Showing posts with label Ram Sethu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ram Sethu. Show all posts

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Did Rama suspect Sita's fidelity? (My talk in Thamarai TV)

This video was recorded and uploaded a year ago but not documented by me in my blog. Hence doing it now.

In this interview I am replying questions on

* protection of Ram Setu from destruction

* age of Setu built by Rama

* the events leading to Agni pariksha of Sita probing the question whether Rama suspected Sita's fidelity.

* the circumstances leading to the exile of pregnant Sita.

* Was Rama right in abandoning her?

* How Rama became a prisoner of circumstances and Sita, a victim of circumsatnces.



ராமனைப் போற்றும் தமிழ்நாடு (My talk in Twitter spaces #Dharmic Indians)

On 20th January, 2024, just a day before the Prana Pratistha, I spoke in Twitter spaces hosted by Dharmic Indians. The topic was ராமனைப் போற்றும் தமிழ் நாடு.

Before I started the talk, I recalled the sacrifices done by countless unknown people in the last 500 years for the sake of reclaiming Janmasthan. We observed silence for a few seconds for their sake. 

In continuation of that I was given the honour to release a video on the sacrifices of those people.

Then I started speaking on Rama's connection to Tamilnadu particularly through temples. 

I spoke about three groups with 5 temples each. They are the 5 temples on Rama among the Vaishnava Divya Desams and Pancha Rama kshetras around Thiruvarur and Thiruvannamalai.

Additionally, I spoke about the importance of Madhurantakam temple and how Rama and Lakshmana appeared to the British Collector, Lionel Blaze.

Another temple was Thiruchitrakootam also known as Chidambaram and how Kulashekara Alwar's verses show the existence of Rama's shrine within the temple of Natarajar in Chidambaram. Today it is not there. In the 12th century, the Chola king Kulottunga-II removed the Vishnu shrine, popularly known as Lord Govindaraja which was depicted in the film, Dasavatara. The Alwar's verses show that there did exist a sannidhi for Rama with Hanuman in Pattabhisheka set up. The temple's original history was linked with Rama and the Deekshitars brought Lord Nataraja 3500 years ago due to loss of land. Further explanations and question- answer session that went on till 11 pm can be heard in the following link. 

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1YqxoDBDgEkKv?s=20





Evidences of Ramayana - My talk in #Teams News Hour (twitter spaces)

On the 19th January, 2024, a few days before the Prana Pratistha, I was a speaker in the spaces hosted by Mr. Amit Bhatia. The event that started at 9 pm IST went on till 1 am and had to be closed due to time constraint. 

I began with just two issues to establish that Ramayana was not myth.

* about Vanaras as human beings in disguise and 

* the interaction between Rama and Samudra Raja when Rama was waiting to cross the sea occurred in Rama's dream, as per the description in the Mahabharata.

After nearly 40 minutes of my talk on these two issues, I started answering a volley of questions on Ramayana, Ravana, Lanka, Setu and many more. The entire talk can be heard in this link on twitter. 

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1kvJpvLeoaZKE?s=20

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Did Rama suspect Sita's fidelity? (My talk in Thamarai TV)

This interview in Thamarai TV was taken last year at the height of Ram Setu issue.

I noticed it only recently posted in the Thamarai website and hence reproducing it now.

The interview covers two topics: 

1) the feasibility of cutting across the Ram Setu for navigation purpose.

2) the controversial issue of Agni Pariksha of Sita and the exile of pregnant Sita. In both these cases, Rama is accused as having Sita. Is it so? If not, why did he allow her to do enter fire and later send her to the forest when she was pregnant.

At this time of Rama's home-coming in Ayodhya in a grand temple, I thought we can go through these questions and get logical and correct answers.

I believe I have given the most correct answer for the second issue in which I find the divine couple as ideal couple who stood for family honour. In the final analysis, Rama is found to be a prisoner of circumstances and Sita, a victim of circumstances. 

The video can be watched here. Comments are welcome.



Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Rama, Ram Setu, Vanaras, Ravana and Dravida - my Talk in "Thamarai TV"

 My interview to #ThamaraiTV on issues around

* Ram Setu * the politicisation of Ram Setu * the identity of Vanaras as human beings * the adoption of Ravana as a Dravida King * the Dravida identity originally belonging to Brahmins & more



Yuga and political issues around Ram Setu - My talk in 'Pesu Tamizha Pesu' channel

 Watch my replies to various questions on #RamSetu in

* Adam's bridge or Ram Setu? * Did Rama live in Treta Divya Yuga 8 lakh yrs ago or Treta Dharma yuga 7k yrs ago? * Evidence for Ram Setu * Political posturing on Ram Setu



My talk in 'Viyan Tamil' Channel on Ram Setu

 What did Veeramani of DK tell about Ram Setu?

Did I become tense when faced with this question? Watch my interview to #ViyanTamil I also answered these questions * Was Ram Setu made by Rama? * Was Adam's bridge the original name of Ram Setu?



Sunday, January 15, 2023

Why Setu Samudram Canal Project is not viable - my interview to Dinamalar

 On 12-01-2023, the DMK Government moved a resolution to revive the Setu Samudram Canal Project (see the report below). Following this I was invited by the Dinamalar Video Channel to express my views on the feasibility of the project. In my interview to Ms. Shyamala of Dinamalar, I shared my views on

# the historicity of the site

# non-feasibility of the canal project from different perspectives, including those of the fishermen

# 'Setu Sentiment' and many more.



From

MK Stalin moves resolution for reviving Sethu Samudhra Canal project, to seek Centre's support

 By  Pramod Madhav

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday moved a resolution to revive the Sethu Samudhra Canal project and will seek the Centre's support in implementing the project. The Sethu Samudhra Canal project is seen as an ambitious project by the ruling DMK government as it would create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka. The ambitious project proposes to link the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal. The resolution was passed unanimously.

"Due to political reasons, BJP opposed Sethusamudram Project. Former CM of TN, Jayalalitha was in favour of this project but suddenly changed her stand & filed a case against it," the CM said while moving the resolution.

But the project has faced stiff opposition from pro-Hindu groups fearing that it may damage Ram Setu bridge, which connects Rameswaram to the Mannar island of Sri Lanka.

M K Stalin batted for reviving the project for economic prosperity of the nation and enhancing the freight handling capacity of Indian ports.

The project, which was started on July 2, 2005 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore, came to a standstill after protests by environmentalists and Hindu activists against the demolition of the Ram Setu, a symbol of heritage. The DMK had, in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly election, promised to complete the project when it comes to power to bring economic benefits to the state

 ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Sethu Samudhra Canal project is essential to strengthen the economic development of Tamil Nadu and India. The project was originally conceived in the year 1860 by Commander Taylor at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. The project had been studied for years and was designed by various technical experts like Dr Ramasamy Mudaliar from Tamil Nadu in the year 1954.

During the Union Cabinet meeting held during 1964 and the high level committee under the chairmanship of Dr Nagendra Singh, ICS in 1964. Various alignments were evaluated and project reports were prepared to implement the scheme without being detrimental to the environment.

During the regime of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given permission to conduct the feasibility study of the project. The project was sanctioned in 2004 when the UPA government was in power.




Wednesday, January 4, 2023

My talk in 'Pesu Tamizha Pesu' channel busting the propaganda that Ramayana is a myth

Started the year 2023 with a 4 part video talk in the popular Tamil You Tube channel, Pesu Tamizha Pesu, on the topic of Ramayana. The main focus was to dismantle the propaganda going on in Tamilnadu that Ramayana is a myth. I establish the date of Rama using many primary evidences including the analysis of the date of Ram Setu.

There is another sizeable section in Tamilnadu which accepts the historicity of Ramayana but claim that Ravana was superior to Rama, eulogizing him as a hero. Yet another narrative projects Rama- Ravana war as a war between Saivism and Vaishnavism. The most important objection comes in the form of raising the untenability of a race called Vanaras.

I have addressed all these and many other questions in 4 videos.

Part 1:  ராமர் பாலம் உண்மையாகவே கட்டப்பட்டதா? | ஆதாரங்களை அடுக்கிய ஆய்வாளர் Dr Jayasree Saranathan


Part 2: சைவமும் வைணவமும் ஒன்றா ?


Part 3: ராவணன் தமிழனா ?


Part 4: பிள்ளையார் பார்வதியின் மகனில்லை ! 








Sunday, April 10, 2022

Early Tamils traced their ancestry to Rama (My article in Organiser Magazine)




Not many have known about the wealth of information available in Tamil sources – both literary and epigraphic – giving valuable inputs related to Rama. Foremost among them is the claim by the Cholas that Rama was their ancestor! The second-most important information pertains to the time period of Ramayana. The third set of inputs establishes beyond doubt the location of Lanka of Ravana in present-day Sri Lanka.

Rama, the ancestor of Cholas

Chera, Chola and Pandya are the three ancient Tamil dynasties of which the Cholas belonged to the solar dynasty starting from Surya, Manu and Ikshvaku. One often comes across the reference to ‘Manu-Neeti’ as the hallmark of the Chola kings in their inscriptions. A Chola king is remembered as ‘Manu Neeti Chola’ for having given the highest punishment to his son, the crown prince, for having killed a calf under his chariot. Though it was done unknowingly, the Chola king did not hesitate to punish his son by getting a chariot run over him and kill him. None knows the name of this king as anything other than ‘Manu Neeti Chola’, for being a just ruler. Only the Buddhist chronicle Mahavamsha gives his name and describes his sense of justice in the context of the death of this king in a war in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. Though an invader to their domain, in recognition of his unparalleled sense of justice, his mortal remains were cremated with honours and a monument raised, which was worshiped by the kings of that country, reports Mahavamsha in the 25th chapter. 

The sense of righteousness running in the lineage of Manu, it is no wonder that Rama became an epitome of Dharma, to be emulated by any king wishing to follow the right path. If any  king is related to Rama in the remote past, would he lose any opportunity to boast off his filial connection with Rama? We do find evidence for such claim by the Chola king Veera Rajendra, the grandson of Rajaraja Chola -I, engraved in the Pillars of  Bhagavati Amman temple at Kanyakumari. While giving the detailed list of his forefathers starting from Brahma and then Manu, the king has written that in the family of Rama was born a king named Chola who ventured southward and founded the Chola dynasty in Poompuhar – the place deduced from the description.

Verse 26 of the poetically written inscription in Sanskrit, stands out among every other description about Rama, by having addressed the tough events in Rama’s life and how he stood beyond personal considerations. For the curious reader, here is the verse as reported in Travancore Archaeological Series (1921):

Continue to read here:  Early Tamils traced their ancestry to Rama

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Ram Setu: Man-made and not before 7300 years ago. (Article by Sandhya Jain)

From 

Faith gets evidence from Science

by Sandhya Jain 

(Earlier published in Panchjanya.com in Hindi )

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to undertake the first scientific investigation of Rama Setu, the isthmus between India and Sri Lanka that enabled Rama’s army to cross the ocean and reach Ravana’s kingdom to rescue his wife. The Setu is a 48-km long chain of corals and shoals that scholars believe is a natural formation that was augmented by human hand. The ASI believes that studying this underwater formation will “help determine the age of the Ramayana period.” The study will be undertaken by the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, using radiometric and thermo luminescence dating for geological timescale. 

Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, director, NIO, said the three-year probe, to begin in March 2021, aims to determine if Ram Setu is man-made and establish its age scientifically. The results will be verified and co-related with information in Ramayana and other scriptures. The age of the sediments will be determined via Carbon dating techniques. Investigations will cover a range of scientific techniques such as material composition, sub-surface structure, and excavation of remnants or artifacts, if any, from the site. Underwater photography will help determine any habitation remains in the area. Later, scientists will drill into the structure, gather samples and undertake laboratory-based studies.

Prof Singh noted that some scriptures mention wooden slabs along the Setu. If these existed, they would have fossilised by now, and the team will search for them. As the sea bed around the Setu is shallow, barely three to four metres deep, it should be easy to study the structure. This fact is one of the major arguments against dredging the area to accommodate large modern ships.

Dr Badrinarayanan, former director, Geological Survey of India, stated in an interview (Rediff.com, July 31, 2007) that Ram Setu lay in a volcanic region with hot spots underneath; it was constructed around 7000 years Before Present (BP). Asserting that the top portion “appears to be a man-made structure”, he explained that it is originally a natural divide separating the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, so the geological characteristics are different on either side.

During the Ice Age around 18,000 years ago, the sea level was lower by 130 metres than at present, due to de-glaciation. Around 7,300 years ago, major flooding caused the sea level to rise 4 metres higher than what it is today. But the bund linking India and Sri Lanka is not a mere sand dune.

The Geological Survey of India conducted surveys for the Sethu Samudram Canal project authorities in 2004-05. On approaching the structure, they found a sudden rise in the land level: from 10-12 metre it rose 1.5 metre. The northern side is the turbulent Palk Bay that is prone to cyclones, and the tranquil southern side is the Gulf of Mannar which is pristine. It hosts nearly 21 islands full of corals. The GSI did some drilling at the deeper level of about 180-200 metres, but seems not to have probed the top portion.

The National Institute of Oceanography (NIOT) dug around 10 bore holes along the Adam’s Bridge alignment; four were along the islands (where sands keep shifting) and six in the water. It found that everywhere, below the top six metres, there were marine sands on top and below a mix of corals, calcareous sandstones, and boulder-like materials. Further below, up to 4-5 metres, again there was loose sand and after that, hard formations.

This, according to Dr Badrinarayanan, shows the structure is not natural. Corals are found only on rocks and hard surfaces. But on the Setu, below the corals and boulders, were loose sand, and on top of the loose sand, formed when the sea level was low, divers found boulders, which normally occur on land. The boulders are not a marine formation. Somebody dumped the boulders to use the structure as a causeway.

In Rameswaram, Pamban, Tuticorin region, one can see old corals on the land, because the sea level was 4 metres higher at the time they were formed 7,300 to 5,800 years ago. Then, from 5,800 to 5,400 years ago, the sea level fell, and from 5,400 to 4,000 years ago, it rose 2 metres higher than it is today. Hence, we find corals at two levels.

Between 5,800 to 5,400 years ago, or around 4,000 years ago, somebody brought all the boulders to the Setu. All aerial pictures show the Setu as 2 to 3 km wide. It is high on the eastern side, so someone took advantage of the raised portion and dumped the boulders to cross the waters. On the Rameswaram islands and in Pamban, on both sides of the railway bridge, one can see such formations and raised corals, which suggest that quarrying was done there. Since no one will dump materials for 30 km, the task was undertaken to cross the sea. The boulders are compact and light.

The region is geologically and geo-tectonically sensitive. Drilling revealed hot springs of 60 to 70 degrees Celsius. Earthquakes in Sri Lanka are felt in India, which means a major fault-line runs there. Towards the north and south, are remnants of old volcanoes.

It seems obvious, therefore, that widening the water channel could activate the fault-line and trigger seismic activity or earth quakes. It is well known that cyclones or tsunamis in the Bay of Bengal are contained by the Setu, or they would devastate southern India.

*

Tamil sources uphold the significance of Ram Setu as national heritage. Scholar Jayasree Saranathan observes that Valmiki Ramayana mentions a tsunami-impact at the isthmus just before Rama built the Setu, and probably caused the submergence of Southern Madurai around that time. Rama and the Vanaras reached the shore (VR 6:4) and waited for three days to find an opening in the ocean, failing which Rama shot an arrow to part the waters. After much tumult in the waters, Sāgara (God of the Sea) appeared and promised to hold back the waters so that the Vanaras could build the bridge, which they did in five days.

Saranathan puts Ramayana events at the time when the old Tamil kingdom of Pandyans was ruling in the South. Valmiki Ramayana mentions Kavatapuram, capital city of the Pandyas; there is also a corroboratory reference to Ravana in the Sinnamanur copper plates of the Pandyans. The copper plates mention that the Pandyans often clashed with Ravana and made him seek truce, or negotiated with him for some reason. This proves that Ravana was not a mythical character, and that Ramayana happened. Saranathan estimates that per literary and epigraphic evidences, the Ramayana period must have happened after 5550 BC when Kavatam was the capital of Pandyan kings. Prof Pushkar Bhatnagar puts the date at 5114 BC, based on astronomy-inputs of Ramayana.

When Sugriva told Hanuman and the vanaras to search for Sita in the southern direction, he said that after crossing river Kaveri, Agastya’s abode and river Tamraparani, they would reach the Kavatam of Pandyas (VR, ch. 41-19). Thereafter they would reach the Southern Ocean and could reach Ravana’s Lanka from Mahendra hills. Kavatam was submerged in the third deluge 3500 years ago.

Ram Setu was an engineering feat of its time. Mandodari knew Ravana would lose the coming war when she learnt about the bridge: “The day when the terrific monkeys built a bridge on the great ocean, that day itself I believed that Rama was not an ordinary mortal.” (VR, 6-111-11)

*

Rama Setu has an illustrious history and has fascinated non-Hindus for ages. The 11th century scholar Al-Beruni observed, “Setubandha means bridge of the ocean. It is the dike of Rama, the son of Dasarath, which he built from the continent to the castle Lanka. At present it consists of isolated mountains between which the ocean flows”. Early European travellers noted that the Setu could be used to reach Sri Lanka at low tide. Temple epigraphs and travelogues recorded in the Madras Presidency Gazetteer of 1893 said this was possible up to 1799, after which the rough sea and changing tide patterns made it difficult. Interestingly, the Sinhalas believe that Ashoka’s son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra walked over the bridge.

NASA satellite images reveal a broken bridge on the ocean floor, with unique curvature and composition that reveals it to be man-made, about 1,750,000 years old, coinciding with the first signs of human habitation in Sri Lanka. In March 2012, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged the Prime Minister to declare it a national monument on account of its “immeasurable historical, archaeological and heritage value”.

Rama Setu falls within the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere, set up by the Government of India in 1989 as South Asia’s largest protected marine ecosystem. It has 3,600 species of plants and animals, including sperm whales and dolphins, 117 species of corals (in Indian territorial waters alone), and many varieties of fish and crustaceans. The marine life on the Sri Lankan side is even richer. The Bar Reef off the Kalpitiya peninsular has 156 species of coral and 283 fish; two other coral reef systems adorn the seabed around Mannar and Jaffna. There are huge banks of oysters, Indian Chank and Sea Cucumbers adjacent to Mannar.

*

Commander Alfred D. Taylor of the Indian Marines mooted the idea of a shipping channel across the Palk Strait in 1860, to shorten the route for ships sailing between the west and east coast of India. In 1955, the Government of India appointed a Committee headed by Dr. A.R. Mudaliar to examine if a channel at Mannar could really save nearly 780 km of sailing distance and 30 hours of sailing time for ships. The committee said the project was feasible but urged an overland passage instead, as a channel cutting through the Setu would suffer from shifting sandbanks and navigational hazards. This effectively negated the project.

Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency warned that widening the channel would increase the water flow from the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar, and disturb the inland water balance and Mannar eco-systems. Fishermen opposed the project as shipping and fishing cannot coexist in such a narrow waterway.

Moreover, data from 1860 to 2000 showed that cyclones hit the region every four years and severely erode the coast. Tsunamis such as the one in 2004 can be even more lethal. The project failed to study the sedimentation pattern of Palk Bay, where the open sea constantly brings sand that could keep the channel shut for much of the year. The Suez Canal was cut through land, but needs annual desiltation. Naval experts opined that the channel would be unviable as the large modern-day merchant ships or oil tankers would not like to reduce speed, switch fuels, and incur extra costs like canal charges and pilot navigation assistance to negotiate it, but would prefer the open seas around Sri Lanka.

The Setusamudram project was launched in 2005 at the behest of the DMK, an important partner in the UPA government; dredging began in 2006. Hindu leaders immediately met the President of India to protest against the destruction of the Rama Setu. In October 2008, T.R. Baalu, DMK minister in the Union cabinet, filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, claiming, inter alia, that the Rama Setu was destroyed by Rama himself while departing from Lanka. Neither the Culture Ministry nor the Shipping and Road Transport Ministry were informed about the submission.

As Congress went into damage control, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said, “In the first affidavit, the government said there is no proof of Rama’s existence. Then there was widespread anger and it withdrew the affidavit. In the next one, it said it was a matter of faith and was up to the court to decide. Now they are saying that Rama himself destroyed the Rama Setu, which means they are admitting that Rama existed.

In 2012, the RK Pachauri committee warned that shipping in the Gulf of Mannar could cause oil spills and pollution, damaging the soft-coral reefs, marine turtles, and endangered sea animals such as Dugongs and Green Turtles, besides affecting the livelihoods of fishermen. It deemed the project “unviable both from the economic as well as ecological angles.”

In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party promised in its election manifesto that the Setu would be protected as “part of our cultural heritage” and because of the strategic value of its vast thorium deposits. The qualitative value of this intangible heritage may now be established by the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Institute of Oceanography.


Saturday, April 21, 2018

Tsunami at Setu and formation of Sāmbhar salt lake find mention in Valmiki Ramayana. (Spoken language of ancient India – Part 8)


Disclaimer: I hereby declare that there is no chauvinistic intention of promoting Tamil, which happens to be my mother tongue, in this series. The intention is to bring to the notice of readers, the presence of Tamil alongside Sanskrit in the Indian Subcontinent for many thousands of years. A deeper analysis might give us leads on why a fused Tamil and Sanskrit presence can be seen from India to Ireland to Ice land and from Polynesia to the Incas. 


The loss of Southern Madurai (தென் மதுரை) and re-location to Kavātam had happened between the 11th and 13th year of Rama’s exile. This coincided with the start of a tsunami season of 11 tsunamis spread over 5000 years that left imprints in the sea caves of Banda Aceh. (Read Part 7).  In those early years Rama was very much present in south India and even crossed the sea. Did he face the impact of any tsunami or sea-level rises? A reading of Valmiki Ramayana shows that he did experience a tsunami-impact at Setu just before he built the bridge. A tectonic deformation was simultaneously felt in the desert of Rajasthan. The details of these calamities and the probable cause of them are discussed in this article to add credence to the legend of submergence of Southern Madurai around that time.

Tsunami-like event at Setu in Valmiki Ramayana.

The ocean looked in its normal course when Rama and the Vanaras reached the shores (VR 6:4). The evening scenario appeared as though the ocean and the sky had merged together in colour and splendour. The ocean was filled with two rows of waves and the sky with a row of falling cloud. Rama waited for three days to find an opening in the ocean. This wait itself looks odd, unless similar openings had happened in the past.

To put it in a different way, suppose the land connection between India and Lanka was visible above the sea water here and there, the continuous stretch of land could have been exposed during low tides. This is possible when the land bridge was not completely submerged. But when Rama waited, nothing of that sort happened.

This made Rama to shoot an arrow at the sea, penetrating the waters of the sea. From that moment onwards, the description resembles a calamity in the sea. He again prepared to shoot, but this time the Brahmastra. He was stopped by Lakshmana and then by the Ocean God who advised him to divert the arrow at another location. What follows is another wonder – something caused in nature. And at the end of that Valmiki makes a significant remark about Rama as one having “Sarva Sastragyan” (राघवम् सर्वशास्त्रज्ञमिदम्) (VR 6:22:43). This makes us presume that whatever was witnessed or supposed to have been caused by Rama falls within scientific purview! Keeping this in mind let us re-visit the verses right from the time Rama shot an arrow at the sea.

Rama releases the arrow the first time.

At that moment, huge, rolling waves started coming and smoke also came out of the sea. The creatures of the deep sea were picked up by the waves, meaning to say that a complete overhaul of the water from bottom to top had happened. The waves were described as having reached the height of the Vindhya and Mandara mountains. All this was accompanied with a huge noise



Rama then took out the Brahmastra and just stretched the string – he had not yet shot the arrow.
At that moment (VR 6:22: verses 6 to 16)

·       The earth and the sky seemed to have split apart with a huge noise.
·       There was darkness and all directions looked obscure.
·       There was darkness in the sky as hundreds of meteors blazed across the sky with huge sound.
·       Heavy winds were blowing, tearing up the trees.
·       High velocity winds were noticed and they emitted flashes of lightning and thunder like noises.
·       The waves and waters of the Ocean attained a terrible velocity, swelled and crossed the other shore to an extent of a yojana! (1 Yojana = 8 miles). The term used here is “anyatra” (वेलामन्यत्र) meaning other shore!

      This is a crucial piece of information. Ocean had crossed the shore at some other place which was witnessed by Rama. In his place also the water level has increased, but not as alarmingly it was at the other shore. The rise in water level at Rama’s place is known from the description that Rama did not retreat (नातिचक्राम राघवः) when the water crossed the limits.

·       At this moment Sāgara (ocean God) appeared and promised to hold back the water so that the Vanaras could build the bridge. The sea creatures also would not be present at that time, promised Sāgara.

All these are features witnessed when a tsunami strikes. The tall waves – compared with the height of Vindhya and Mandara Mountain striking another shore but not where Rama was standing makes a good comparison with the shadow regions like Tiruchendur when 2004 tsunami struck. The stretch from Tiruchendur to Rameswaram was studded with a series of promontories even today.

There is also a chain of islands right in front of the region of Setu Karai (Shore of Setu) where Rama did his penance for Ocean God according to traditional belief. This region was full of Kusha grass and Ramayana specifically says that Rama did the penance at the region of Kush grass. This region is known as Tiruppullani in Tamil – referring to the grass.



In the picture above a part of the sea off Setu Karai is circled. Presently the bathymetric depth of the circled region (between Setu Karai and the chain of islands in front of it) is less than 4 meters only. (It is more in the regions outside the encircled region, thereby making this region look like a promontory when the sea level was lower by 5 metres than at present). The maximum depth at Ram Setu is also 4 metres today. In other words, the region of Ram Setu (where the bridge was built) and the region in front of Rama in Setu Karai were at same depth.

The islands in the front, particularly the three islands must have been there as they are now or a couple of metres above water at the time of Rama. The ‘anyatra’ shore where the tall waves crossed right in front of the eyes of Rama, could have been the eastern or southern shorelines of these islands. The waves of reduced velocity had reached the feet of Rama after crossing these islands. It was at that moment, Sāgara (Ocean God) appeared as per the narration of Valmiki. (1)

Interestingly, two of the three islands lined in front of where Rama stood, bear the name ‘Deepu Sagar’ even today. This could have been the corrupt form of ‘Dweepa Sagar’ (Sagar Dweepa). They are also called in local Tamil names, but the names Sagar and Dweepa could not have come up without being associated with Ramayan events at this place.



After the tsunami-hit, the waters had retreated to some distance by the pull of returning waves, exposing parts of the land conenction between India and Lanka. The sea creatures were washed away in that region, something mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. The bridge was then built by the vanaras within five days. But the evidence of a natural calamity cintinues to persist in the surroundings. This is known from Rama’s words on what he termed as portents, as he began to walk on the newly constructed bridge towards Lanka. They are listed below. (2)

·       “Winds are blowing with dust and earth is trembling. Mountain- tops are quivering and trees are falling down”.
·       “Ferocious clouds resembling wild beasts were dirty colored and emit a terrific roaring and let loose dreadful showers mingled with drops of blood”.
·       “Evening twilight resembling red sandal wood is very much dreadful. From the blazing sun, balls of fire fall”.
·       “Wild animals and birds from all sides are roaring pitiably with melancholic sound, facing towards the sun in great fear”.
·       “The splendorous moon as though rising at the time of universal dissolution, invested with a black and red halo is tormenting the mind this night”.
·       “A dark stain appears on the cloudless solar disc, which is diminished, dreary, inauspicious and coppery”.
·       “Stars enveloped in enormous dust, appear to announce dissolution of the world”.

The dominat feature in the above description is red colour.

The rainfall was mixed with red spots, making it appear like drops of blood.

The twilight was red.

Moon was surrounded with red-coloured halo.

The sun looked dimished in brightness but looked coppery, again a refernce to red colour.
 The stars looked dim covered with dust.

All these happen in a calamity caused by meteor hit or volcanic explosion or sub-terrnean explosion of magma! The red colour of the rain and moon’s halo are mostly due to red particles in the atmosphere which could have been spewed up into the atmosphere due to an explosion. The explosion could be that of volcanic fire under water or near water or of sub-terranean magma bursting out from the ocean floor. In such cases a tsunami is possible. There are two possible candidates for these in the India Ocean. It is explained using the following diagram.

The topography of the Indian Ocean floor

(1) On the right there is a long line of subduction zone to the west of Indonesian islands. This has been the most common cause of sudden seismic activity on the ocean floor.

(2) The second region of instability is right in the middle of the Indian Ocean to the south of India. Here two tectonic plates are moving towards each other causing a line of compression (3). 

Whenever the compression force exceeds a particular limit tremors are felt. The subterranean magma is also being pushed out and spread out on the ocean floor.

In the first scenario seismicity in the subduction zone of Sunda-Java Trench accompanied with an explosive volcano could throw up massive amounts of dust in the atmosphere while simultaneously triggering a tsunami. The impact of that could roughly be as indicated in the below diagram.




Two places are of interest to us – Setu Karai / Ram Setu and Kavātam! Kavātam had already come into existence when Rama reached the shores. Its location deduced from Ramayana is somewhere in the now submerged region off the Southern tip of India. It did not suffer any damage until 3500 years ago. Therefore its location must be deemed to be in a safer place away from the line of tsunami originating in the east of Indian Ocean. South India had an extended shore line in the southern tip at that time.

In the above diagram, both Setu Karai (where Rama was standing) and Kavātam are in safe locations if a tsunami strikes from east, from the direction of Indonesian archipelago.

But Valmiki does not stop with this event alone. He continues to narrate what was done with the Brahmastra that Rama was about to shoot. That narration tells an extended story of what more happened due to the seismicity felt at Setu. They were related to the happenings at Thar desert!

Events at Rajasthan desert.

On seeing Rama readying to shoot the Brahmastra, Sagara, the Ocean God told him that there was a place called ‘Drumakulya’ where the Abhiras were drinking his waters – a reference to sea water / salt water. Sāgara wanted Rama to stop them from drinking that water. So Rama directed his arrow at that part which landed as a thunderbolt. A cavity was formed called as ‘Marukāntāram’ (मरुकान्तारम्) – the cavity of the desert.

The narration shows that there was a hollow called ‘vrana’ (a crack) in that part of the desert. From that water was coming out resembling sea water. The arrow of Rama dried up that water. However Rama gave a boon to get fresh water in that cavity. From then onwards that place had become congenial for living giving scope for vegetation and cattle rearing.

Such an act was done by Rama, the knower of all sciences!

Reference to Sambhar Lake

A study of this description and the etymology of the terms used in this context give a fairly good picture of the events that had happened. The place-name ‘Drumakulya’ could refer to a creek on the side of a tree or trees. Druma means tree in Sanskrit. Kulya refers to a canal or a ditch or a formation where water runs. Abhiras were the people living in that region. Abhiras are cowherds, etymologically. But the reference to Drumakulya in Rama’s times could imply that they were not effectively engaged in cattle rearing. Their only source of water was salty water resembling sea water available in Drumakulya. Lack of means for their sustenance made them engaged in robbery. 

There is yet another reference to this creek like structure. It is the word Marukāntāram. Rama's Brahmastra descended at Marukāntāram (VR 6-22-35). This implies that the creek of Drumakulya looked like a cavity in a desert. That desert was a famous one (विश्रुतम्), thereby indicating that it was the Thar desert

Rama’s arrow landed at that cavity like thunderbolt causing the salt water to disappear. But soon good water had filled that cavity which is known from the description that it became congenial for cattle breeding and for growing roots, fruits and herbs. The place became auspicious for living.

This description fits well with the formation of Sambhar Salt lake in Rajasthan. There are quiet a few salt lakes in Rajasthan of which Sambhar lake is the biggest one. The etymology of the name Sambhar is traced to Shakambhari Devi which means ‘she who bears vegetables’!! One can see transference from Druma (tree) to śāka (meaning vegetable). A place of trees that didn’t give any sustenance to the dwellers had got transformed into a place of ‘vegetables’. How did that happen?

Many studies were done in this and other salt lakes of the Thar Desert. It was found out that there is salt water, very much resembling sea water, formed by the rocks of the Precambrian period at deeper levels. There were at least four phases of tectonic deformation in the past causing the salt rocks to rise up or get exposed in cavities formed by the tectonic deformation. (4) The last two tectonic deformations must have formed the depressions holding present day’s salt lakes of Rajasthan, including Sāmbhar Lake. (5)

Sāmbhar Lake is located on a tectonic block, sandwiched between two separate blocks placed north and south of it. There is a possibility of these blocks tilting and rotating due to tectonic activities. “The independent movement of these two blocks might have led to the formation of some weak linear zone which eventually developed into Sāmbhar lake basin(6)

The tectonic movements have caused the salt water to disappear in the cavity, but in course of time rain water got collected in to this and other salt lake cavities helping in support of habitation around the lakes. Salt making industry at Sāmbhar Lake is a recent activity, started 1500 years ago. Until then its sole utility was to sustain the population around it with the rain water collected in its cavity.


The scientific description of the above explains the myths around Shakambhari. (Shakambhari also means ‘fossil salt’). She was supposed to have numerous eyes on her body which were shedding waters on seeing the dreadful condition of the land. This is like drops of rain water that rarely occur in the desert getting collected in the cavity.

The salt water-filled cavity was drained by Rama’s arrow. Later it came to be filled with rain water which continues till today. The myth of Shakambhari came to be associated with this while the early event of disappearance of salt water from the lake was associated with Rama’s Brahmastra.

So what has happened when Rama, the knower of all sciences (Sarva Sastragyan) shot the arrow?

 The tectonic deformation disturbing the cavity to lose salt water to the subterranean levels can only happen when there is a seismic disturbance.

Such a disturbance had happened when Rama was waiting to cross the sea at Setu.

At first a tsunami hit the shores with a lesser impact at Setu Karai and Ram Setu, followed by a complete blurring of the surroundings with red coloured particles. Water had receded at Ram Setu region while at the same time a salt water cavity at the Thar Desert got disturbed causing its water to disappear at greater depths. These combinations are possible if a powerful tectonic movement in the compression zone of the mid Indian Ocean region had happened. A northward thrust can cause a chain reaction of compression or tectonic deformation on the direction of force where lies India. This compression zone is known to throw out magma that spreads on the ocean floor. If the thrust is powerful enough a magma plume can be thrown up into the atmosphere and this could have caused reddish hues all around.  

A south to north tectonic movement in Indo-Australian tectonic compression zone in the Indian Ocean can push the Indian plate towards north, thereby causing subsequent deformation in the local fault regions of the Indian sub continent. Sāmbhar Lake lying on one such fault line compressed on two sides by two tectonic blocks to its south and the north could receive a jolt in such a scenario. Salt rocks are easily prone to such deformation according to experts.


In the above diagram, the arrow marks show the direction of stress release when the mid Indian Ocean compression zone receives a jolt from the southern tectonic plate. The immediate result would be a tsunami which can cause tremendous damage to southern tip of India. Part of it enters the Gulf of Mannar where damages are restricted by promontory like formations. Setu Karai and Rameswaram would have escaped damage, but experienced a denuding of silt in the region of the underwater land connection between India and Lanka. Rama made use of this opportunity and quickly raised the region with solid stuff.

Kavātam also lies on the way of the tsunami. In the absence of any record of damage to Kavātam of that time it is inferred that it is located on a safe region away from direct hit of a tsunami from south.
The damage did not seem to stop with south India. The tectonic crush from south to north seemed to have disturbed the three volatile tectonic blocks in the Thar desert, one of which bears the Sāmbhar lake. The compression force had impacted them causing the salt water of Sambhar lake drain deep into the cavity. Later when rains arrived, the cavity served as a lake and helped people to flourish.


All this is attributed to Rama and his astra, for Rama as Time and Kalapurusha is the Primary cause of all events.

What looks like myths actually contain secrets which can be unravelled anytime in future. But the events woven around the myth helps in keeping alive the myth for very long so that someday it can be understood in its truer sense.

That seems to be the intention of Valmiki who thoughtfully had inserted the term “Sastragyan” of Rama to de-code the natural occurrences hidden in the narration.

A tsunami-hit closer to Ram Setu helping in raising the under-water connection and a tectonic deformation at Sāmbhar lake causing it to be what it is now – these are the secrets embedded in Valmiki Ramayana at a time Kavātam had come into existence.

These scientifically viable events do lend credibility to the legends of floods in olden Tamil lands. Sāmbhar Lake is as old as the Ram Setu Bridge. And Ram Setu is as old as Kavātam! The scientific dating of the tectonic deformation of the Sāmbhar Lake can authenticate the date of Rama and also the date of Kavātam emerging as the capital of the 2nd Tamil Sangam age.


At a time Rama was waiting to cross the sea at Setu, Agastya was preparing himself to head the revival of Tamil Sangam by engaging in a 12 year long penance at the receptacle of Kaveri.

Why did Agastya choose to take up the task of re-establishing the literature tradition of Tamil Sangam?  Why no other Rig Vedic sage seemed to be interested in this task? Were they not conversant in Tamil – the language called Madhuram that Rama and Seetha seemed to be familiar with?

To be discussed in the next article..


References:

 (1) Valmiki Ramayana: 6:22: verses 16 & 17

(2) Valmiki Ramayana: 6:23: verses 4 -10

(3) Wiens et al., 1986, ‘Plate tectonic models for Indian Ocean “intraplate” deformation’, Tectonophysis, 132 (1986) 37-48

(4) Ramesh et al., 1993, ‘Stable isotopic evidence for the origin of salt lakes in the Thar Desert’, Journal of arid environments, Volume 25, Issue 1, July 1993, Pages 117-123, https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.1993.1047

(5) Paliwal.B.S., Dept of Geology, Govt Bangur College, Didwana, “The source of salt in Rajasthan – an investigation of the salt lake of Didwana”, 1975.

(6) “Physico-chemical evolution of the Sambhar lake system, Rajasthan”, Thesis submitted by Saro J Kumar Panda, 1996, https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.195086/2015.195086.Physico-chemical-Evoluof-The-Sambhar-Lake-System-Rajasthan_djvu.txt