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Showing posts with label Tamil Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamil Conference. Show all posts
In the midst of the raging controversy in the main stream and social media over the religious identity of Thiruvalluvar and Thirukkural, it is time to take a deep look at the available evidence to deduce the same. Though I have written many blogs in the past on this particular issue, this time I have brought out a video to analyse these issues in the light of the verses of Thiruvalluva Maalai, a compilation of verses of many Sangam poets on Thiruvalluvar and Thirukkural.
Thiruvalluva Maalai was released in the last Assembly of the last (3rd) Sangam headed by the Pandyan King Ugra Peruvazhuthi. Majority of the 53 verses of this compilation speak of Thirukkural as equal to Vedas, talking about the 4 Purusharthas (Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha) and as an exposition of the six 'samayam' which refer to Shaivam, Vaishnavam etc, but certainly not the Abrahamic religions. Some of the verses also give solid clues on the location of Thiruvalluvar and the king ruling at his time.
Those verses point out to Thiruvalluvar's time at the end of the 1st Sangam Age when Then- Madurai (southern Madurai) was lost to the seas. Subsequently he moved to Mayilai (Mylapore) in present day Chennai that was established by the Pandyan king. Thirukkural must have been completed at this place. But in the prevailing commotion caused by the deluge and the setting up of a new capital (Kavatam) Thirukkural could not find the light of the day at any Sangam Assembly. More details in my video which begin with revealing the Hindu identity of Thiruvalluvar.
The video contains an important denouncement of the faulty interpretation of Andal's verse "Thee-k-kuralai" (தீக்குறளைச் சென்றோதோம்) as referring to demeaning of Thirukkural by Andal.
What she referred to was "Kuralai" which by itself is an independent word meaning "talking ill of others".
I have presented my deductions based on solid and valid verses of Sangam poets to bring out the truth. Let Truth Alone prevail!
Update on December 8, 2019 Check out my videos describing the Vedic view of to and fro oscillation of the equinoxes within 54 degrees and the polar shifts within 54 degree arc of the sky.
Understanding equinoxes the Vedic way
Identifying the northern pole stars in the Vedic concept of 54 degree oscillation.
The most vexatious and the least understood idea of
‘precession’ of equinoxes had a re-run of the same kind in an
article (reproduced below)##
that I recently read. Behind the attractive title of when Makar Sankaranti was
first celebrated, the reader is offered three synchronies, (1) coincidence of
Uttarayana (winter solstice) with Makar Sankaranti, (2) Makar Sankaranti coinciding with Til
harvest and (3) the current date of Makar Sankaranti coinciding with the date
of Uttarayana during the period of Nilaknatha Somayaji in 1500s.
With due respects to the author of these
synchronies, let me state that none of these do matter in understanding Uttarayana
or Makar Sankaranti and the article offers no justification to the question in
the title, “When did we first celebrate Makar
Sankaranti?” Without attempting to answer this question which is historical
in nature, attempts of the author to find its synchronies using modern software
could only confound mis-information. The answers do not lie in the astronomy
software but in understanding the domain knowledge of what our ancient rishis
watched in the sky and for what they used that knowledge.
To give a sample idea of what this domain knowledge
was like, a verse in Brihad Samhita says (Ch 3- 4) that if the sun
commences its northward movement (Uttarayana) before reaching Makara
(Capricorn) it would bring evil on the west and south. Similarly if it turns
towards south (Dakshinayana) before it reaches Kataka (Cancer), it would cause
harm to east and north. What this conveys is that it was well within the
knowledge of the rishis that the movement (ayana) is not constant and cannot synchronise
with Makara or Kataka at all times. It must have taken not just a few hundred
but thousands of years of observation of the movement of the Ayanas (of the sun)
and the terrestrial events related to the movement.
Today Uttarayana starts before the sun reaches
Makara – the same condition mentioned in Brihad samhita.
Interestingly no text speaks about Uttarayana after it slipped south of Makara
that is in Dhanus (Sagittarius) which had happened more than 1500 years ago.
The last time we hear about the conjunction of Makar Sankaranti and Uttarayana
is from Varahamihira. After that the next reference – plenty of them are there -
comes in the inscriptions of1000 years before present. Interestingly they refer
to “Uttarayana Sankaranti” and the dates concur
with Makara Sankaranti only and not the actual date of Uttarayana (sun turning
towards north after it reaches the southernmost point). That means Uttarayana to the south of Makara was never recognised
for rituals and instead it was combined with Makara Sankaranti – on the
date the sun enters Makara.
It is here the problem of non-synchronous synchrony
between the two has been taken up by modern researchers who think that we are
wrong in having “Uttarayana Sankaranti”. They
insist that Uttarayana must be recognised at the current location of northward
movement and adjust the dates of the festivals accordingly.
But the fact is that tropical solstice or Equinox do not determine the festivals or rituals of the Vedic society. Only the sun
and moon as Panchānga factors are reckoned for fixing the dates of festivals.
Today vernal equinox starts at 6 degrees of Pisces and modern reformers want us
to start Aries at that point. This is nothing but lack of domain knowledge of
Vedic astronomy – for, the month of Chaitra (Aries) is determined by the full moon happening in
Chitra star, but it does not happen so when the sign of Aries starts with the Sun
in 6th degree of Pisces. Vedic astronomy synchronises stars, sun and
the moon for identifying “time” for any ritual.
In the very beginning of Rig Jyothisha, it is said that knowledge of all these
is to know the effect of Time. This part –that is, effect-related- to-
celestial entities – is what makes Vedic astronomy
different from modern astronomy.
Another pet theory of modernists is that seasons
will change with precession, whereas ground reality is that the rainy season of
Ramayana had not changed even now. The reason is that sidereal position of the
sun is always kept intact whatever the precession may be. The purpose of Vedic
astronomy being identification of Time for rituals, constant course correction
is being done with stars as reference points. Due to this reason, rainy season
always starts in Ashada month and summer always peaks when the sun passes
through Krittika.
Fall of Abhijit (Vega in the constellation of Lyra).
While on the topic of Krittika, a major
mis-conception must be exposed on the so-called ‘fall’
of the star Abhijit. The article under
discussion refers to Abhijit as a pole star and a fallen star quoting secondary
sources. If only the primary source was analysed, the author would have known
that the ‘fall’ of Abhijit is not actually a fall in the literary sense of the
term but removal from the zodiac – in which case, the vacancy was filled by
Krittika!
This means that the star Krittika (Pleiades) was not
at all considered as part of the 27 stars of the zodiac at one time. From the
events described in Vana Parva of Mahabharata (ch 227 to 229), it is
known that Rohini was in the lead (equinox) once when Vishaka was a full star
and not divided between two signs as it is now between Libra and Scorpio. At
that time a huge fire (called Adbhuda) had ravaged
the lands and some re-design or re-organisation of the zodiac was done as a
result. Since events were connected with the transit of sun, the fire at Rohini
was a mismatch. So Krittika, a star group very much close-by (for naked eye
observation) was included with its deity identified as Agni.
Around the same time, it was noticed that Abhijit
which was reckoned at a place where Makara begins today (90 degrees to the left
of Rohini – with Rohini as the point of Vishu or equinox) had slipped southward.
That being the point of Uttarayana, and with Uttarayana no longer happening in
Abhijit, it was thought fit to revamp the zodiac with Abhijit expunged from the
star-group and substituted by Krittika in between Bharani and Rohini. In naked
eye observation they are seen to be cramped within a short span of space –
giving credence to the story that Krittika was added afterwards. That was the
time Skanda alias Muruga
was around according to the version in Mahabharata. He was very valorous and so was deified with a
mythological spin of six women, who happened to be the wives of six of the
seven rishis of the Sapta rishi Mandala (Ursa Major).
Here also an interesting astronomical truth is
encapsulated in Mahabharata. They ancient rishis had identified a companion for
each of the seven stars of the Sapta rishi mandala but had found that six of
them had changed position with only Arundhati retaining the
same location with reference to the star identified as her husband, Vashishta. To
give a mythological tinge to the deification of Skanda, the rishis had framed a
story that the six wives have turned into the six Krittika women who nursed
Skanda. All these events – the Adbhuda fire, the slip down of the northern movement of the sun to the south of Abhijit,
replacement of Abhijit with Krittika and change in the position of six
companion stars – had been noticed during the same period leading to a re-vamp
of the zodiac.
Skanda was repeatedly referred to as having taken up
the face of the goat
in the narration in Mahabharata – a reference to Mesha becoming the first
sign of the zodiac. In this set- up the maximum precession or
progression had happened within 27 degrees on either side of the zero degree
Aries which we celebrate as New Year or Vishu. This Vishu regressed upto 24
degrees as of today, but it doesn’t matter, it is going to swing back in
forward motion soon – that is the Vedic wisdom we gather from the ancient
texts.
To quote a source, Vayu Purana speaks about a
‘veethi’ (street)
concept (Ch 50- 130). It tells about a northern street called Naga veethi
and a southern street called Ajaveethi. It says
“when the sun rises
in the constellations Mula, Purvashada and Uttrashada it is called Ajaveethi.
When the sun rises during the rise of the three stars after Abhijit, it is
called Nagaveethi.”
After Abhijit, comes Shravana, Dhanishta and
Satabhishak. The verse is a clear indication of northern movement (Uttarayana )
of sun limited to the extent of Mula only. The three stars from Mula occurring
south of Makara, it was given the name, Southern street
(where Uttarayana happens as it is happening today). After crossing Makara –
where Abhijit was once located, the northern movement of the ayana could go
only upto Satabhishak after which the movement would be reversed. This part of
the movement was known as Northern street.
This is something unthinkable for the modern
researchers who are pushing the ayana and equinox relentlessly around the
zodiac. In reality the axial precession to the extent of less than 3 degrees
(between 22.1 to 24.5 degrees as per current research) can have the effect of a
rocking chair or a Tanjore doll, yes, the famous swaying doll of Tanjore!
The Tanjore doll (above) can sway back and forth but
would never topple. A society that sees everything from a cosmic and spiritual perspective
can be expected to have devised a play thing in a concept which is very easy to
understand.
The simple proof of how precession works is in the
latitudinal angle of tropic of cancer and Capricorn. It will always be the same
as the degree of tilt of the axis. Presently the axial tilt is 23.44 degrees.
That is the maximum limit of both the tropics. The sun reaches only upto the
extent of 23.44 degrees in the north and in the south of equator. With the tilt
changing from 22.1 to 24.5 degrees, that is the range within which the two
ayanas can travel. This view is expressed in terms Veethi concept with sidereal
reference in Vayu Purana.
The maximum extent that the sun can travel on both
sides of the equator can be upto Mula 3 degrees in the south and Satabhishak in
the north. Accordingly tropic of Sagittarius will mark the northern turn of the
sun from southern hemisphere (Uttarayana).It will be tropic of Gemini in the northern hemisphere marking the
southward turn in Dakshinayana. Beyond these two limits the sun can never be
seen in the backdrop of the stars of other signs. This oscillation is comparable
to the swaying motion of the Tanjore doll.
But why the researchers had thought that equinox and
ayanas would do a full round? Perhaps they are inspired by the lunar orbit with
reference to earth’s orbit in which case, the point of intersection of the two
keeps moving around the zodiac (known as nodes or Rahu and Ketu). That is for
an observer on the earth. But earth’s relationship with the sun is not the
same. The earth is orbiting the sun – and is not at the centre of the orbit. To
put it in simpler terms, in the case of moon orbiting the earth, the moon’s
orbit intersects the earth’s orbit. The gradual movement of the point of
intersection is noticeable from the earth which makes a full round in 18.5
years.
This is not the same with reference to the sun that
is being orbited by the earth. Suppose we are in the location of the sun, and
watch the earth move around us, in the same way we watch the moon move around
the earth, we can observe the orbit of the earth (ecliptic) cutting the path of
the sun at gradually moving different points. But we are circling the sun like
how moon is circling the earth. Our observation is not like how we see the moon
from the earth. But it is like how a being on moon will be seeing the earth
while moon is making circles around the earth. With less than 3 degree
variation in the wobble of the tilted earth, the sun will be seen moving across
the sky, with the far away stars in the back drop, within a limited span of
space. The following diagram shows how it would look.
(For
illustrative purpose only, not true to angles)
The above picture shows the maximum shift of the
spring equinox caused by the maximum oscillation of the axial tilt of the
earth. The shift is between Pisces and Aries only. Beyond this the equinox
cannot move. In the past it went upto Rohini, a star in Taurus in the current
design of the zodiac. The ‘fall of Abhijit’ and the substitution of Krittika to
complete the zodiac had caused the equinoctial shift to move upto Krittika,
that has taken the original span of the star Rohini (each star span is 13 degrees
and 20 minutes where 60 minutes make one degree)
In the opposite of the ecliptic, the way the
autumnal equinox shifts between Libra and Virgo with the median at zero degree
Libra is shown in the diagram below. For those in the southern hemisphere, the
equinox will be seen to move within 27 degrees on either side of zero degree of
Libra.
In these two diagrams, two extreme positions of the
wobble are shown as two earths. The location of the sun in the back drop of
stars perceived as Equinox, cannot go beyond a certain limit – here shown as 27
degrees on either side of beginning point of Aries and of Libra – which is as
per Vedic Thought. The poles as well as the equinox make a restricted movement. As such Uttarayana (Dakshinayana too) is an
oscillating phenomenon and cannot be synchronised with Makar Sankaranti. Nor
can it be stretched across the zodiac with claims that months and seasons will
change with that movement.
Before ending, let me respond to the three
synchronies mentioned in the article under critique.
(1) Coincidence of Uttarayana with Makar Sankaranti:
This can happen only when Uttarayana is crossing
zero degree Capricorn or the 270th degree of the zodiac that starts
with Aries at zero degrees. Whenever Uttarayana started before the sun reached
Makara, Vedic society had not recognised it as the starting point. It had
always maintained Makara Sankramana (entry) as Uttarayana. When Uttarayana had
occurred after the sun reached Makara, then only Uttarayana was recognised,
whatever be its position. That is what we are seeing in Rig Jyothisha. One
should remember that Makara Sankaranti was conspicuously absent in those times.
That is because Makara Sankaranti was happening in Dakshinayana at those times.
With importance given to the 270th degree (which is 90 degree to the
left of Equinox in fixed zodiac) when Abhijit was seen not to be the star of
Uttarayana, a re-design of the zodiac was done, after expunging Abhijit from
the zodiac. Detailed explanation can be read in the last chapter of my book "Myth of The Epoch of Arundhati of Nilesh Nilkanth Oak".
(2) Makar Sankaranti coinciding with Til harvest:
There is no proof for this whereas the available
inscriptional evidence shows that harvest was over in Aippasi- Karthigai and in
Panguni- Chitthirai. There is evidence of payment of “Karthigau
Kaasu” at the end of rainy season and “Chitthirai
Kaasu” after the end of winter crops. Read my earlier article on how
Pongal was a recent development and not a replacement
for Makar Sankaranti in Tamil lands.
(3) The current date of Makar Sankaranti coinciding with the date of
Uttarayana during the period of Nilaknatha Somayaji in 1500s:
The author had written,
“The final synchrony we examine is to ask the question,
when did Makar Sankranti
last coincide with Jan 13th/14th? By direct simulation on planetarium
software, we find this date to be around 1500s CE. This period is startlingly, the exact
period of the famous Kerala astronomer, Nilakantha
Somayaji (1444-1544), author of Tantrasangrama, who would have been aware of the
length of the tropical year and the effect of Precession from works of
Aryabhata, Bhaskara II as well as Surya Siddhanta, and might have computed the
date accordingly. This date was probably left untouched since.”
The author first tries to match the Gregorian date
of present day Makar Sankaranti with the date of Uttarayana when it last
coincided with the same Gregorian date. This is nothing but absurd as Gregorian
calendar does not track the star path as Vedic astronomy (it is astrology only
but modernists refuse to use that term). As explained earlier, Uttarayana and
Makar Sankaranti are not the same and our sages did not bother to synchronise
them. The synchronisation is done like a play by modernists with the help of
astronomy software.
Next the author says that Uttarayana was kept track
of until then (Nilakantha’s time) but not corrected thereafter. I wish he along
with all those modern chronologists of his ilk understand the fact that
Uttaryana and every other time keeping was done with reference to the stars in
the backdrop of the sun and not in a fixed position in the zodiac when the
earth comes to the same point in its orbit around the sun. Therefore it is
irrational to synchronise the current date of Makar Sankaranti with Uttarayana
in the past.
In fact the Gregorian calendar came into use after
the time of Nilakantha. It is on record of Madras Journal of Literature and Science (1833-34)
that Makar Sankaranti occurred on 11th
January in sync with the equinoctial position in fixed zodiac on 11th
April in the year 1834. (This is the Tamil New Year or Vishu). Around the time
the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the sidereal New Year (zero degree
Aries) started on 11th April and Makar Sankaranti on 11th January.
The years before that would see the backward movement of the calendar date with
reference to Vishu and Makar Sankaranti. 100 years from now Vishu will occur on
15th / 16th April and Makar Sankaranti on 15th / 16th
January. It makes no sense to synchronise Gregorian date with sidereal date.
Finally let me attempt to answer the question raised
by the author in the title “When
did we first celebrate Makar sankaranti?” That goes to the time before
the ‘fall’ of Abhijit – a time when Skanda, a hero of Tamil texts lived. Until
then Uttarayana and Makar Sankaranti had coincided. Once they started noticing
the ‘fall’ of Abhijit and Uttarayana happening after 270th degree of
the zodiac, they had thought of making corrections. It was then a massive fire
had occurred when the equinox was in Rohini. This was unacceptable as Rohini
was thought to be ruled by creator Brahma. Therefore Krittika was introduced in
the place of Rohini and Rohini’s span was pushed forward. By how many degrees
this could have happened would be discussed in another article.
By excluding Abhijit from the zodiac the rishis had revealed their mind – that the sun going south
of Makara is inauspicious but they can wait for its return to Naga Veethi. However their love for Abhijit made them name the mid day muhurtha after Abhijit.
It would do well to the
retention of ancient wisdom of Vedic rishis, if modern astronomy software based
researchers stop spreading their mis-construed ideas as truth to gullible yet
eager readers.
The widespread celebration of the Makar Sankranti
festival and its many regional variations hint at great antiquity. In this
article, we will take a journey through time, weaving together history,
astronomy, calendars, seasons, agriculture and common customs, to find
connections and understand the antiquity of the festival, and as an outcome, we
will examine three different synchronisms for Makar Sankranti.
We first discuss points of astronomical
significance, to appreciate the antiquity of the festival.
1. As the Earth rotates on its 23.5 degree tilted axis from west to east, it
would appear that celestial bodies that rise in the eastern horizon set in the
western horizon, except for the stars closer to the celestial North (South)
Pole that would appear to circle it.
2. Earth’s annual revolution around the Sun while
tilted at 23.5 degrees gives the phenomenon of seasons, due to the changing
amounts of sunlight in each hemisphere, in each quarter segment of the revolution.
3. The visible stars are so distant from our solar
system that they appear to be fixed with respect to the Earth’s revolution. As
the Earth makes progress in its revolution each day, it would appear that the
familiar constellations also change in the sky. Thus the constellations that
appear in the night sky in a given month will repeat in a year’s time (ignoring
the slow effect of precession, discussed in point 7). The situation is
analogous to looking outside a train window on a circular track – the same
scenery will appear at the same point on the circular track.
4. Due to the Earth’s tilt at 23.5 degrees, from an
Earth-bound observation point, it would appear that the sunrise is offset by a
small amount daily, and reaches a southernmost point – the Winter Solstice, and
reverses course, and reaches a northernmost point, the Summer Solstice. Ancient
Indians recognized the six-month southern journey of the Sun as Dakshinayana,
and the 6-month northern journey as the auspicious Uttarayana. The epic Mahabharata,
recounts Bhishma who could control the time of his death, and lay on a bed of
arrows, waiting for the start of Uttarayana, for more than 92 days (Nilesh
Nilakanth Oak, When Did the Mahabharata War Happen?), hinting
ancient observance of the Winter solstice occurrence.
5. Indian astronomical work divided the sky into
twenty-seven Nakshatras that each occupies 13 and 1/3 degree segments,
approximately the distance traveled by the Moon in a 24 hour period against the
fixed stars. Each Nakshatra was identified by the principal stars in that
segment of the sky. The Nakshatra model forms part of the earliest corpus of
Indian works on astronomy, dating to the Vedic era.
6. In addition to the twenty-seven Nakshatras,
ancient Indians also divided the sky into 12 equal parts of thirty degrees
each, called the Rashis. While there have been some Western assertions that
ancient Indians borrowed the Rashi model from Babylon, Subhash Kak shows
otherwise in his book, Astronomical Code of the Rgveda, about the
Vedic origin of the Rashis, evolving from the twelve Adityas. See fig.1.
The twelve Rashis shown on the ceiling of the 12th
century Airavatesvara temple in Darasuram, Tamil Nadu.
7. Due to the gravitational effects of Sun and Moon
(and to a lesser extent, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn), the Earth wobbles on its
axis, and completes a non-uniform cycle in about 25,771 years, referred to as
Precession of Equinox. Due to this wobble, the celestial North Pole (and South
Pole) appears to change over time, and the Rashis appear to drift slowly over
the years. More than 2500 years ago, ancient Indians had observed and measured
the wobble at a degree for every 100 years.
This translates to a measure of
36,000 years, a figure repeated by Hipparchus around 150 BCE. One of the best
estimates of Precession was made by Bhaskara II of Ujjain in the 12th century,
to 25,461 years, and not improved upon till modern times. It is very
interesting that ancient Indians had noted a time when Abhijit (the star Vega)
was once the pole-star, and also a time when it was no longer the pole-star.
Abhijit was at the Celestial North Pole approximately 14,000 years ago. Around
7000 years ago, it would have appeared to have “fallen” in the sky, as noted by
Dr. P.V.Vartak (in Scientific Dating of Ramayana and the Vedas),
calling out a reference to a passage in the Mahabharata.
We now define Makar Sankranti as the date when from
an Earth-bound observation point, the Sun enters the Makar Rashi, also called
Capricorn.
Ancient Indians noted the Winter Solstice as the
start of the auspicious Uttarayana. At some point in the past, Uttarayana
coincided with Makar Sankranti, and constitutes our first point of synchrony.
We can determine the time period when the two coincided by considering the
effects of Precession. Prior to that, it is instructive to note how ancient
Indians and Europeans recorded the passage of time.
Subhash Kak notes that even before Vedanga Jyotish,
ancient Indians’ 27-Nakshatra and 12 Rashi system used a luni-solar calendar
where every 5 years, an additional month called Adhika Masa was added,
synchronizing the lunar and solar years. Ancient Indians also estimated the
tropical year, defined as the period when the Sun enters the same seasonal
point – say, a solstice point.
Aryabhata and Bhaskara II had estimated the tropical year at 365 days, 6 hours,
12 minutes, and 30 seconds, the same figure as estimated in the ancient Indian
text, Surya Siddhanta. The modern figure for the tropical year is approximately
365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds.
In the Western system, Julius Caesar instituted the
Julian calendar in 46 BCE, dividing the year of 365 days to 12 months, and
adding a day every 4th year, thus averaging to 365 days, 6 hours - a figure
less accurate than the Surya Siddhanta. Due to this approximation, this
calendar accumulated errors over the years, causing a “slip” in the dates of
the equinoxes and solstices. The modern Gregorian calendar introduced in 1582,
introduced a correction, where if a year is integer-divisible by 4, it is
considered a leap year, except for those centurial years that are
integer-divisible by 100, and with further overruling exception to those
centurial years that are integer-divisible by 400, which were considered as
leap years. With the modern Gregorian calendar, the equinoxes and solstices
occur on approximately the same date each year, and considering Precession, has
an error of about 1 day every 7700 years.
Considering the first synchrony, the Winter solstice
today coincides with the Dhanus Sankranti – one Rashi away from Makar. This
slip has happened due to the Precession noted earlier.
Position of the Sun in relation to the Rashis on
Winter solstice, Dec 21st, 2016. Because of Precession, it is a Dhanus
Sankranti, rather than a Makar Sankranti.
Assuming a uniform Precession rate of 25,771 years
for a full circle of 360 degrees, each degree is about 71.5861 years. Rounding
the figures and noting that each Rashi occupies 30 degrees, we multiply 72 by
30 to get 2160 – the approximate number of years in the past, when due to
Precession, Makar Sankranti would have coincided with the Winter Solstice,
approximately in 143 BCE. By simulation in planetarium software, we find that
anywhere from 400 BCE to the opening centuries of the Common Era, the Winter
solstice date would have coincided with the Sun rising approximately in Makar
Rashi. Based on synchrony of the solstice with Makar Sankranti, we propose the
festival to have been celebrated since 400 BCE. See figs. 3 and 4.
Position of the Sun in relation to the Rashis on
Winter solstice, Dec 25th, 400 BCE. Notice that the Sun rise is in Makar Rashi,
making it a Makar Sankranti.
Notice the position of the Sun at 7AM on Jan 14th,
2017, and how 7 days later, it is at the Makar Rashi. Considering Precession,
505 years ago, Makar Sankranti would have been on Jan 14th – exactly the time
of Kerala Astronomer, Nilakantha Somayaji, 1512 CE.
Our second dating of the antiquity of the Makar
Sankranti festival is by considering the synchrony of Makar Sankranti with the
Til/Sesame/Gingelly crop harvest. We notice an India-wide common aspect of
celebrating Makar Sankranti – the widespread use of til in traditional sweet
preparation. Til is a drought-resistant rabi crop in India, planted currently
around mid-November and harvested in April, before the monsoons, taking about
90 to 120 days to grow. Paleo-botanical records suggest an antiquity of at
least 3000 BCE for the multi-crop cultivation of til in Rakhigarhi sites and a
few centuries later for domestic rice, and trade with Mesopotamia and Egypt in
til in 2000 BCE. Up to the medieval period, Indian farmers encoded agricultural
wisdom with references to nakshatras to help time their planting and reaping
activities. It is fascinating to investigate a period of time when Makar
Sankranti coincided with the harvest of the til crop, say in southern India,
and was therefore used in celebratory sweet preparation.
Contrary to popular thought, the seasons do not
change with Precession. The Milankovitch cycles predict long-term climate
changes due to Precession, Obliquity and Tilt cycles of the Earth, but these do
not impact the periodical seasons (might make seasons more or less severe,
though!). However, if we peg our measurement of time to a Nakshatra/Rashi, that
observation can change over time due to Precession. Thus an observation that
“rainy season starts in Ashada Masa” can change over time due to Precession.
Our clue is that traditionally, Makar Sankranti is
considered as a harvest festival. In Tamil Nadu, there are two planting seasons
for Til – Thai Pattam (Jan/Feb) and Adi Pattam (July/August). Considering a
4-month growing period, the Adi Pattam crop harvest would coincide with
December. Thus again, the date of about 400 BCE synchronizing the Winter
solstice, Til harvest, and Makar Sankranti makes sense.
The final synchrony we examine is to ask the
question, when did Makar Sankranti last coincide with Jan 13th/14th? By direct
simulation on planetarium software, we find this date to be around 1500s CE.
This period is startlingly, the exact period of the famous Kerala astronomer,
Nilakantha Somayaji (1444-1544), author of Tantrasangrama, who would have been
aware of the length of the tropical year and the effect of Precession from
works of Aryabhata, Bhaskara II as well as Surya Siddhanta, and might have
computed the date accordingly. This date was probably left untouched since. See
figure 4.
We have examined three synchronies regarding Makar
Sankranti. The first, based on synchrony with the Winter Solstice gives a date
of about 400 BCE. The second, based on a synchrony of til harvest in Tamil Nadu
with Makar Sankranti also suggests 400 BCE. The third, based on a synchrony
with the tropical calendar, gives a date of 1500s CE.
As we celebrate Makar Sankranti, we should also
celebrate the strong traditions of astronomy and mathematics, indelibly tied
with the shared experience of the nation, over thousands of years.
Disclaimer: I
hereby declare that there is no chauvinistic intention of promoting Tamil,
which happens to be my mother tongue, in the series of articles beginning with
the present one. 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.
Foreword
The linguistic studies of the past two centuries had
led us to believe that there existed a language division in India as Dravidian
and Indo European. But anyone with some knowledge of Tamil Sangam texts and an
exposure to Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata, would say that this is wrong. For
many thousands of years there existed only two languages in India, a human
tongue, called as Manushya Bhasha in
Valmiki Ramayana and a divine tongue, the Deva
bhasha. Though there is no doubt about what was known as Deva bhasha,
not much research was done on what was known as Manushya Bhasha. That Manushya
Bhasha must have been a language spoken in South India (because Hanuman knew
that), in North India (because Sita knew that) and even in Srilanka because
that is where Hanuman and Sita spoke, part of which could have been overheard
by the guards of Sita.
My continuing association with the three (Olden
Tamil texts, Ramayana of Valimki and Mahabharata) led me to deduce that Tamil
was spoken as the Manushya Bhasha throughout the length and breadth of the
Indian sub continent. While refined Tamil was spoken in core Tamil lands where
the Sangam assemblies were held, a form of proto Tamil (that existed before
Tamil was refined with Grammar) continued to be present in the rest of India.
In course of time this proto Tamil fused with Sanskrit and gave rise to other
languages of India. In this series, I would be placing on record the
proofs for all these. Let me begin with Valmiki.
It is everybody's knowledge that Valmiki wrote the Ramayana in Sanskrit. What
many do not know is that Valmiki knew Tamil also and had authored some Tamil
works!
My sincere thanks to Mr TG Saranathan (Former chief of Telecom,
Tamilnadu Circle) for translating this article from Tamil.
**********
VALMIKI AND TAMIL
Tolkappiyam [tolkAppiyam]
is considered as the oldest Tamil grammar available in Tamil literature. It
states that Tamil language was taught as three types: Primary, Intermediary and
Secondary. In his interpreation, Naccinārkkiniyar, an
early commentator for Tolkappiyam, says that the First category or
the Primary education was the study of Tamil poetic works of Iraiyanar (Lord Shiva), Agastya,
Markandeya, Valmiki, Gautama and the likes. This is a thought provoking
statement.
("தமிழ்ச்செய்யுட்கண்ணும்இறையனாரும்,
அகத்தியனாரும்,
மார்க்கண்டேயனாரும்,
வான்மீகனாரும்,
கவுதமனாரும்போலார்செய்தனதலை".)
We know Valmiki as the famous Author of Srimad
Ramayanam. But here, if we think that studying that epic Ramayanam of
Valmiki, is the Primary learning, then it is not so! The words
"Tamil poetic works of Valmiki"
clearly indicate that Valmiki had composed poems in Tamil.
When we search for works of Valmiki in Tamil, we
find that the 358th poem in Purananuru is
by Valmiki [Factually it is mentioned as Vanmiki. But in Tamil
letters 'l' and 'n' are interchangeable] . In writing the history of the poets
of Purananuru, Dr.U.V.Swaminatha Iyer,
considered as Grand father of Tamil, records that a Poet named Valmiki
lived during the 1st Sangam period. But due to non-availability of
supporting data, he concluded that this Valmiki and Ramayana Valmiki were
different.
But the name Valmiki came into being due to a
specific reason. Valmiki's original name was Ratnakar (Prachedas) Since because
he was covered by an ant- hill from which he emerged, he gained the name
Valmiki. Due to the specific causative nature of this
name, it is not possible that two different persons could have got the name,
Valmiki. One may say that there is a community in Andhra Pradesh, with
Valmiki as family title. But this name was adopted only a few hundred years
ago.
There is no indication of
existence of two Valmikis, one in Sanskrit and another in Tamil literature.
But the fact remains that the name Valmiki exists in Tamil works. Naccinārkkiniyar
says that people studied the Tamil works of Valmiki.
Searching for the Tamil works of Valmiki, there is
one in the Sangam literature of Purananuru.
There is another as a collection of Tamil poems attributed to Valmiki
Siddhar, under the name Valmiki Sixteen (vAlmIkan
padhinARu). Yet another composition bearing his name is Srimad Ramayanam is in Sanskrit.
If we examine all these three works it is evident
that the same Valmiki has rendered all of them.
In all these three works, a common theme is found.
That theme is - Sri or Lakshmi, also
referred to as Mother, who incarnated as Sita.
Valmiki Ramayanam starts with the words 'mA nishAdha' and the word 'mA' denotes
Mother according to scholars.
The Siddha work, 'Valmiki Sixteen'
also emphasizes worshiping Mother and importance Vedas. ('தாயாரைப்பூசித்துவேதம்ஓது')This
is different from other Siddhas' works.
The Purananuru verse also speaks about the glory of Sri, the Mother.
Since we find Mother who is identified as Lakshmi or
Sri as the main theme in all these three works, we can conclude that the same
person - Valmiki- has authored all of them. Let us analyse the verses of
Valmiki to understand this.
Purananooru: 358th
verse.
It is a seven line poem found by Dr U.V.Swaminatha
Iyer in the old palm leaf compilations of Puranauru. It bears the poet's name
as "Vaanmeekiyaar" or VaanmIkaiyaar" in different palm leaves.
Both are the Tamilsed forms of Vaalmiki. As a mark of respect, a suffix
"aar" is added to the name. Therefore Valmiki +aar = Valmikiyaar in
Tamil. The verse is as follows:
In the Tamil grammar rules for poetry, this verse
has been classified under the main heading "Householder's
dharma" (Gruhastha dharma) and the sub heading of a diametrically
opposite theme of "Asceticism"
(Sanyasa Dharma)! The meaning of this verse explains this strange combination.
It is as follows:
"This World surrounded on all sides by
the brilliance of Sun, accepts the offerings made to the Sun (god) and attains
benefits with the efforts of Seven persons (horas) in the day. If we
judiciously compare such benefits attained by this World and the
benefits of penance, the benefits got by the World would be trivial. Therefore,
lovers (desirous of Eternal bliss or Moksham) would forego Worldly
pleasures. Such people are never deserted by Sri (Lakshmi). But those who are
after Worldly pleasures, would be deserted by Her"
Normally, we assume that Sri or Lakshmi is
responsible for our Worldly wealth. She bestows the wealth. In this verse
Valmiki makes a subtle distinction between whether we should seek Sri / Lakshmi
Herself or her gift of wealth. He gives a
solution too that we should select the former. If we are after Her – and not
after the wealth that she gives, we would not be deserted by Her. In this he
gives a subtle Vaishnavite idea that She is the prime facilitator for Moksha or
Liberation. It is because of Her blessings, one
is blessed to attain salvation granted by Vishnu (or Rama if we take the events
of Ramayana into consideration. The glory of Sri or Sita is the foremost theme
of Ramayana. This work was indeed named as "sIthAyA
charitammahat" by Valmiki.
He did not coin the name Ramayana.). The poem conveys that if we are after mere
wealth, Sri or Lakshmi would desert us; but if we pursue Eternal
bliss and forego the material wealth, Sri Lakshmi will never desert us. Such
persons graced by Her, would attain siddhi or unusual skills,
mind control and Eternal bliss or Moksham.
As if to continue with this theme, the Valmiki
Sixteen also conveys the same concept.
The theme in the 16 verses of the Valmiki Sixteen is
different from the themes of all other works of other Siddhas. All
others praise lord Shiva as the Ultimate God who blesses one with Moksha.
But Valmiki differs from them. In the very first verse of Valmiki Sixteen, he
says that Shiv Shakti emerged from Vishnu, the Consort of Sri / Lakshmi.
'சிவசக்திதிருமாலின்ரூபமாகும்.
வருமுருவேசிவசக்திவடிவமாகும்'
This concept is radically different from the concept
of other Siddhas. This is conceded by the poet Valmiki himself in
subsequent verses. He mentions in the 11th verse that seeing his concept to be
different, other Siddhas complained to Lord Shiva. Poet Valmiki
says further, that Shiva was angry with those Siddhas only. His
theme (of Vishnu being the Primary force from which Shiva- Shakthi emerged)
conveyed in these poems were regarded as the key (to understand all poems of
all other Siddhas.
While the other Siddhas preached to
forsake Vedas, this poet Valmiki preached that people must to
chant Vedas. In addition he says that Vedas should
be pursued after worshiping Divine Mother.
One might argue that this Mother is the Shakti in
Shiv-Shakti. But this poet and also other Siddhas have regarded Shiv-Shakti as
Father- Mother as being together - Parents - as a single entity.
No siddha
has preached to worship Mother alone. In fact Siddhas have
glorified Ardhanareeswara - half male-half female- image of Shiva, as a
singular entity. Moreover the Siddhas have indicated Shakti separately
as Shakti and not the way Poet Valmiki had done.
Poet Valmiki's concept is found in Vedas
also. There is a verse in Sri Sooktham in Rig
Veda which says that it is far better to get Sri rather than getting
Her gift of wealth. The verse of Purananooru and Valmiki
Sixteen follow this Vedic concept.
Valmiki while writing Ramayana describes
it as 'sIthAyA charitam mahat' (the Great History of Sita). In the
final days of Sita in this World, Valmiki gave Her parental protection and
remained devoted to Her. The affection he had for Sita was very great.
Therefore, we are tempted, after observing the glory of Mother in the Tamil
works, to believe that Valmiki of Ramayana had rendered the Tamil poems too.
In Tamilnadu, there are two places connected with
Valmiki: Ettikkudi and Tiruvanmiyur(Chennai).
Thiruvanmiyur is
the place where Valmiki had worshiped Lord Shiva as Marundeeshwara. (Shiva who
is Himself the medicine that cures)
In the Sthala Purana (temple
history) of Marundeeswara temple in
Tiruvanmiyur, Valmiki's history is narrated. This is same as the history of
Valmiki who wrote Ramayana. In reality, Valmiki was the son of
a sage and his original name was Prachetas. As a boy he was lost in
the forest and a hunter brought him up. While he grew up as a hunter and thief,
an incident made him to renounce family life and to practice meditation. As he was
in penance, he remained motionless, for many years, and was covered by anthill
of white ants. White ants are called valmeekam in Sanskrit.
Thus he got the name Valmiki. This narration of Valmiki's history is found in
the temple records.
Since Valmiki worshiped Marundeeswara of this
temple, the place is known as Thiru Vanmi(ki) oor or Tiruvanmiyur.
(Image of Valmiki worshiped in this
temple)
Another place in Tamilnadu having the memory of
Valmiki is Ettikkudi. Valmiki
attained Samadhi in Ettikkudi, near Nagappattinam. This is mentioned in the
books on Siddhas. A plant by name Etti (nux
vomica) grew in plenty in this place, due to which this place got the name
Ettikkudi. It is now called Ettukkudi. Here in the temple for Subramanya, there
is a sannidhi for Valmiki.
One of the Siddha in his poem
confirms that Valmiki attained samadhi here, in Ettukudi. Not
only that, he also affirms that the same Valmiki of Ramayana fame,
wrote Tamil poems also.
In his book 'Bogar Seven
Thousand' (Bogar 7000), Siddha Bogar in the verse 5834
confirms that Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, was the same author of
Valmiki Sixteen. In the next verse 5835, he says that Valmiki was a great Tamil
poet and lived for more than 700 years through his mystic powers. He also says that Valmiki did not enter into Samadhi state to leave his mortal coils. He also gives his birth details. He was born to a 'Kuratthi' woman (hill tribe) in the month of Purattasi (Bhadrapada), in the 4th pada of star Anusha (Anuradha). (1)
Bogar
A curious connection between Bogar and Valmiki is
that they both are associated with medicine. While Valmiki worshiped Shiva as 'Lord of Medicine', Bogar was known for having created
the image of Lord Muruga of Palani from medicinal herbs. The Siddhas
in general are said to have conquered diseases through their expert knowledge
of herbal medicine.
Siddha Bogar has categorically stated
that the Valmiki associated with Tamilnadu was the one who wrote Ramayana in
Sanskrit.
Valmiki lived during the days of Sri Rama, that is
about 7000 years ago. (Rama's
birth date.)
That was the time when First Tamil sangam was
prevailing in Thennan Deasm [It means "Country of the
Southerner". The ancient Pandyan Kingdom was called so.
Readers must take note that it was not known as 'Kumari Kandam'. This name
does not exist in any of the sangam texts or olden commentaries. ].
Dr.U.V.Swaminatha Iyer mentions that Valmiki, the author of the Puranauru verse
lived in the First Tamil Sangam and it fits with Ramayana
age. (Refer the article given at the end of this post on time periods
of Tamil Sangam)
Valmiki who lived on the banks of Sarayu
and Ganges rivers, had come to South India and had participated in the Sangam traditions
in South Madurai (not the present Madurai). How is this
possible? From Nacchinarkkiniyar's commentary (given at the beginning of this
article) it is known that Valmiki had contributed more to Tamil which were
learned by the students as Primary education (Primary in the sense of Foremost
or Top most). All those are not available with us today. What we have from
Sangam works is the only poem on Sri found in Purananuru. That poem also looks
different from later sangam poems in its theme and glorification of Sri. It is
rare to come across a specific God by name in Purananuru. But this poem by
Valmiki mentions – among all the Gods and Goddesses – the name of Sri as Thiru!
This shows that this poem comes from an era which we are not familiar with. It
also shows that he had attended the first Sangam to inaugurate this
verse.
The question however remains how Valmiki came to know Tamil.
There are two possible explanations. One was that Tamil was widely spoken all over India in
those days. Another was that people
of those days who desired to participate in Tamil Sangam learnt
Tamil.
Let me explain the second possibility first. The
Sangam assembly was described in Tamil texts as a place where compositions in
Tamil were listened by Lord Shiva (Iraiyanar) Himself. People think
that Sangam is a Sanskrit word by which the Tamil Literary assembly was known.
No it is not so. The famous Purana of Tamil called Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam which narrates the divine plays of
Lord Shiva in the Pandyan country, describes the Sangam assemblies. It says
that Shiva was keen on lending his ear adorned with ornament made of shell
(shanku) to listen to the beautiful compositions in Tamil. The poet feels
gratified because Shiva Himself had listened to his verse through his ear
having the shanku ornament (Sangu-th- thOdu in Tamil). That sangu-th thOdu lent its name to Sangam – the literary
assembly of Sangam. The Sangu-th-thOdu of Shiva was the gift for the
poet.
A person deeply devoted to
Lord Shiva, would have considered it as a lifetime achievement to participate
in Tamil Sangam, even if he were residing in a remote corner of India in
those days. He would
have learnt Tamil just to participate in the Sangam. For this
reason, Tamil would have been learnt far and wide all over Bharat.
To support this claim, we can show some instances
from Sangam texts themselves. There was an Aryan King (Arya arasan) by
name Brahma Datta, who was taught Tamil by
poet Kapilar (of Tamil sangam fame) (Kurum thogai – verse 184).
He composed one long compilation called Kurinjik kali to teach him
Tamil! Why should a king of Aryavartha learn Tamil unless learning it was a
prestigious one in those days, or learning to compose verses by oneself was
considered as an achievement? Kapila's period is roughly 2000 years ago. There
is inscriptional evidence to show this.
There are instances of other persons from North
India in whose names, Sangam poems are there. We will discuss them in another
article.
The most important dignitary to have participated in the
Sangam assembly was Lord Krishna, the King of
Dwarka! This is written by Nakkeeranar in his commentary
on Iraiyanar Kalaviyal. Krishna participated in the
Second Tamil Sangam as a Presiding dignitary. There
is no evidence to show that Sri Krishna premiered any poetic works in
that Sangam. But he had listened to other Tamil poets. That would
be pertinent only if Sri Krishna also was well versed in Tamil.
Tamil was continuously enriched by compositions by
commoners and sages as well. Valmiki's name is associated with highest level of
education of Tamil literature.
Along with him, the names of Markandeya,
Gautama and Agastya have been mentioned by Naccinārkkiniyar. Agastya, the
leader among Siddhas, refined Tamil (proto-Tamil) with grammar.
Most of the Siddhas have conversed in Tamil and had created Tamil
poems. Patanjali and Markandeya appear in the list of Siddhas
knowing Tamil. The commonality among all Siddhas is that all of
them were devotees of Shiva. In those times Shiva was glorified as the Lord of
the South and had helped in the development of Tamil.
So it is probable that all
Shiva devotees congregated in Thennan's country and sang in praise
of Lord Shiva in Tamil. They had also conversed
with local people in Tamil. The poems of Siddhas are too many and quite
a few of them are attributed to well known North Indian sages. One cannot
simply ignore them as compositions by others done in the name of those sages.
The most popular sage of Ramayana times, who guided Rama at two crucial times
in his life – during his sojourn in the forest and during the war with Ravana –
was sage Agastya whose name is associated with
Tamil as one who developed Tamil grammar. He was a well known sage of the
Siddha group in Tamil lands. So it is not correct to say that the Tamil
compositions of Siddhas were written by someone else.
Learning Tamil for the sake of composing verses to
be inaugurated in the Sangam assembly could thus be one reason for the presence
of Tamil in different parts of India in those days. Another possibility is that
Tamil was the spoken language of the common people all over India. From the
explanations above, we deduce that Valmiki had known
and spoken Tamil. That gives rise to the probability that many others would
have known or spoken Tamil like him during his times (Ramayana times).
If it was spoken by almost all the people across the entire country, then it is
qualified as Mansuhya Bhasha.
Unless some such common language was available, one
could not have expected Sita born inMithila in Nepal and lived in the Kosala Kingdom
in the Ganges valley to have spoken with the female-demons in
Srilanka in deep South, in their language, when she was in captivity. And, unless a common language was
there, Hanuman living in the forests of
Kishkinda in Southern India, could not have understood the threats and
contents of the words spoken by Rakshasis to Sita. Hanuman decided to speak to Sita in the
language of humans, the Manushya Bhasha, so as to instill confidence in her.
That shows that a common language was spoken all over India as early as 7000
years ago (Ramayana times). We will see the clues for Tamil as the Manushya
Bhasha of that time in the next article.
Contrary to what people think, Ramayana did not
happen lakhs of years ago. It happened in a traceable past – that too at a time
when the old Tamil kingdom of Pandyans was flourishing in the South. There is a
mention of the location of Kavatapuram, the capital city of the Pandyas in
Valmiki Ramayana, and a corroboratory reference to Ravana is also found in the
Sinnamanur copper plates of the Pandyans.
When Sita was abducted by Ravana, Pandyan kingdom
was thriving in the south. While giving instructions to Hanuman and other
vanaras on how to proceed to the southern direction, Sugreeva narrated the
places that they would encounter en route. In that context he said that after
crossing the river Kaveri, Agastya's abode and then river Tamraparani, they
would reach the Kavatam of Pandyas! ( कवाटम्पाण्ड्यानाम् – Valmiki
Ramayana, chapter 41 -19). Thereafter they would reach the
southern oceans, said Sugreeva. From there they could reach Ravana's Lanka from
Mahendra hills!
This Kavatam was the capital of Pandyans during the
2nd sangam period, It was submerged in the 3rd deluge
that happened 3500 years ago. Today we could see only the Mahendra hills whose
extension into the Indian ocean had gone under water. This extension was the
Kumari hills of the Sangam period.
From the narration of Valmiki Ramayana, we come to
know that Pandyans were ruling from Kavatam while Ravana was ruling Lanka.
This is written both in the Sanskrit portion and the
Tamil portion of the inscriptions. In Sanskrit it is written "Dasaanan sandheepa rakshakaara". In Tamil the
same is written as "dasavathanan saarbaaka sandhu
seithum". There was geographic proximity between the Pandyans and
Ravana. The Pandyans had some skirmishes with him and at some time, they had
the ten-headed Ravana buy truce with them or had negotiated with Ravana for
some reason. The reason is not known and the exact event is not known, but the
very mention of some interaction with Ravana goes to show that Ravana was not a
mythological character, nor a Ramayana a fiction. It also shows that Ramayana
happened in a decipherable past and not lakhs of years ago.
The Tamil texts also give the duration of time
periods of the 3 Sangam periods. According to "Irayanaar Kalaviyal
urai" written 2000 years ago, the first sangam went on for 4,440 years
with Southern Madurai (Then-Madurai) as its epicentre. After a deluge the
capital was shifted to Kavaatam where the 2nd sangam went on
for 3,700 years. It was in this period Ramayana had happened, as per the above
references of Valmiki Ramayana and Sinnamaur inscriptions. This location was
also lost in the deluge after which the 3nd sangam was shifted the present day
Madurai. It lasted for 1,850 years with Ugra
Peruvazhuthi as its last patron king. Adding all the years we get 9,990
years as the total duration of Tamil sangam period.
This figure was not a mythical figure. It was not
written as a matter of fiction. The writer of this figure, Nakkeeranar was not
a liar but belonged to the category of poets who had no reason to twist the
facts or write a history out of imagination. These
figures concur well with deluges of the past that started after the end of Ice
Age some 13,000 years ago.
This figure also concurs with a cross reference from
a Sangam text and an inscription of the Cholas. The last patron of the 3nd Sangam
has been mentioned as Pandyan King Ugra Peruvazhuthi. There is a verse on this
king and his contemporary king of the Cholas namely Peru Narkilli, written by
the famous poetess Auvaiyaar in Pura Nanuru, a famous Sangam text (verse no
367). This Peru Narkilli is mentioned in the Cholan copper plates of
Thiruvalangadu (verse 41 http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_3/no_205b_aditya_ii_karikala.html )
The famous Cholan king Karikal Cholan came
after this king as per the records of the Thiruvalangadu plates. Karikalan's
time was before the period of Silappadhikaram (1st century CE). By this it
is inferred that Peru Narkilli and his contemporary Ugra Peru vazuthi must have
lived before 1st century CE or at the turn of the Common Era.
This puts the end of 3rd sangam at approximately 2000 years BP.
Now adding up the years of the 3 Sangam periods to
this last year of the last sangam at 2000 years BP, we arrive at the following
years.
3rd Sangam started around 1850 BC.
2nd Sangam started around 5550 BC
1st Sangam started around 9990 BC.
For our purpose of locating the period of Ramayana,
it must have happened after 5550 BC when Kavatam was the capital of Pandyan
kings.
This coincides with a research article by Prof Pushkar Bhatnagar based on the astronomy-inputs
of Ramayana that puts the date of birth of Ramayana at 5114 BC!
(http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.in/2010/10/ramas-birth-date.html )
Therefore I request the readers to understand that Ramayana was very much an
historical event that happened around 7000 years ago when Tamil sangam was
thriving under the patronage of Pandyan kings.
There is also a cross reference available from Kalidasa's Raghu vamsam wherein he says that a Pandyan
king attended the Swayamvar (self—choice) of Rama's grand mother Indumathi! She
chose Aja, Rama's grand father as her groom. By all this it must be understood
that we must not allow any more talk of Ramayana being a myth. Ramayana
happened in reality. It happened 7000 years ago.
