Age of the Veda ...

[S.Kalyanaraman]

Michael Witzel <witzel at FAS.HARVARD.EDU> wrote:
> And D. K. Chakrabarti long ago (1973?, 1977 ) pointed out that iron emerges>
first in the Vindhyas (note the Munda Asur smiths even today), and not from>
the west (Caucasus, Iran). Cf. Erdosy in Allchin 1995 p. 83. Note, however,>
Pirak.

I want to raise another issue in a different cultural-language context. Is it
true that the Avestan word for 'god' is baga? If so, is this related to
Old Slavic bogu 'god' or to para-Munda word: bon:ga?

In Santali, bon:ga means: the sp;irits whom the Santals worship as a demon; to
sacrifice to a bon:ga; bon:ga also means a lunar month; bon:ga saranjam = the
materials of sacrifice and offerings.

How far west can the para-Munda be traced philologically?

Kalyanaraman

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