The Shiva Hypothesis (fwd)

[P. Cooper]

On Mon, 9 Mar 1998, S Krishna wrote:

> In the Grand Canyon, aren't there formations or mountains that have been
> named after Vishnu and Brahma in addition to Siva? As usual, all
> corrections are welcome.

You're right - I know of one ridge/mountain that is named Brahma temple.
I wouldn't be surprised if there were other features of the canyon with
Indian names.  However, let me clarify why I didn't include such names in
my earlier posting.

Visnu schist and Zoroaster granite are not just names for particular
outcroppings of rock, they represent entire strata, identifiable by their
location within the overall stratigraphy of the canyon and their
characteristic metamorphic composition. This broad sense is what I meant
by the term 'formation'.  Whereas Brahma Temple is the name of one
mountain made of different types of sandstone; Visnu schist and Zoroaster
sandtone are what they are, wherever they might be found within the
canyon.  Since the tpoic being discussed on the list had to do with
scientific names of Indian origin, I thought it relevant to bring up
Visnu schist (and Zoroaster granite) as geological terms.  The issue of
geographical or topographical names of Indian origin outside of India is
another interesting question, but for now I'll leave that to others to
pursue.

Sorry for any confusion,
Paul Cooper