The Harappan civilisation thrived in the Indus Valley 4,500 years ago, roughly around the time the pyramids were being built in Egypt. It is famous for its grid-like cities. Here, we find a seal of a man sitting in a yogic position, surrounded by wild animals. People have identified him as proto-Shiva and call it the Pashupati seal: Shiva's form surrounded by wild animals. But, in the Vedas, Pashupati is linked to domestic animals, not wild animals. So, is this Shiva? Or someone else. Few point to the possibility that this could be a Jain image of a Jina, conqueror of all passions.

Jain mythology comes to us from manuscripts that are 1,500 years old. Yet, they speak of an ancient time 84,000 years ago. These are fantastic timelines and they suggest that Jain thought was very old, some claim older than Ramayana and Mahabharata. The great Jain teachers were called Jinas or Tirthankaras. Each one was associated with an animal symbol. What is interesting is that four of the five animals on the Pashupati seal can be linked to these teachers. The goat with Kunthunath, rhinoceros with Shreyasnath, the elephant with Ajithnath and water buffalo with Vasupujyanath. Some argue it's not a goat, but a deer. In that case, it would be symbol of Shantinath not Kunthunath. The fifth animal tiger is an odd one out. Mahavira is linked to lion, not tiger.