Aum Namah Raghukul-shiromani Kaushalya-nandan Dashrath-putra Shri Raam
{I bow to Lord Rama, The Son-of Dashrath, Born-of-Kaushalya, Scion-of-the-Raghu clan}
Since the auspicious home-coming of Shri Raam is here, I thought of writing a post on my favorite Lord. As recognized by the Supreme Court of India, the existence of Shri Raam can not be decided only by historical or scientific evidence, it is a matter of faith to millions of people.
Yet, it is my effort in this post to analyze the historical and literary evidence pertaining to Lord Raam just as we did in the post on Lord Krishna {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}.
The primary source of life and journey of Shri Raam is the epic Ramayana composed by Maharishi Valmiki. The learned sage wanted to write an epic that would serve as an inspiration for generations to come, and highlight the ideals of human behavior in various roles assigned by the society.
Devarishi Narad, the spiritual mendicant of the Heavens, suggested to him to write about the life and times of Shri Raam, the doyen of the Suryavanshi clan and the most beneficient ruler the land had ever seen.
This acknowledgement is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan itself and is our first suggestion that the story was based on an actual historical figure. Ramayan itself declares that it belongs to the genre of Itihasa (History) and the only other two sacred books in that genre are the Mahabharat and the Harivamsha.
Yet, it is my effort in this post to analyze the historical and literary evidence pertaining to Lord Raam just as we did in the post on Lord Krishna {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}.
The primary source of life and journey of Shri Raam is the epic Ramayana composed by Maharishi Valmiki. The learned sage wanted to write an epic that would serve as an inspiration for generations to come, and highlight the ideals of human behavior in various roles assigned by the society.
Devarishi Narad, the spiritual mendicant of the Heavens, suggested to him to write about the life and times of Shri Raam, the doyen of the Suryavanshi clan and the most beneficient ruler the land had ever seen.
This acknowledgement is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan itself and is our first suggestion that the story was based on an actual historical figure. Ramayan itself declares that it belongs to the genre of Itihasa (History) and the only other two sacred books in that genre are the Mahabharat and the Harivamsha.
Other Literary Evidence for Rama
Besides Valmiki Ramayan (4th century BCE), many other scriptures also attest to Shri Raam's existence. Vishnu Puraan declares Rama as Lord Vishnu's seventh incarnation, and the Bhagavat Puraan, recounts the story of Lord Rama in the 9th Skanda and counts him amongst the 24 major incarnations of the Vishnu Tattva.
Mahabharat also mentions the story of Rama in the Aranyak Parva, Dron Parva and the Raam-opakhyan where its is narrated to the eldest Pandav,
Yuddhishthir. Shri Raam Avatar also finds place in the Harivansh and the Agni Puraan. Not only these scriptures from Hindu literature,
but Buddhist and Jain texts also record the story of Rama and mention it in
their own respective styles:
In Buddhism, Ramayan is present in the form of Dasarath Jatak, Dasrath Kathanak and Anamak Jatak, the first of which was composed in the 2nd century BCE. This version talks of Rama and Sita as siblings (which is a common symbolic imagery in early Buddhist literature to denote purity of a dynasty).
In Jain literature, Ramayan exists as the Padma Charita, Charitra Puran, Padmachariyam etc. where, Rama, Lakshman and Ravan represent the Baladev, Vasudev and Prati-vasudev concepts of Jain mythology respectively. Keepin with the Jain tradition of non-violence, it is Lakshman who kills Ravan and due to the use of violence, both go to hell while Lord Rama (known as Padma) goes back to heaven.
All these unrelated sources chronicling the life of Rama can not be false or fake.. There has to be SOME reason that ALL these diverse traditions decided to write about Shri Raam and share His life story! However, even with all this literary evidence, we do not have much archaeologically to help us in our endeavor like we did for Krishna in the post {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}, and the reason for that will be clear soon enough!
To illustrate my point, I share the following excerpts declaring the time of arrival of the 7th Avatar of lord Vishnu on our Planet:
Chaturvinshe yuge chapi vishwamitra pure sare |
Loke ram iti khyate tejsah bhaskaropam ||
Chaturvinshe yuge vats tretayaam raghuvanshaje |
Ramo naam bhavishyami chaturvhayu sanatane ||
On the basis of the given references it can be inferred that Shri Raam lived in the 24th Treta Yug. The Mahabharat further elaborates the exact timeline to the juncture of the Treta and the Dvapar Yugs:
Sandho tu samanupraptre tretayaam dwaparisya cha |
Ramo daasrathirbhutva bhavishami jagatpati ||
Now this is ground-breaking information people and I will tell you why!
We are currently in the Kaliyuga of the 28th YUGA CYCLE of the 51 st Day of Brahma. Hence Lord Rama was born not just Two Yugs ago but TWO YUGS plus THREE CHATUR-YUGS before present!!
THIS is why digging for archaeological data to corroborate the existence of Shri Raam would be futile. There is no way we could find any man-made artifacts after millenia as the scriptures put Shri Raam's period to be 18 million years ago! Even if we consider this duration to be in Deva Years, it comes to more than 40,000 years. {For relation between Deva and Human Years, check the page Kalchakra of this blog}
For the same reason, 7323 BCE or 5114 BCE as the birth years of Shri Raam can not be correct. Even though the dates were arrived at through a thorough analysis of Lord Rama's birth charts and have a very sound basis but based on what scriptures say, we have to make a correction in them.
These analyses done by Prof. Vartak and Pushkar Bhatnagar show that at a certain point in time, the planetary configuration mentioned at the time of Lord Rama's birth DID indeed exist and thus, the numerous astrological references in the Ramayan are not imaginary but refer to ACTUAL points in time.
A solution to the apparent mismatch of dates can be found if we realize that because of a phenomenon known as the 'Precession of Equinoxes', stars as visualized from Earth, regain the same positions every 26,000 years! Hence, this particular permutation of stars could belong to 5114 BCE + 26,000 or 26,000 years before that or the similar period before that or the one before and so on and so forth..
What is amazing is that even today the places related to Lord Rama, the stories, the Geographical co-ordinates of the cities mentioned etc. are still remembered in the Hindu tradition! Therefore, what we can still do is track and analyze this GEOGRAPHICAL evidence in the literary masterpiece of Ramayan and find out if they help us in our cause.
The Epic Battle between Forces of Good and Evil
{Image courtesy - Grant Morrison's 18 Days}
In Buddhism, Ramayan is present in the form of Dasarath Jatak, Dasrath Kathanak and Anamak Jatak, the first of which was composed in the 2nd century BCE. This version talks of Rama and Sita as siblings (which is a common symbolic imagery in early Buddhist literature to denote purity of a dynasty).
In Jain literature, Ramayan exists as the Padma Charita, Charitra Puran, Padmachariyam etc. where, Rama, Lakshman and Ravan represent the Baladev, Vasudev and Prati-vasudev concepts of Jain mythology respectively. Keepin with the Jain tradition of non-violence, it is Lakshman who kills Ravan and due to the use of violence, both go to hell while Lord Rama (known as Padma) goes back to heaven.
All these unrelated sources chronicling the life of Rama can not be false or fake.. There has to be SOME reason that ALL these diverse traditions decided to write about Shri Raam and share His life story! However, even with all this literary evidence, we do not have much archaeologically to help us in our endeavor like we did for Krishna in the post {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}, and the reason for that will be clear soon enough!
To illustrate my point, I share the following excerpts declaring the time of arrival of the 7th Avatar of lord Vishnu on our Planet:
Treta yuge chaturvinshe ravane tapseh shakshyat |
Ram dashrtathi prapiye sagane shakyamiyeewan ||
Ram dashrtathi prapiye sagane shakyamiyeewan ||
[Vayu Puraan 70.88]
Chaturvinshe yuge chapi vishwamitra pure sare |
Loke ram iti khyate tejsah bhaskaropam ||
[Harivansh 22.104]
Chaturvinshe yuge vats tretayaam raghuvanshaje |
Ramo naam bhavishyami chaturvhayu sanatane ||
[Brahmand Puraan 2.2.36.30]
On the basis of the given references it can be inferred that Shri Raam lived in the 24th Treta Yug. The Mahabharat further elaborates the exact timeline to the juncture of the Treta and the Dvapar Yugs:
Sandho tu samanupraptre tretayaam dwaparisya cha |
Ramo daasrathirbhutva bhavishami jagatpati ||
[Mahabharat 348.19]
Now this is ground-breaking information people and I will tell you why!
We are currently in the Kaliyuga of the 28th YUGA CYCLE of the 51 st Day of Brahma. Hence Lord Rama was born not just Two Yugs ago but TWO YUGS plus THREE CHATUR-YUGS before present!!
THIS is why digging for archaeological data to corroborate the existence of Shri Raam would be futile. There is no way we could find any man-made artifacts after millenia as the scriptures put Shri Raam's period to be 18 million years ago! Even if we consider this duration to be in Deva Years, it comes to more than 40,000 years. {For relation between Deva and Human Years, check the page Kalchakra of this blog}
For the same reason, 7323 BCE or 5114 BCE as the birth years of Shri Raam can not be correct. Even though the dates were arrived at through a thorough analysis of Lord Rama's birth charts and have a very sound basis but based on what scriptures say, we have to make a correction in them.
These analyses done by Prof. Vartak and Pushkar Bhatnagar show that at a certain point in time, the planetary configuration mentioned at the time of Lord Rama's birth DID indeed exist and thus, the numerous astrological references in the Ramayan are not imaginary but refer to ACTUAL points in time.
Alignment of Stars at the time of Lord Rama's birth
A solution to the apparent mismatch of dates can be found if we realize that because of a phenomenon known as the 'Precession of Equinoxes', stars as visualized from Earth, regain the same positions every 26,000 years! Hence, this particular permutation of stars could belong to 5114 BCE + 26,000 or 26,000 years before that or the similar period before that or the one before and so on and so forth..
What is amazing is that even today the places related to Lord Rama, the stories, the Geographical co-ordinates of the cities mentioned etc. are still remembered in the Hindu tradition! Therefore, what we can still do is track and analyze this GEOGRAPHICAL evidence in the literary masterpiece of Ramayan and find out if they help us in our cause.
Ramayan - The Adi-kavya
Numerous versions of Ramayan exist throughout the length and the breadth of the country and even outside its boundaries but the oldest of these is the Valmiki Ramayan and for our analysis, we will stick to the original as it is the most ancient and accurate one.
Let me begin with a very interesting anachronism mentioned in this version of the Ramayan. Sundar Kanda [4.27.12] states that Hanuman, on entering Lanka, sees FOUR-TUSKED elephants guarding the palaces of Ravan. These elephants are tall and imposing and have been trained to protect Lanka from invaders. A similar account is given by Trijata, the ogress guarding Sita ji in Chapter 27 of the same Kanda when she dreams of Lord Rama coming to Sita's rescue riding an elephant high as a hill and bearing four-tusks.
So what is so special about these accounts?? Well, fossil remains show that there were many steps in the evolution of the 'Modern Elephant' and there DID exist four-tusked ancestors of elephants in various shapes and sizes such as Trilophodon, Tetralophodon, Gomphotherium etc that survived from roughly 20 million years ago to 4 million years before present!
How in the world could Rishi Valmiki have known about the four-tusked ancestors of the modern elephant unless he had seen them himself or was told about them by Narad???
Let me begin with a very interesting anachronism mentioned in this version of the Ramayan. Sundar Kanda [4.27.12] states that Hanuman, on entering Lanka, sees FOUR-TUSKED elephants guarding the palaces of Ravan. These elephants are tall and imposing and have been trained to protect Lanka from invaders. A similar account is given by Trijata, the ogress guarding Sita ji in Chapter 27 of the same Kanda when she dreams of Lord Rama coming to Sita's rescue riding an elephant high as a hill and bearing four-tusks.
So what is so special about these accounts?? Well, fossil remains show that there were many steps in the evolution of the 'Modern Elephant' and there DID exist four-tusked ancestors of elephants in various shapes and sizes such as Trilophodon, Tetralophodon, Gomphotherium etc that survived from roughly 20 million years ago to 4 million years before present!
How in the world could Rishi Valmiki have known about the four-tusked ancestors of the modern elephant unless he had seen them himself or was told about them by Narad???
Four-tusked elephants mentioned in Ramayan lived millions of years ago!
This apparent anachronism, though not rock-solid evidence, is yet another point that puts us in a time frame closer to what the scriptures say. Another such account comes from the Yuddha Kaand of Ramayan [Verse 4.114] that mentions the moat around Lankapuri to be teeming with crocodiles, Makars, whales and Timingilas.
This last mentioned animal's name literary means - Whale-gulper which means this particular aquatic being was big enough to gulp down even large whales. Is such an animal even possible?? You would be surprised to know that the answer is yes! A giant shark known as the Megalodon did exist on the planet 16 to 2.6 million years ago quite close to our envisioned time period.
Let us now see what geographical evidence we can glean out of the masterpiece of Valmiki Ramayan that forms the foundation of cultural traditions right from India to the Far East and check whether the Ramayan contains accurate information or describes a make-believe land.
This last mentioned animal's name literary means - Whale-gulper which means this particular aquatic being was big enough to gulp down even large whales. Is such an animal even possible?? You would be surprised to know that the answer is yes! A giant shark known as the Megalodon did exist on the planet 16 to 2.6 million years ago quite close to our envisioned time period.
Timingila/Megalodon mentioned in the Ramayan
Let us now see what geographical evidence we can glean out of the masterpiece of Valmiki Ramayan that forms the foundation of cultural traditions right from India to the Far East and check whether the Ramayan contains accurate information or describes a make-believe land.
Geographical Evidence from Valmiki Ramayan
Ramayan (Travels of Rama) itself indicates a Geographical journey. The story begins in Ayodhya (The-Unconquerable-City), the center of power for the ruling Suryavanshi/Solar Dynasty kings.
Shri Raam's mother Kaushalya was from the kingdom called Koshala, which corresponds to the state of Chattisgarh of today. Sumitra was from Magadh (Bihar) while Kaikeyi was from above Gandhar, the kingdom called Kaikeya which is today's Waziristan.
The journey of Lord Rama to recover Sita ji covers the length and breadth of the country and Valmiki Ramayan is extremely correct Geographically.
Major Kingdoms of the sub-continent in Ramayan Times
The authenticity of Geography right from Gandhar to Sri Lanka can not be the result of imagination!
Before being judgmental, we should remember that this was in a time when the modern means of transport/communication/internet etc. were not available. It has to be based on actual witnessing of these places by either the
author or the one narrating the story to him, who in this case was Devarishi Narad.
Sites within India
Let us begin with Shri Raam's birthplace Ayodhya which although in dispute because of the political battle centered around it, can still yield a lot of information.
To begin with, we have to answer the million dollar question - did an ancient temple exist at the disputed site in Ayodhya? Indeed, before the demolition of Babri Masjid, there had been excavations around the temple precinct which gave indications of not one but many older temple foundations existing there.
The Imperial Gazetteer of Faizabad (1881) confirms the construction of three Moghul mosques at Ayodhya on the site of three celebrated shrines: Janmasthan, Swargadwar and Treta-ka-Thakur. Archaeological Survey of India tells us that Mir Khan (on Babar's orders) built the mosque at Janmasthan using many of its columns. The other two mosques were built later by Aurangzeb who was one step ahead of Babar in his zealotry.
From 1975 to 1980, the Archaeological Survey of India had under the guidance of Prof. B.B. Lal, unearthed (literally) as many as 20 black stone pillars, 16 of which formed the base of the 'Janmasthan Masjid' as it was called colloquially even then. The pillars were much bigger in size than those of the mosque and clearly belonged to a much more grand structure.
Check out the man on the left as reference for the size of the pillars
On further stratigraphic and other evidence, Prof. Lal also found a door-jamb carved with Hindu icons and decorative motifs of yakshas, yakshis, kirtimukhas, purnaghattas, double lotus flowers etc.
Excavation was resumed on July 2, 1992 by S.P. Gupta, Y.D. Sharma, K.M. Srivastava and other senior archaeologists barely six months before the demolition. Prof. Lal's southern trenches had missed a huge pit with 40 and odd sculptures just by 10 to 12 feet discovered by the team even though he DID get the pillar bases which others did not get later.
Excavations at Ram Janmabhoomi Sthal
The team found artifacts ranging from the 1st through the 12th century CE! These findings included religious sculpture, terracotta images from the Kushan period (100-300 CE) and a statue of Lord Vishnu. They concluded that these and other fragments such as the amakalas, or the cogged-wheel crown of the spire belonged to a temple of the North Indian Nagara style of Temple architecture (900-1200 CE).
The most important finding is what is known as the Hari-Vishnu Inscription written in 12th century CE Devanagari script. Line 15 of this inscription clearly tells us that -
A beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, was built with heaps of stones and beautified with a golden spire unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings... This wonderful temple was built in the temple-city of Ayodhya situated in Saketamandala.
Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali and the ten headed Dashanan, i.e., Ravan.
Hari-Vishnu Inscription from Babri Masjid excavation
Archaeology records at least two destructions: the FIRST in the 12th-13th
century; the SECOND in the 16th. This agrees well
with history and tradition that temple destructions followed the Ghori
invasions (after 1192 AD) and again in 1528 by Babar
who replaced temples at major Hindu pilgrimage sites with mosques.
Moving on, Sita ji was discovered by Janak in Mithila which now lies in Nepal. It forms a region shared by both India and Nepal and gives birth to the language known as Maithili. The place where the Goddess was found by Raja Janak in a furrow is known as Sitamarhi, and is still revered along with the nearby pond called the Janaki kund.
After their wedding, Shri Raam and Sita ji left for Ayodhya via Lumbini where we have an Ashoka Pillar from 249 BCE, with an inscription referring to the visits by both Rama and Buddha to Lumbini.
When they were exiled, Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita went to Shringverpur in Uttar Pradesh where they crossed the River Ganga. They lived on the Chitrakut hill where Bharat met and pleaded for their return. Thereafter, the three wandered through Dandakaranya in Central India, described as a land of Rakshasas and tribals.
After spending some time there, they reached Nashik, near river Godavari, and the region
throbs with sites related to the three Ayodhya-vasis. There is the place where they built their cottage known as Tapovan; Ramkund where Rama and Sita used to bathe, Lakshmankund, for the younger brother's
bathing area, and several other caves associated with their lives in the
forest.
Moving on, Sita ji was discovered by Janak in Mithila which now lies in Nepal. It forms a region shared by both India and Nepal and gives birth to the language known as Maithili. The place where the Goddess was found by Raja Janak in a furrow is known as Sitamarhi, and is still revered along with the nearby pond called the Janaki kund.
After their wedding, Shri Raam and Sita ji left for Ayodhya via Lumbini where we have an Ashoka Pillar from 249 BCE, with an inscription referring to the visits by both Rama and Buddha to Lumbini.
When they were exiled, Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita went to Shringverpur in Uttar Pradesh where they crossed the River Ganga. They lived on the Chitrakut hill where Bharat met and pleaded for their return. Thereafter, the three wandered through Dandakaranya in Central India, described as a land of Rakshasas and tribals.
The Journey of Lord Rama
Shri Raam, Lakshman and Sita ji inTapovan
The three then moved to Panchavati, near Nashik in Maharashtra, from where Ravan, with the help of his uncle Mareech, was successful in abducting
Sita ji. On the way to Lanka from Panchavati, Ravan was attacked by Jatayu but died a martyr's death. The place where this happened is in Andhra Pradesh and has a beautiful temple dedicated to Shiva and Jatayu's sacrifice is recorded in the name of the place - Lepakshi which in Telugu means 'Rise, bird' referring to his soul leaving the body when he breathed his last in the lap of Shri Raam.
Sita ji dropped her valuables all along the way that were gathered by the Vanars below and Shri Raam and Lakshman found those when they reached Kishkindha, near modern Hampi, where they first met Hanuman and then Sugriv, the exiled King of the Vanars. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site and Sugriv is described to have lived at Mount Rishyamukha on the banks of river Pampa (Tungabhadra). Anjanadri, near Hospet, is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman (Anjaneya).
Me at Lepakshi temple in Andhra Pradesh
Kishkindha, modern Hampi
The Vanar army led by Shri Raam, Sugreev, and Jambvant then reached
Rameshwaram, where they built a bridge to Lanka from Dhanushkodi on
the Rameshwaram Island to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. While parts of the RAMA-SETU are still visible, NASA had in the early part of this millenium photographed an
underwater man-made bridge of shoals in the Palk Straits, connecting India to Lanka.
The existence of Rama Setu had already been confirmed by several foreign travelers including the Venetian traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324), and British cartographers who prepared maps of the area in 1747, 1788 and 1804. The then Manual of the Administration of Madras Presidency mentions both the names Adam’s Bridge and Rama Setu. It also says that the Setu was used for pedestrian traffic between India and Sri Lanka right until 1480 when a major cyclone destroyed it!!
Accurate dating of this bridge can help us in finding an answer but since different studies have come up with different dates, I prefer not to mention them here. Let us now shift our focus to Lanka and try to find out whether there is any geographical location matching with the descriptions in Valmiki Ramayan.
Once Ravan had captured Sita ji, he brought her to the place today known as Weragantota in Lanka close to Mahiyangana town; and surprise surprise the meaning of this name in the Sinhalese language is a 'landing place for aircrafts'!!
According to the depiction of Pushpak Viman (which Ravan had snatched from his half-brother Kuber), it resembled a huge peacock. In Sinhala it is called the Dhandu Monara (flying peacock) and it is believed that Ravan had an aircraft repair center at Gurulupotha where Sita ji was first brought and quite fittingly, the name means "parts of birds". Right next to it is the Sita Kottuwa jungle in which once stood the city of Lankapura.
Ashok Vatika is the garden where Ravan is supposed to have held Sita ji captive and this is in the
area of Sita Eliya, close to the popular hill station Nuwara Eliya. The Sita Pokuna is a
barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle where Sita ji was kept captive and the
Sita Amman Kovil (Temple) is located here and I was fortunate enough to have paid it a visit last year :o)
About 50 Km from here is the Divrumpola Temple which is thought to be the place where Sita ji performed her ‘Agni Pariksha’. the name means 'a place for making a vow' and is seen inscribed in the moonstone guarding the Temple.
The summit of the mountain next to the Frotoft Tea Estate in Pussallawa is the place where Hanuman is believed to have first set his foot on Lanka! This mountain known as Pawala Malai stands between Ravan’s capital city and the Ashok Vatika.
The Sita tear pond is found en route by the chariot route, and is believed to have been formed by the tears of Sita devi. The forest is also colored with the famed Sita Flowers which are endemic to this area. The peculiarity of these flowers is the configuration of the petal’s, stamen and pistils, which resemble a human figure carrying a bow, and is said to represent Lord Rama.
_flower_buds_&_flowers_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3449.jpg)
Ella, a small mountain near Bandarawela, boasts of three locations linked to the Ramayan where, local legend dictates, Ravana hid Sita. First there is the Ravana Ella Cave situated in the massive Ella Rock. Then there is Ravana Ella Falls and a nearby pool bored out of the rock by the gushing waters. The tunnels in the Ravan cave believed to have served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as secret passages.
The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan and
Vibhishan’s palace was said to be on the banks of this river. Vibhishan is still considered one of the
four guardian deities of Sri Lanka, and temples for Vibishan are found
throughout Sri Lanka unlike that of Ravan.
There are many more spots connected to the Legend of Shri Raam and a complete list can be found at the following link - {Ramayana_sites_in_sri_lanka}.
Ravan, the Lord of Lanka, a mighty warrior, a learned pandit, the master of Three Worlds, the posessor of Amrit, was ultimately defeated by the hands of Shri Raam because in his hubris, he desired what belonged to the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself.
He sacrificed the lives of his brother, his sons and his entire army just to pander to his ego. Despite all his knowledge and erudition, he was not able to get a grip on his desires and lust which ultimately led to his downfall.
Shri Rama Setu connecting Shri Lanka to the Indian mainland
The existence of Rama Setu had already been confirmed by several foreign travelers including the Venetian traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324), and British cartographers who prepared maps of the area in 1747, 1788 and 1804. The then Manual of the Administration of Madras Presidency mentions both the names Adam’s Bridge and Rama Setu. It also says that the Setu was used for pedestrian traffic between India and Sri Lanka right until 1480 when a major cyclone destroyed it!!
The Bridge of Rama
Accurate dating of this bridge can help us in finding an answer but since different studies have come up with different dates, I prefer not to mention them here. Let us now shift our focus to Lanka and try to find out whether there is any geographical location matching with the descriptions in Valmiki Ramayan.
Sites in Sri Lanka
Once Ravan had captured Sita ji, he brought her to the place today known as Weragantota in Lanka close to Mahiyangana town; and surprise surprise the meaning of this name in the Sinhalese language is a 'landing place for aircrafts'!!
According to the depiction of Pushpak Viman (which Ravan had snatched from his half-brother Kuber), it resembled a huge peacock. In Sinhala it is called the Dhandu Monara (flying peacock) and it is believed that Ravan had an aircraft repair center at Gurulupotha where Sita ji was first brought and quite fittingly, the name means "parts of birds". Right next to it is the Sita Kottuwa jungle in which once stood the city of Lankapura.
Ramayan sites in Sri Lanka
The Sita Amman Temple near Nuwara Eliya
About 50 Km from here is the Divrumpola Temple which is thought to be the place where Sita ji performed her ‘Agni Pariksha’. the name means 'a place for making a vow' and is seen inscribed in the moonstone guarding the Temple.
The summit of the mountain next to the Frotoft Tea Estate in Pussallawa is the place where Hanuman is believed to have first set his foot on Lanka! This mountain known as Pawala Malai stands between Ravan’s capital city and the Ashok Vatika.
The Sita tear pond is found en route by the chariot route, and is believed to have been formed by the tears of Sita devi. The forest is also colored with the famed Sita Flowers which are endemic to this area. The peculiarity of these flowers is the configuration of the petal’s, stamen and pistils, which resemble a human figure carrying a bow, and is said to represent Lord Rama.
Sita flowers
_flower_buds_&_flowers_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3449.jpg)
Ella, a small mountain near Bandarawela, boasts of three locations linked to the Ramayan where, local legend dictates, Ravana hid Sita. First there is the Ravana Ella Cave situated in the massive Ella Rock. Then there is Ravana Ella Falls and a nearby pool bored out of the rock by the gushing waters. The tunnels in the Ravan cave believed to have served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as secret passages.
Ravana Falls in Lanka
There are many more spots connected to the Legend of Shri Raam and a complete list can be found at the following link - {Ramayana_sites_in_sri_lanka}.
Ravan, the Lord of Lanka, a mighty warrior, a learned pandit, the master of Three Worlds, the posessor of Amrit, was ultimately defeated by the hands of Shri Raam because in his hubris, he desired what belonged to the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself.
He sacrificed the lives of his brother, his sons and his entire army just to pander to his ego. Despite all his knowledge and erudition, he was not able to get a grip on his desires and lust which ultimately led to his downfall.
Lord Rama ready to unleash the final arrow on Ravan
{Image courtesy - Ramayana 3392 A.D.}
Outside India, the millenia old story of Rama is still sung by people all over Asia. While traveling to different countries in this part of the world, I have come across versions that are even older than the regional ones in India!!
- In China, collection of Jatak stories relating to various events of Ramayana, belonging to 251 AD were compiled by Kang Seng Hua based on the Buddhist texts mentioned earlier.
- Kumardasa, who ruled Srilanka in 617 BCE wrote the text called ‘Janakiharan’ which is the oldest Sanskrit literature available in Sri lanka.
- Oldest written version of Ramayana, in Nepal is from 1075 BCE.
- Yama Zatdaw in Myanmar is considered the National epic and is a Burmese version of the story of Rama which has again given theme to dance and art forms including tapestries and puppets.(In fact my Burmese friends even stressed that it is the true history of their land).
The retelling of Ramayana in Myanmar's National Epic
- Hikayat Seri Rama in Malaysia makes Dashrath the great-grandson of Adam, the first man! (which is not too far from the truth as both Dashrath and Manu, the First Man were from the Suryavanshi/Solar dynasty!),
- In the Phra Lak Phra Lam of Laos, Buddha is regarded as an incarnation of Rama (again not completely false as both are incarnations of Lord Vishnu!).
- Reamker, is the most famous story of Khmer Literature of Cambodia and is the source of classical dance, theater, poetry and of course the famous sculptures of Angkor Wat. Various rock inscriptions belonging to about 700 CE are also found in the Khmer region of Cambodia.
Ramayana depictions from Angkor Wat, Cambodia
- Maradia Lawana in the Phillipines is based on the Ramayana,
- Ramakavaca in Bali is a major source of moral and spiritual guidance for the island and forms the basic story line of Balinese traditional dance,
- Kakawin Ramayana in Java, Indonesia (9th century CE) is a mixture of Sanskrit and Kawi languages and is the basis of traditional Indonesian ballet and performances that are famous the world over.
Indonesian Ramayan Ballet
- Ramakien in Thailand is again considered the National epic and adds an element of incest to the story by making Sita the daughter of Ravan and Mandodari who is thrown away in the Sea as she is prophesied to bring destruction to Ravan's Kingdom!!
Thai Khon Dance based on the Ramayana
This Diwali, let us once again remember the story of the great personality that has influenced generations of humans and has survived over millions of years. I conclude this Deepawali post with the closing lines of the poetic rendition of Ramayan by Romesh C. Dutta:
"Mark my love," Rama told Sita, on the Pushpak car,
As the home-bound couple, left behind the field of war,
"Watch Lanka's
proud city below on the triple crest,
Like peaks of Kailash mansions where Immortals rest.
Like peaks of Kailash mansions where Immortals rest.
Mark the gory fields, where Vanars in their might,
Fought the charging Rakshasas, in the gory fight,
Where Indrajit
and Kumbha-karna, Ravan and chieftains,
Fell down in battle with their blood soaking the plains.
Fell down in battle with their blood soaking the plains.
See
my love, around the island how the oceans roar,
Hiding pearls among corals, strewing shells upon the shore,
Hiding pearls among corals, strewing shells upon the shore,
And
the causeway mighty, monument of our fame,
'Rama's Bridge' to distant ages shall our deeds proclaim!
'Rama's Bridge' to distant ages shall our deeds proclaim!
See
the rocky Kishkindha and her mountain-girdled town,
Where I slayed Vali, and placed Sugriv on the throne,
Where I slayed Vali, and placed Sugriv on the throne,
Watch the hill of Rishyamukh, where the Vanars first I met,
Gave them word - Sugriv will be king ere the Sun had set.
Watch the sacred Pampa by whose wild and echoing shore,
I poured lamentations, when I saw my wife no more,
I poured lamentations, when I saw my wife no more,
And
the woods of Janasthan where Jatayu fought and bled,
From where the deceitful Ravan, with my trusting Sita fled.
From where the deceitful Ravan, with my trusting Sita fled.
Dost
thou mark, doe-eyed Sita, the cottage on river bank,
Where in righteous penance, we laid down every plank,
Where in righteous penance, we laid down every plank,
And the mighty Godavari, with Saint Agastya's home of love,
Where holy men through holy duties sanctify the grove.
Where holy men through holy duties sanctify the grove.
Dost
thou, o'er the Dandak forest, view the Chitrakut hill.
Where the deathless bard Valmiki, lives in the crystal rill,
Where the deathless bard Valmiki, lives in the crystal rill,
Thither
came the righteous Bharat and my army came,
Longing to take us back to Suryavanshi's town of fame,
Longing to take us back to Suryavanshi's town of fame,
Dost
thou, devoted Sita, see the Yamuna in her might,
Where in Bharadwaj's ashram passed we, a happy night,
Where in Bharadwaj's ashram passed we, a happy night,
And
the broad and ruddy Ganga sweeping in regal pride,
Where forest-dweller Guha crossed us to the southern side.
Where forest-dweller Guha crossed us to the southern side.
Joy!
joy! gentle Sita! Fair Ayodhya looms above,
Ancient seat of Raghuvansh, Our Hope and our Love,
Ancient seat of Raghuvansh, Our Hope and our Love,
Bow,
bow, to bright Ayodhya! Dark did our exile roam,
But tonight our weary toil ends, in Suryavansh's ancient home!"
But tonight our weary toil ends, in Suryavansh's ancient home!"
Jai Shri Raam and Happy Diwali :o)
Let there be Light
.
Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:
.
Just Great! The insights are really wonderful. Actually everyone has heard the Ramau=yan story, but very few of us have got that burning desire to unearth the truth.
ReplyDeleteReally nice.
Thanx a lot Ritesh :) I hope with this post I can make people more aware of the historicity of this Adi Kavya!
DeleteGreat Work again Buddy!! You provided good insight into the life history of Lord Ram. I have a doubt. You mentioned that Lord Ram was born 2 chatur yugas back and after every chaturyuga pralay occurs. If so how could creations like Ram Setu exist even after pralay.
ReplyDeleteWell thanx a lot Phaneendra.. I had my doubts too as to how these structures could still be existent but then, we forget it was a divine creation! Just as the entire landmass on this planet is still existing even after millions of years, there is no reason why the Rama Setu shud not still be p[resent as it is the creation of the same Lord :)
DeleteCan't it be that this is not a divine creation and instead valmiki was an avid traveler. In his travels, whatever he saw, he made them the part of this epic.
DeleteI have just one thing to say to ur argument brother which is a very apt Hindi proverb.. Na maano to patthar, Maano to Bhagwaan :)
DeleteThanx a lot Vineet.. I came acorss some articles on internet about Rameswaram and some suggest that some of the rocks were taken out in order to test the fact, whether they float on water or not.Is it true
DeleteI have heard of it too buddy but dont know abt the veracity of it..
DeleteI have visited rameshwaram where i saw the big stones of size pumpkin floating on water, they still exist. if you visit rameshwaram you can ask the guide to take you to the place where the stones are preserved.
DeleteWill do that for sure.. Jai Shri Raam :)
DeleteAfter many speculations, there are still unsolved doubts and mysteries revolving around Lord Rama. Salinity of water and its level also plays an important role in determining the exact period of Lord Rama's reign. When the construction of sethu was taken place, it just took 3 days to complete it and those stones are sailing on water. Now, the same stones are sunken down due to the increase in water level and salinity over years. This says that, Ramayan happened more earlier (probably, 1.7 to 1.75 lac yrs) than what scientist estimated. Nice post Vineet. Keep posting, Best wishes from Lord Krishna and Wish you and your family advanced Deepavali wishes......... :)LK
ReplyDeleteThanx a lot Nandivada.. the date suggested by you falls close to the estimated time of the 24th Treta Yuga :) I hope we can get some more scientific estimate of the Rama Setu's historicity as it can unlock another riddle in the mystery of Shri Raam's timeline..
DeleteWish u and ur family a very Happy Diwali too!
what a wonderful explanation with respect to modern time by you, i want to ask a question how 1.7 to 1.75 lakh years is equivalent to 24 treta yug as one chatur yug is alone of 43.2 lac years
DeleteMy apologies.. While commenting I was thinking of millions not lakhs :)
DeleteWhat a significant and amazing post Vineet ... And so well written .... Thank you still reeling with the knowledge ...
ReplyDeleteNo worries Nidhi Singh Sharma.. its gud to get positive feedback and m glad u liked the post :)
DeleteFantastic ! as always!
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton bro :)
DeleteThanks a lot for the insights. Its a great post. I am a regular reader of your blogs. I always believed there is science behind our religion. You are doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteHappy Diwali.
Thanx Gaurav for the kind words!
DeleteWish u a very Happy Diwali :)
You are really blessed with the insight and power to form beautiful sentences with amazing beads of words :-) hats off, congratulations. Keep doing good work
ReplyDeleteThanx drparitosh.. nothing is mine... its all the guidance and blessings of Lord.. wish u and family a very Happy Diwali :)
DeleteWonderful information, unfortunately we believe in Aryan Invasion theory which is actually the imagination of British people, but we dont search for evidence for the thing which actually existed. Pathetic
ReplyDeleteI agree Paritosh.. we shud focus our energies on finding evidence for our ancient civilization scientifically rather than waste time on crazy hypothesis floated by foreigners
Deleteश्री धनतेरस और श्री दीपावली की आप सभी मित्रों को हार्दिक 'बधाइयाँ' - स्वीकार कर, अनुग्रहित करे ! सभी मित्रों की 'पोस्ट्स' और 'कॉमेंट्स' पढ़-पढ़ कर - लगातार जो अमुल्य 'प्रभु-सत्संग' प्राप्त हो रहा हैं, सभी को बहुत-बहुत आभार !
ReplyDeleteश्री प्रभुजी विजयते !!
Aapko bhi SHyamlata ji :)
DeleteHappy Diwali!
Vineet, I am very impressed with your website and your knowledge of the history of India. I enjoyed reading every bit of it. I also believe you are very correct in nearly all of your theories regarding the origins and the realities of Hindu Deities. Comparative Religions and Mythologies have been my course of study for over 50 years, so I can understand well your enthusiasm about the same thing. You are a very bright young man and I have no doubt that you are creating a wonderful and successful path for your future - and you are doing it within the limitless horizons of the most incredible Religion on this planet. I am delighted to know you :)
ReplyDeleteOh man thts a huge compliment! Thanx so much Mr. Din Parsons and yes its always a pleasure to find a fellow enthusiast :) would be great to get some learnings from u..
DeleteDoc, it is sure a great read. Great work..
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton buddy.. wish u a very Happy Diwali :)
Deleteamazing read I must say Vineet & thank you so much for sharing it with me.. :-):-) Happy Happy Happy Diwali to you and to your family.... god bless
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton @asha for the kind words.. wish u a family a fantabulous Diwali too :)
DeleteA inspiring and interesting blog...great job!!!
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton :)
DeleteHappy Diwali!
Hi........I am a med student in LTMMC, Sion
ReplyDeleteThis article is an outstanding piece of work. Its evident that you have done a lot of research to compile all this data. Thanks for your small but precious contribution to bring about the true meaning behind our Hindu philosophy
Happy Diwali and cheers!!
Thanx Srinivas for the kind words :) Wish u a very Happy Diwali as well!
Deleteawesome read! thanks for sharing.. :)
ReplyDeleteand happy Diwali to u and ur family... :)
@Amrit, the pleasure is all mine :)
DeleteHappy Diwali to u n family too!
Truly amazing!!! A must read... well written
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton @Priyanka :)
DeleteHappy Diwali
the part which i liked the most is birth of Lord Rama on a specific day of year and the constellations of those stars repeats again after 26,000 years ...just amazing... astrologically and astronomically the birth of shri Rama is real and not myth...the planets SUN,MOON,VENUS,JUPITER AND SATURN where exalted on that day......thanks Vineet for this article.....i request you to right about Lord Krishna and lost kingdom of Dwarka which has been discovered by Scientists ....and please enlighten us about it in more scientific the way you have done here...thanks again
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Vishal :)
DeleteI have already posted articles on both these topics.. u can check the following links:
http://decodehindumythology.blogspot.in/search/label/Krishna%20-%20The%20Historical%20Enigma
and
http://decodehindumythology.blogspot.in/search/label/Quest%20for%20Dwarka
I'd like to bookmark your blog so that i can get ur updates.
ReplyDeletePlease by all means :)
Deletethank u for information
ReplyDeleteand
HAPPY DIWALI
Ur more than welcome Akshay.. wish u a very Happy Diwali too :)
DeleteGood research and work :)!
ReplyDeleteHappy Diwali :D!
Thanx a lot Manan.. Happy Diwali :D
DeleteAbsolutely marvelous!!! Simply superb!!! Awesome work man!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanx Kalyan Tej for ur kind words :)
DeleteGood to know some one in this age being so good at our mythology. I really appreciate your work. Good collection of our real God who lived on sacred land. Its Just Great..!!
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Bharat
Well it has been a hobby since my childhood :) m glad i can share it with others here.. thanx a lot for visiting :)
Deleteloved reading it!!!gotto to knw mny thngs..fabulous work!!!
ReplyDeletejai sri ram..happy diwali :)
Thanx @Bhavani for d appreciation :)
DeleteJai Shri Raam and Happy Diwali to u as well!
Hello Brother HAPPY DIWALI :)........I am from punjab and i have seen much fiction in hindu religion.Like Ravan had ten heads,vishnu had four Arms..and all those flying vehicles and animals was at that time they had technology to make flying vehicles.....
ReplyDeleteWell for u it might be fiction bro but for me it smells like science :)
DeleteMan, You are doing a great job and so well written.I am overwhelmed after reading this article.This is my first time on your blog,and its completely appreciable.Now, One more reader will be added. Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful information.Stay blessed.
ReplyDeleteWish u and your Family a very Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year.
Ahh man m starting to get embarrassed now wid all this appreciation! Thanx nevertheless for visitng and taking time out to write :)
DeleteWish u a very Happy Diwali and New Year too!
i felt awesme reading this ancient things thanx a lot for the info dude thanx a lot
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure is completely mine Sai Samrat :)
DeleteAwsome!!!! No words To Express.... :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I dont hv words enough to thank u :)
Deleteawesome Post man .. really liked you r blog and specifically this post ... i had no idea first i thank the friend who posted your link on facebook and then i thank you
ReplyDeleteWell i need to thank you and your friend both too! Thanx for visiting Roshan and for showing interest :)
DeleteThis is an amazing work....thanx for providing logical explanation to mythology....but i would like to know that why there r differences between different ramayan(i mean between valmiki and tulsidas)
ReplyDeleteThanx Binit.. the difference is there not only between these two versions but also the other ones.. that is bcoz Valmiki Ramayan is the original composition while others are derived from it.. wid changing times and societal norms, all these versions take up a different stance for the same events and at others add/delete certain sections
DeleteI really feel proud to have such an old and rich culture. Hinduism is not only a religion but its a lesson one should go through. I am thankful to you for this post, it was informative and interesting as well. The text and images are so impressive, that it will certainly be in mind for ever. Fabulous effort and Well done!!
ReplyDeleteThanks again :)
Thanx Ravi for such a beautiful comment.. is it good to see the posts getting recieved well.. gives me strength to keep moving ahead on this path :)
DeleteA constructive thought with evidence.
ReplyDeletePlease carry on with your research....
Thanks a lot DOC..:-)
Thank YOU Sashi Kant for ur kind words :)
Delete@Chaitanya m glad I could be of help in whatever little way!
ReplyDeleteHappy Diwali :)
An absolutely magnificent post! And must say just in time to welcome Lord Ram to Ayodhya.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know how what versions of Ramayana do you read? Can you recommend some sound sources of Ramayana? The ones I have read are those by Ashok Banker and C Rajagopalachari.
Can you suggest reliable sources of Valmiki's Ramayana and Kamban's and other sources?
Yeah i know... Accurate translations are a little difficult so I prefer to keep the original text infront of me and co-relate it with two or three translations.. for starters u can check out the following sites:
Deletehttp://www.valmikiramayan.net/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm
I recently read d book- Asuras, by Anand Neelankantan. Its Ravanas story n an interestin read. It's d Ramayana from a different angle.
DeleteYeah I am reading the book right now :) its an interesting take and brings a fresh view point but the readers should not get swayed by what forms Dharma.. Ravan is the villain coz he defied Dharma not because he was a Rakshas or bcoz he kidnapped Sita ji.. he had already committed so many crimes that Lord Vishnu Himself had to finally intervene and take birth on this planet to destroy him! His take makes a gud read as long as we remember what Sanatan Dharma is..
DeleteThe links above all have Ramayna only upto Yuddha Kanda. I know some poeple say that Uttara KAnda is not really part of Ramayana, but can u rell some link that has Uttara Kanda, with slokas if possible?
DeleteWell most scholars agree that the first and the Last kands are not from the original Ramayan coz they differ in the style of writing and the use of language.. for that reason I myself haven't gone through the uttar Kand till now.. will share a reliable link when I find one :)
DeleteExcellent write-up Vineet..congratulations on that..I got the link for this thru FB yesterday night at 12am n couldn't stop till I finished reading this completely at 1:30 am..such a beautiful presentation of facts n also the article has such a power tat it made me to sit intact n read completely..I had heard tat lord rama'sa dates back to 1.75 lakh year and was happy to know tat its true..but u hav told tat ramayan happened 18-20 million years ago which means he lived 1.8 to 2.0 crore years ago and at the same time u hav agreed in a comment tat he lived between 1.75 - 2 lakh years ago..this has left a dilemma in my mind as to which is correct but its astonishing to know tat we hav such a long history..and I get goosebumps if I just think abt krita yuga which was first yuga n happened much earlier than treta yuga..such a long history our relion has..wow!!..thank a lot for his write-up n for all ur effort in bringing out these facts..I request you to save all these data so tat it'l be available to future generations to come..keep this good work alive.. :-)
ReplyDeleteJai Shree Ram!
Thanks & Best Regards,
Sudhanva Joshi
Thanx a ton Sudhanva.. yeah the figure is in millions not lakhs.. my bad that m bad in d conversion from lakh to millions :P it is actually 18 miilion years not 1.75 lakhs.. thts y i did not include the approximations for the Rama Setu dates in the main article :)
DeleteHARE KRISHNA!. . . bap re hw much u read vineet?g8 work done,really very informative n inspiring too!. thnx4tag,thank you very very much vineet,. HAPPY DIPAWALI!
ReplyDeleteHahah Drsatyashila its a passion and a hobby :):) thanx a lot for ur encouragement and wish u a very Happy Deepawali :)
Deletereally nice information.
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton :)
DeleteExcellent info:):) gr8 insight of knowledge....jst lovd t..... Plz i wanna knw d history & life of Maha Avatar BABAJI ..... if u post t, i vl b thankful 2u
ReplyDeleteThanx AB :) wil try for sure..
Deleteits my first visit to ur blog.....looks quite fascinating...i too like to connect such mythological things with science ...many a time i get success and some time i am not able to connect these things..
ReplyDeletesee iam not pointing out deficiencies in ur work but still the more i go through ur work , the more curious i become such as the time u have mentioned- 18 million yrs ...geological and palentogical evidences suggest that there were no man at that time...more over putting the name on behalf of people or things does not confirm that those things were actually happening there....they might have been exacerbated... but again no offence...hats off to ur reasearch
No offense taken!! I agree the current fossil and genetic evidence points towards a more recent origin of the human species.. but that may be the limitation of our scientific methods and new evidence might yet come to light in the future.. pas for the second point I would agree again that the chances of creating a story based on locations would be easy but that is if you are thinking about the current times of easy accessibility and internet.. do u seriously believe so many years ago (even if we limit it to just a couple of thousand)a man like Valmiki could have known about all these places and be so correct geographically without either traveling there himself or hearing about it from someone (Narad) who had traveled himself? today we can sit at our home and write stories about places we may hv never visited in our life bcoz everything is so readily available at the click of a mouse but wud that hv been the case even a hundred or even fifty years ago?
Deletesee man i dont want to enter into the debate but still if we give it a more pragmatic view it would be better...see how i relate these things is that - i don't know whether u will be able to appreciate that or not-
ReplyDeletethere would have been a king named sri ram...a great great man ...untouched by any evil or bad thing..he did greatest of the greatest things ..as enumerated in ramayana or dasaratha jataka or what so ever...he would have fought with a bad guy named ravan for stealing his wife ...he would have got the help of monkeys powerful ones..would have built a bridge between dhanushkodi and srilanka...but all that he would have done with his human endeavor not with some divinity...like pushpak viman or bramh baan or hanumann ji bringing sumeru parvat on his palm..these things have been little excerbated ....see why we dont call even people like gandhi ji a god..cause we have become much aware ...society has become much aware they know that he was a very great man but a only man but in those days around 4000-5000 yrs ago people were not that aware or what ever u call..what ever any one told them they used to believe at them...
...why dont we find any such big magical cherismatic events in the time of md. pagambar of muslims ....or in that case ...any such magical things in case of sikh gurus..they were all told to be carriers of divinties but but with no such magical powers ...why?... because people by that time(560AD &1400AD) had started questioning such magical things like pushpak vimaan... now(1950) they have started questioning of some being an avatar of god..
what i think is that its good to believe in god ...a divine power ..but we should not make it complex by giving it out of the world explanations... rather we should be making it simpler by giving it feasible explanations.
i too find a lot commonality in theory of parallel universe ...or different universe interpenetrating each other ...or one second in bramha lok or what ever is equal to 1 crore yrs or like that on earth as that is mentioned in our religious books...and in einstein theory of relativity , maxwell eqn and at many other places.
so i am not preaching any thing to u and again no offence but u r not being rational devotee but an intelligent devotee by explaining the things in the way u want . because most of the time u r correct but some time when faced with insurmountable questions u take the hide of being religious or science need more perfection.
thank you and waiting for your reply .
prashant pandey
Hahaha u may be right in the assessment buddy but I, even though a doctor, feel no shame in accepting that current science is NOT perfect. I see it everyday wid medicines.. twenty years ago the antibiotics that were effective are outdated today, the PCs we used are redundant, the phones we used are obsolete and so on and so forth.. I believe today's science has a LOT MORE to learn abt the nature of our world and in case thrs a clash btw what the scriptures say and what science says, I choose to believe in the scriptures.. there's no hiding in this that the scriptures are my reference and they wil always be :)
DeleteIf there is a wall in front of you, it won't disappear if you close your eyes. There are sins in this world but none can be compared with the thought of questioning Sri Ram.
DeletePandey Ji needs to read Ramayan at least once.
===============================
As far as Science is concerned, we know nothing about it. Here is an example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
Even HP Labs has worked on it. There are so many such advanced things found on earth but still people think we are the only advanced civilization existing on this planet.
Doctor saab, if possible watch the documentary named "Ancient Aliens", it's available on youtube, you'll get so many things to know.
And yes, your blog is just AWESOME!
Jai Shri Raam :) thanx for visiting and writing!
Delete
DeletePeople always believe in miracles whether it is 1000AD or 600 AD 1700 AD, even there are many stories prevalent from life of Prophet Mohammed or Sikh Gurus. People should study them before quoting them them at these times no charismatic things have happened
Although Wonderful explanation by you. Jai Shri Siya Ram
A fabulously done post on Lord Rama! Seriously, I didn't even KNOW about the 24th Chaturyuga and all that detail... I was thinking that Rama incarnated in the just-gone-by Treta Yuga! BTW, did you kniw that Lord Rama lived in 14s... :p. What I meant was he lived for 14,000 years, 14 pakshas, 14 days, 14 hours and 14 seconds!!! Quite precise!!
ReplyDeleteDidnt know that.. thanx for d info Surya and d appreciation :)
DeleteBy your post I got to know one more thing that tulsidasji in Hanuman chalisa had written that "Charon Jug Pratap tumhara". I always used to wonder that how Hanumanji is famous in all four yug when she shriram has taken birth in the last treta yug. I used to think that its poetical imagination or may be referring to Lord Shiva as Hanumanji is incarnation of Shri Shiva but in the absence of any firm thing I was not able to confirm my thinking, thanks for thing explanation
DeleteThe pleasure's all mine :)
DeleteALso, on the Yuga Kala Chakra... Everywhere it is given that the years are 4800, 3600, etc deva years. But Swami Yukteswar Giri, in his book Kaivalya DArsanam, has said thatcounting these years as Daiva Years is amistake made by the scholars at that time.. and we are in the ascending Dwapara Yuga??? Um... Now I am really confused.
ReplyDeleteI know what u r saying.. certain sects consider the Deva Years as Human Years and break the Yugas into ascending and descending.. but the Ancient Scriptures do not support this description
DeleteI agree with both of you, there are Swami Yukteshwar giri has given a detailed explanation about Sun's revolution around a 'Vishnu Nabhi' and then relating these revolutions with different yugas. But there is no similar reference in any of the Ancient Scriptures. All World Gayatri Pariwar also believe in 12000 yrs period only which according to them in ending but again scriptures don't agree
DeleteYeah.. this is one of the biggest mysteries that I want to understand..
DeleteGreat work man!!
ReplyDeleteYou know what, if we combine this post with the one about Saraswati River we get something really interesting, that is Ramayan is actually older then the Vedas!!
I always used to wonder that if Mahabharat was written after Ramayan than where did all the Vanaras (Homo erectus) vanished and why there is no mention of mighty river Saraswati.
But now I understood that Ramayan is a lot older. Homo erectus extinct around the last ice age around same time Saraswati came into existence (ice age around 2000-1000CE).
And all the pieces came together like jigsaw, thus Ramayan is older than vedas which are written when Saraswti was there and it has carried orally for such a long time until finally written!
sorry messed up the ice age dates it was 20000-10000 CE.(in both posts):)
ReplyDelete@Aniket no worries I got the context! Yeah what ur saying could be true and thanks for sharing the thought :)
DeleteThnks..,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to ask you have you heard of "Vimanas"?
I have searching about them from a long time but haven't found much, there are numerous mention of them in Ramayan(Pushpak Viman) and many other works.
While searching about them I even found that nazis were trying to make them but nothing concrete.
So I just wanted to say that if you come across this topic and research about it than please include it in your blog so that I can also know more about them!
I am already working on it bro :)
DeleteThere is an ancient Vimanik Shastra which is having a great explanation about the vimanas and how they should be made up of, and the material to be used.
DeleteActually Rohan this shastra is not very old though definitely insightful in terms of the various types of vimanas
DeleteIs Bhadrachalam in Shri Rama's journey to Lanka...?
ReplyDeleteYes it is.. its close to the place Panchvati from where Ravan kidnapped Sita ji
DeleteHmm, but Bhadrachalam is on the east coast(almost when Godavari empties into Bay of Bengal)... And Panchvati is on the west coast (Nashik, the start point of Godavari)
DeleteThere exists some confusion over the actual relevance of this point.. local legends sate that this is where Ravan abducted Sita ji but Valm iki Ramayan is clear on this point stating that it was at Panchvati that Sita ji was kidnapped from.. some legends also talk about Bhadrachalam being the place where Shri Raam actually crossed the Godavari and went southwards in search of Sita ji.. as it is hard to prove or disprove whther this happened or not ur free to take ur pick now..
Deletesuperb blog once again, bro. a good start to begin Diwali this year!......one word---ur Highly enlightened!
ReplyDeleteHahaha not at all bro.. whatever correct interpretations I make are blessings of the Lord and all the mistakes are the products of my limited mind..
DeleteAbsolutely awesome vineet, thanx for the insights, I'm amazed at the amount of research you have done for writing this post... Keep up the good work n keep writing...
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton Swati :)
DeleteEngrossing and pain staking research as always. Good to see that you are still going great guns Doc. Interestingly folk stories in Karnataka also have this incestuous element. Infact Ravan is supposed to have born the child himself a la Pregnant king and finally delivers her when he sneezes. Sita in Kannada means ' He sneezed' . And Ravana is told that Sita would bring destruction to her father a la Oedipus.
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton! Yeah I found a similar story in Thailand too.. different places, different times, different interpretations of the same story :)
DeleteCan you give a precap of the next post?
ReplyDeleteStill working on it mate :)
DeleteDude, how long more?
ReplyDeletePatience, my friend is a virtue :) but you wont have to wait much longer.. wil be posting in a week or so.
DeleteA doubt here...
ReplyDeleteIf Ramayana happened in 24th Yuga cycle, then does that mean there was no great war during the Treta Yuga of the 28th Yuga cycle?
Secondly, did Mahabharata happen in the 28th Yuga cycle or before?
Great blog.
Yes, it means the same.. However, Mahabharat DID happen in the current cycle just before the onset of Kaliyug which started in 3102 BCE.
DeleteGreat! Well, do you know in which Mahayuga or Yuga cycle did Lord Narasimha appear?
Delete@Siddhant check the post Manu-The First Man.. u'll find all the Ten incarnations and their times of appearance there :)
Deletevery good job , keep working on this and eleborate more manssege like this to us
ReplyDeletelastly bro god bless you
jai shri Sita Ram
asheesh Dayal from Fiji Islands (asheesh.dayal@yahoo.com.in)
Thanx for the encouragement @Ashish :)
DeleteJai Siya Raam
your work will help new generation to understand the greatness of the Almighty with scientific reference.
ReplyDeleteI always worry how will my kids trust the Hindu mythology but after seeing you blog I am rest assure about it.
GOD bless you my friend. Great work.
Really want to join you in your mission.
Jai Siya Raam
Om Namaha Shivay
Thanx a lot :) I am humbled by your words and I hope I can fulfill your expectations! Please do involve your kids in the learning of mythology from an early age itself.. it is essential for them to develop a respect for it in later life..
DeleteHari Om
Om Namah Shivaye :)
Thank you very much Mr. Vineet K. Aggarwal for all those informations provided by you on Lord Shiva. I am very sure the blog on Lord Shiva will be of great help to me for my book.
ReplyDeleteThanking you
Munjakesh Sarkar
Om Namah Shivay
My pleasure :)
DeleteAum Namah Shivaye
Very Good article Sir!
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned that it is very difficult to get manmade article long back to which Shri Ram belong than how come we found the excavations of our Homo sapiens ancestors!
Please explain
I guess I will have to explain to you the basics about fossils and excavations.. the man made objects are susceptible to the ravages of time and wither away through wear and tear. On the other hand, bones, teeth and fossilized remains can remain intact for a long long time because they are amongst the hardest substances on the planet! Please read the following link for an easy understanding: http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/fossils/intro/form.htm
DeleteHello Vineet
ReplyDeleteI really likes your blogs about Hinduism and your images are really effective.i always enjoy reading it.wait for a new ones to read.
my most favorite one is about 14 lokas one
thank you so much for creating nice blog and sharing it with us.
My pleasure completely bro :)
DeleteThis is remarkable amount of effort. It is very impressive. Thanks for sharing all this.
ReplyDeleteI wish, if we could motivates businesses, to open universities, or at least dedicate chairs to this cause.
There is definitely the need to do that!! Sadly no Indian Universities do research on these topics anymore.. Thanks a lot for commenting though!
DeleteBro...u did it again!!!
ReplyDeleteThe four tusk elephants were really mind blowing facts!!
Jai Sri Raam....
Thanx a ton Sonu :)
DeleteVery interesting blog Vineet! My compliments!
ReplyDeleteI too have been re-searching ancient history and world mythologies for almost 15 years. Also started writing a book detailing some of my discoveries but never managed to finish it. Typical me! :) My wife is the only fortunate person to have read it.
Your writing style is very impressive, clear and concise! You manage to capture the reader. One thing I feel missing is references! Accurate references whenever you make a claim or quote something would add much much more authentic feel to your works, though I know its painstakingly hard work! :)
Anyways, very glad to have found a fellow inquisitive soul.
Good luck and keep it up!
Greetings from Estonia.
Thanks Javed! I actually do give references wherever possible for example the chapter and verse number used, the names of the people who have done prior research on the same topics and even few links to their work. Rest, I leave upto the reader to find out on his own.. what's the fun if everything's spoonfed :)
DeleteAlso, the interpretations that are mine can not have any references precisely because they are well.. my interpretations :P Thanks a lot for commenting anyhow, it certainly is good to find a kindered soul..
I think what you have done is commendable because in the 21st century, Hindu tradition has been rapidly declining. Many of my classmates had no clue what "Bhagavad Gita" is. So, avid people like you take positive steps like this to make people assure that our great epics are not myths, but they are real as they did actually happen. I feel that the new generation, we, have to continue doing things like these to make sure that people's faith remain in Hinduism.
ReplyDeleteBy
Sahil
Brilliant research. One question: Do you know Sanskrit? Otherwise digging into old scriptures and taking out gist from them is not possible. British polluted, injected poison into maximum mythologies through missionaries.
ReplyDeleteFurther, Dr.P.V.Vartak, an renowned researcher, opines that Ram Setu actually made by Nal. It was indeed a natural structure so there should not be any sentiment attached with it. Further by breaking this will save cost. He himself researched on finding astronomical date of Ramayana. According to him, Vanara was tribal people whose emblem or seal was face of Monkey.
Agniveer, a good group based on Swami Dayanand Ji's philosophy tells that many portions of Ramayana was injected. Particularly Sita Ji's agnipariksha. They analysed that and posted on their website agniveer.com.
Yes I know of the views shared by these people.. I think the most authentic source is still the Valmiki Ramayan (which thankfully I can read in Sanskrit) and indeed the Uttara Kaand and the first Kaand seem to be written in a different format than the rest of the scripture. I have mentioned Dr. Vartak's date in the post too and have given a reason as to how that can not be the true date..
DeleteJust chanced Upon your blog , Just loved it .
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of my grand mother , She would insist that Lord Ram is Purushotam Ram and a human being . She would also refer to Shrupnakha as a lady with beautiful sharp nails as Nakha means Nails .She would like you interlink mythology and Gods for us to understand them in today's world of science.
Thanx a lot Shibani! its really sweet and a huge compliment :)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand correct me if I'm wrong, my understanding, after reading this article, is that the events in the Ramayan occurred 18 million years ago. Then how could the geographical landscape possibly remain the same in that time frame!
ReplyDeleteYeah even if we take the calculation of Yugas in Deva years it cant be closer than 40,000 years.. Btw our Earth's geography has remained more or less the same in the past 20 million years :)
DeleteI always believed that there must be some truth in our history specially related to Ramayan and Mahabharat. Imagine if these were just stories then probably people woud have forgotten them. Also India is big country but ramayan is known and famous across india since ages. Also there are places which have names of Ram not only in north India but in South India. South India is distinct in terms of languages, but still you will find Ramayan and Mahabharat considered sacred there also. So we have a North Indian King Ram considered equally sacred in South India. Because earlier the means of communication were very less and it must have taken years to travel from Ayodhya to Lanka.
ReplyDeleteI agree.. this is our history that today has turned into just a story.. that's the purpose of this blog to remind people of their true ancient history and m glad you agree :)
DeleteFascenating..post and you've got a truly remarkable blog.. What a contribution to society..! Thanks and Keep it up..
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure is all mine :) Thanx for visiting and commenting.
DeleteFantastic Post Vineet. So much comes to mind when I read your posts. Was Rama real - no doubt to me he was there is so much evidence, that still some people have doubts?I know a lot people think it is of no consequence discussing this topic and we should just concentrate on the virtues. But the problem with this that we live now in age where our children won't believe without the facts being presented to them.
ReplyDeleteThe other point I would like to say is that there is no doubt that we were more advance in all fields from medicine to construction and transportation. The driver behind this was spirituality. This was a gift from God/or call it superior realised beings to us. Just my believe these beings were at a crossroad about how much to interfere with evolution of mankind.....we still don't understand our origins and we probably never will.
I agree completely with your assessment.. as for the doubting doodles, I dont even try to convince anyone.. when they reach the appropriate level of consciousness they will realize the truth themselves :)
DeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteAn awesome blog(though i think you are tired of hearing it many times!). Mythology has been my constant companion since childhood.
By the way, could you post something about brahma loka and relativity? I had come to the conclusion that both were related, so , i was hoping you would help.
Thanx a lot buddy and Yes indeed the two are related.. do share what u think is d connection between the two and lets see if we have both arrived at the same conclusion :)
DeleteHi Vineet,
ReplyDeleteGreat work! I am interested in knowing Lord Ram's path to Rameshwaram from Kishkintha. There is a legend that Lord Ram visited a place called Bannerghatta near Bangalore (Complete forest then, now home to one of best national parks) during that trip. There is a midieval temple (~1000 years old) dedicated to Lord Srinivas. This temple is home for lot of vanars as well. There is also a Lakshmi Narasimha temple on the hill top close by. Do let me know if you can visit and throw some light on this topic.
Sri Velukkudi Krishnan (Spiritual speaker on Vaishnavism) opines that the Lord Rama's path from Kishkintha is more towards Western Ghats, Kerala and then to Trichy enroute to Rameshwaram which is also reflected in your map. But the maps in other sources show areas of Bangalore (Bannerghatta) could have been covered by Lord Ram!
Thanx again Aravind.. well as per the Valmiki Ramayan this is the map that corresponds to the locations he has mentioned though the local traditions differ in their description. I tend to favor the Valmiki version coz that is the original text.
DeleteGreat work Vineet Sir, But I think Ramayana must have happened only 7000 years back,I came to this conclusion after reading your post about River Sarawathi.Don't you think the Geographical locations given in Ramayan will be much different than it is now 18 million years back. If we take it as happened 7000 years back then atleast many places coincide with what is given in the story.But 18 million years?
ReplyDeleteI am reading all your posts and I must say you are putting so much effort with dedication.Thanks for all the information you are sharing with us.
Srividya
Thanx Srividya.. but I don't think it was just 7000 years ago simply because it was the 24th Mahayuga while we are currently in the 28th one.. even if we take the calculation in Deva years it would be at least 40,000 years ago.
Deletehi i am ajay , there is a question for which i am not able to find any answer. Who are dravidians? there is no mention of dravidians in mahabharata. when yudhishtra conducted rajsuya yagna, he sent his four brothers in four different directions. sahadeva went and conquered the kingdoms in southern direction.
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/PathRajasuyaSahadevaDigvijaya.jpg
Hi Ajay, please read 'Gods, Sages and Kings' by Shri David Frawley to know more about this topic
DeleteGreat work Sir.Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteWhile I found the blog interesting I am a bit confused about the dates(18-20 mil years).As far as I am concerned I knew modern humans evolved only around 200-150k yrs ago.Personally I do believe Lord Sri Rama existed on this earth and he was of a more recent origin.The reason we do not have any historical basis to back it up is because many of our original scriptures and architecture got destroyed in the muslim invasionsand due to India`s rainy climate.
But as a devout Hindu I think we do not need to care about the historicity of our Gods.Hindu dharma teaches us that God is present among us all and by following our traditional moral values we can reach heaven.The dates of the existence of Gods is least important as Hinduism teaches us to worship our different Gods words in letter and spirit unlike other religions.In the Gita Lord Sri Krishna tells us to leave behind the small things and only believe in hard work and true faith.So the date of Sri Rama is immaterial to us.However your article was an interesting read and I hope modern technology can find out Sri Rama`s actual reign on earth.
Anyway Sir great article..JAI HIND.
Thanx buddy for visiting and commenting.. Keep the Faith :)
Deletehi i am ajay, i have a doubt, Man has evolved from monkey as per evolution theory. But our puranas say that, the first man "Manu" was directly created by Lord Brahma. Both these concepts are contradicting each other. Please clear my confusion.
ReplyDeleteThey are not a contradiction if you understand that evolution is not limited to Earth alone.. even though Manu was created from Brahma but the bacteria, plants, aquatic animals, terrestrial animals all came before him! This itself indicates the process of evolution.. the Manu that came out of Brahma was Swayambhu Manu who came at the beginning of this day of Brahma.. U know there have been 50 years of brahma's life already each with 360 days! So it is hard to say that just the emergence of Swayambhu Manu negates Evolution.
Deletehi i am ajay, then can i conclude that the human beings present now are not descendents of Manu?
DeleteYeah we aren't descendants of Swayambhu Manu.. plz read the article on Manu for more clarity.
Deletehi i am ajay, then can i conclude that we are the descendents of vanaras like vali and sugreev?. Or are we descendents of a Manu?. I am unable to make out even after reading that article,please clear my confusion.
ReplyDeleteWell we are definitely not the descendants of Swayambhu Manu and only Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis can lay claim to be the descendants of Vaivasvat manu, the Manu of the 7th Manvantar.. Hence most of us most have evolved through the regular process
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asians_in_Ancient_Indian_literature
ReplyDeletethis is an interesting article to study. it says that sythians,sakas and phalvas invaded and ruled north- western india from 100 BCE to 200 BCE. they are all central asians.
Thanx for sharing :)
DeleteEk question... Hinduism isn't the type of religion which asks for converts. So, Who can become a Hindu? The people born in Indian subcontinent, or anyone who wishes to be?
ReplyDeleteAnyone anywhere on the globe can become a Hindu there's no limitation on anyone.. BTW for becoming a Hindu u don't even have to CONVERT. You can keep following the principles of whatever religion you were following earlier and still be a Hindu if you just believe in the equality of all modes of worship. As Lord Krishna says in Bhagvad Geeta - All paths lead to Him Alone.
Deleteokay... Thankyou.
Deletehi i am vinod kulkarni, i have a small doubt. according to Dr narhari achar, Lord Krishna was born in 3112 BC and Mahabharata war took place in 3067 BC. Then how Kaliyuga can begin on 3012 BC?????
ReplyDeleteHi Vinod, well according to Varahmihir the date the Kaliyug began is between 18th to 20th Feb 3102 BCE.. It is believed that we are in the 5116th year of Kaliyug.. all other calculations may roughly point to the same time period but may not be able to pinpoint the exact dates..
Deletehi i am vinod kulkarni, but my doubt is that if, kaliyuga began in 3102 BC then Mahabharata war cannot take place on 3067 BC as kaliyuga started after Mahabharata war and Lord Krishna was born much before the war, then how can his date of birth be 3112 BC as per Dr. Narhari Achar? because in BC, the dates go in reverse order i.e. 3112,3102 followed by 3067 BC.
ReplyDeleteThat's my point bro.. the dates calculated by Dr. Narhari may differ by a few years or if we consider his data to be correct then Varahmihir's calculations may have had a margin of error. The bottomline is that Mahabharat happened and kaliyug began somewhere around 3100 BCE
Deletehi i am vinod kulkarni, i think varahmihir's calculation cannot go wrong as he was a famous astrologer of his time and today's gregorian calender was not present at that time,but when his calculated date was coincided with the gregorian calender then some discrepancies might have occurred. Maybe Dr Narhari Achar and Varahmir's calculated values are approximately same.
DeleteFor me Dr, Narhari Achar appears to be more reliable as it is tested by using a software developed by NASA.
Man ur doin.a vry gud job vinith sply taking ur time fr douts n rply plz. Carry on comendabl wrk
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton Pranay :)
DeleteI had goose bumps reading the history for lord rama and krishna... the inter-connection of historical events, historical sites,books etc.... is sufficient to prove the existence of GOD!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vinnet for your wonderful blogs. After reading your blogs, my belief in god has increased manfolds!
I consider it an honor Naresh! It is His guidance that has helped me write these.. Thanx a lot for liking my work and finding it readable :)
Deletewow... itz jst awsme... :) the path u laid in connectin the modern world wid the historical events is very interestin and very informative... i wonder how could you able to collect such a huge info...!!! it shows ur great efforts n enthusiasm..hatsoff to ur work.. :) i love to quest for the existence of Indian mythology & interested in archaeology & astronomy... So definitely i can say that ur blog is like a treat for me... :D Thanks a lot...!!!! keep postin this kinda stuff..,.. All The Best.. :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure completely Gayathri.. Thanx for your kind words :)
DeleteLove you posts!! Brilliant work, just wanted to clarify; did Jambvanth from treta yug who fought along side Shree Ram wait 4 Chaturyugs to meet Shree Krishna in Dvapar Yug?
ReplyDeleteYes Ronil.. Jambvant is actually supposed to live for this entire day of Brahma known as the Varah Kalpa and is one of the Chiranjivis though not amongst the 7 famous ones. It must not have been a big deal for him to wait for a couple of Chaturyugs ;)
Deletehi I am sanjay gupta, just now i saw in wikipedia that all our puranas were written from 4th century BC to 1000 AD. but how that can be possible, Shri Veda Vyas wrote all these texts in Dwapara Yuga. And even the oldest hand written text of Ramayana belongs to 10th centuary BC. can you please clarify my doubt...
ReplyDeleteThat is so my friend because the Vedas and other scriptures were transmitted for a long time orally and the written forms were made available to people only after the advent of Kaliyug. In the previous Yugs men relied more on their memory than palm-leaf manuscripts but in today's age the intellects have gone down and we need written material to remember things.
DeleteHi I am Sanjay Gupta, is this statement correct "all our puranas were written from 4th century BC to 1000 AD."
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say that.. these are tentative dates guessed by some scholars but have a decent margin of error
DeleteAccording to Indian text books. Indus valley civilization began around 2500 BC. Two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata written in Later Vedic Period ( 600 BC - 600 AD ).
ReplyDeleteIf this is True then why not Lord Rama , Hanuman or else mentioned in Vedas , Brahamans , Aranyakas , Upanishads etc ? As i believe Ramayana happened before 2500 BC.
Some ppl says vedas were wriiten long before ramayana thats why vedas mentioned in ramayana. Lets assume if this is true & Books are hoax ( distorted history by british) which i am reading ..... then , why were the statues of Lord Rama , Hanuman not found in excavations of Indus Valley Civilizations like Harappa , mohenjodaro , chanhudaro , Lothal , kalibangan , Banawali , Dholavria , Surkotada , Daimabad ........ while statues of other deities were found there.
Please understand the timelines are as er the scriptures themselves.. Vedas are the oldest followed by Brahmanas, Upanishads and other scriptures based on them. Then comes the epics which include Ramayan and Mahabharat hence Vedas only mention the incarnations of Lord Vishnu that had taken place till the time they were formulated and that too not all! Shri Raam-avatar took place in the 24th Dvapar of this Manvantar while Vedas were composed in the beginning of the Kalpa so obviously there's no mention of Rama and Krishna in them.. the timelines given by authors are just conjectures and not fixed at all and even they agree that Vedas followed an ORAL tradition for a long time before being finally WRITTEN down...
DeleteSecondly, who said that the Indus-Saraswati people had to worship all Gods! Even today while Ganpati and Datttreya are worshiped more in Maharashtra you wouldn't find any statue of the latter in other parts of the country. Murugan/Kartikeya is mostly worshiped in the south and you would be hard pressed to find a Kartikeya statue in the entire Himalayan belt.. the deities that have been tentatively identified in the Indus-Saraswati Civilization are Shiva and the Mother Goddess and that shows that probably these people were Shaivites more than Vaishnavites. It does not mean they did not know about the other gods!
Deletenamaskar..its a very good explanation about LORD SHRI RAMA..i love'd to read more on hindusims..u did a wonderful job...and your blog is awesome...
ReplyDeleteThanx a lot for our appreciation :)
DeleteGreat work and I am just eager on how do you collect these kind of info... Simple awesome...
ReplyDeleteHaha well its an ongoing process my friend.. you keep reading different texts and finding the commonalities.. sometimes reading different viewpoints also helps in pointing to the truth!
DeleteWOW! Amazing! Thanks for the info! Jai Sri Ram!
ReplyDelete