 |
|
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was depicted in Greek coinage as ram-headed, (Arabic: Zul-Qarnain 'Lord of Two Horns') indicating that he was regarded as a living deity while yet a man. Called in Arabic al-Sikandar or Iskandar, in pan-Indian context the Sikandar name and legend are equally associated with Indian wargod Skanda.
|
|
|
Since pre-Alexandrine times, god Skanda has been associated with Agni and his vehicle the ram. Detail of temple painting, Kiran, eastern Sri Lanka
|
|
| Al-Khadir (right) and companion Zul-Qarnain (al-Sikandar) marvel at the sight of a salted fish that comes back to life when touched by the Water of Life. "When Alexander sought he did not find what Khizr found unsought" (Sikandar Nāma LXIX.75). |
Scope:
Sixty years ago, the All-India Oriental
Conference published in its proceedings an article by N. Gopala Pillai
entitled "Skanda: The Alexander Romance in India". In it Gopala Pillai
argued that the Indian wargod Skanda is none other than the historical
Alexander the Great (4th century BC) deified. His loosely-reasoned
hypothesis, based upon circumstantial evidence and broad linguistic and
mythological similarities, cast the entire issue into disrepute. He argues,
for instance, that the Greek name Alexander entered West Asian
languages as al-Sikandar or Iskandar, which in turn was
rendered into Indian languages as Skanda the wargod. His
hypothesis has met with scholarly rebuke ever since.
This study surveys historical evidence from the career of Alexander the Great and then discusses how the historical Alexander of Macedonia evolved over the centuries into the al-Sikandar or Iskandar of pan-Asian legend and mythology, including scripture like the Holy Qura'n. An entire genre of epic literature arose known as the Alexander Romance which was immensely popular across much of Asia and which in turn had an impact upon geographically-distant oral and literary traditions such as that of the Quest for the Holy Grail of Western tradition.
Problems addressed:
The Alexander Romance is a
classic instance of the diffusion of mythic motifs and archetypes across
great spans of time and space. Considered in this light, history is not
mythology but it is a form of literature that gives rise to other
works of oral and written literature. Alexander, Iskandar and Skanda
survive in human memory as literary traditions which may be profitably
analysed and understood as parallel or intertwining streams of literature.
Methodology:
Gopala Pillai's early attempt to
understand Skanda and the Alexander Romance raised a fascinating and
long-ignored subject, namely: How do myths and legends arise and what
happens when they cross geographical, linguistic and cultural boundaries?
By examining Skanda, Iskandar and the Alexander Romance not as history
per se but as a living stream of evolving legend and literature,
this study restricts itself to issues and methods amendable to literary
criticism.
Sources of information:
Beginning with Gopala Pillai's 1937
article, this study re-examines the historical, linguistic, mythological
and literary evidence. Some fresh insights emerge from the writings of
scholars of religion and art history. Scriptures including the Holy Qur'an,
the Persian epic Iskandar Nama, and Indian epics and puranas are
also cited, along with the writings of modern scholars of religion and art
history.