearest town)

A very old skin preserved in a Tibetan monastery , on lab analysis was found to be that of a mountain sheep. Yet villagers swear it exists and it is not a bear or large monkey . There are in fact three different types, they say, a small greyish one, a huge reddish one and another middle sized, highly intelligent creature. He can carry off a yak ( and sometimes men and women): doesn't like fire, but loves alcohol according to the sherpas, mountain people who live here.

It could be after all just a bear: a large monkey : or effects of chang/hash and lack of oxygen at high altitude too. It could possibly be a surviving Neanderthal man, or even the earlier H.erectus.

H.s. neanderthalensis, as is well known, were the ancestors of most europeans. (Neanderthal remains are found mostly in europe and some hybrid types in palestine - iraq area.) They looked quite similar to modern europeans, except a bit heavier, shorter and stronger. The older H.erectus was more apelike but slimmer, say scientists.

In ancient Indian accounts there are many references to creatures not quite human, but a degree less evolved. Some of the names are Yakshas, Pisachas, Rakshasas, Kinnaras, etc. Maybe one or more of the references are actually that of the Yeti or Bigfoot ?

To this day there are legends of Yakshis (female Yakshas) waylaying travellers in the Kerala forests who were first attracted , enticed and then killed by the Yakshis. But the description also says the these amorous ambushers have their feet turned inwards ---- obviously a reference to the habit of large apes "walking" on the knuckles of the forelimbs. ( Any traveller who was attracted got what he richly deserved anyway). But there was also a Yakkha or Jakkal tribe in south India, the Deccan and Srilanka too. So the Yakhshas of literature were most likely tribals living in primitive conditions and all sorts of legends must have got mixed up. Carvings of Yakshas, in Buddhist and Hindu temples are usually installed at entrances as a sort of guardian deity.

Another section of Yakshas were supposed to be guardians of fabulous treasures and their king was Kubera, the patron deity of the merchants of India. Incidentally Kubera's palace was in the himalayas.

The warlike Pisachas were supposed to be red in colour and gave the early settlers a very tough time in battles. They too were some forest tribe who seem to have developed a high culture of their own later. Their language called Paisachi was known for its literature but the works seem to have been lost. There is some evidence of Pisachas living to the north of kashmir. later on they were classified as crazy, bloodthirsty demons.

The Nishadas were supposed to be very short, black in complexion, very powerfully built and had red hair. This appears to be a pre - agricultural tribe. There is still a Nishada community in existence but it is not known for sure if they have any connection to the legendary Nishadas. The Rakshasas are known to several epics. They were cannibals and opposed the spread of the Aryans. They are specifically called non -human.

Indra had a friend ( or pet?) huge apelike creature called Vrishakaapi. (Mrs Indra wanted to beat the daylights out of him once because he tore all her clothes kept on the clothesline according to the rigveda)

The Vanaras are said to have been powerfully built monkeys (not human) and are very important in the Ramayana. The very popular deity Hanuman who assisted the ikshvaku prince Rama was a vanara. Perhaps this is a folk memory reference to Neanderthals? There are also references to beings called Gandharvas (celestial singers), Kinnaras ( centaurs), Apsaras(heavenly maidens who often visit earth and have nice ideas like swimming in lotus filled pools or lakes) and others .

((for further references you'll have to wade through the puranas, ramayana, mahabharata etc...all ancient and interesting legends of India and neighbouring places. Seems likely many of these stories are verry, very ancient--and seem to have a core of tribal people's traditions. They sound like straightforward, but garbled reportage, not "myth" so beloved of scholars. ))

In earlier times thick forests flourished all over India -- and in particular in the Deccan ( the Dandakaranya forest). Primates like the Yeti may have lived all over India . Since folk memory is persistent and generally correct, it is just possible one of the mythical beings mentioned may be a reference to Neanderthals or Homo erectus, primitive ancestors of today's human beings. It remains to be seen if the snowman is just a man or a far off cousin.

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