Unicorn of the Indus Valley Civilization in Epics and Mythologies: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In this piece of research, an attempt is made to show whether there is a relation in between the unicorn, a single-horned male bovine of the Indus valley civilization and mythological characters like, the Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, Ekaśṛṅga, Isisiṅga, dīptaśṛṅga and nidhiśṛṅga which are depicted in the Vedic and Buddhist literature. There is a bundle of controversies about the scepticism of the single-horned bull of the Indus valley civilization, which may not be easy to decode completely without deciphering the Indus inscriptions. Few scholars have attempted to scout the link between the Indus valley civilization and the Vedic and Buddhist mythologies, as there may be a connection between the unicorn of the Indus Valley Civilization and the above-mentioned mythological characters.