The historicity of Ramayana

by Neil Kiriella

While studying Ramayana to find proof of its historicity I was taken aback to find that Valmiki had recorded that a huge part of Rawana's Kingdom; Lankapura, submerged overnight after his death. Some theories helped me in my study of Valmiki's Lankapura and Plato's writings; Timaeus and Critias in which he presents, a portrayal of perfect society that lived millenniums before the traditional Greek times.

The word by which Plato described Atlantis is ‘Nesos'; it's the Greek word for ‘island'. As such Atlantis is not a continent but an island.

Some western scholars who explore on lost civilisations hide facts of India and surface Egypt and Sumeria. These scholars instead of placing the Veddhas above or equal to the Egyptian Pyramids reduced them to the ratings of ignorant Nomads of Central Asia. It has to be accepted that it is India which preserved ancient human legacy; both material and spiritual. The Indian archaeological relics are among the largest and oldest in the world.

For nearly five generations the majority of the Mid Western and Asian nations were colonies of the British Empire.

The empire faced severe management uncertainty and needed a specific device to control. After much effort in 1824 ‘The royal Asiatic Society’ was formed and regulated all cultures under their control and misconstrued the authentic history of Mid Western and Asian countries.

Plato, in 2373 BCE wrote Timaeus and Critias relevant to Atlantis. Since then references on Atlantis was based on Plato's writings. The word Atlantis was more a household word to western scholars than Lankapura. Yet, millenniums before Plato, Valmiki, the biographer of Rama in 7612 BCE recorded in his compilation Ramayana, that Rawana's kingdom, Lankapura partly submerged due to a geological calamity overnight after Rawana's death. Plato described this in his script Timaeus and Critias in 360 BCE.

Myth

The western scholars having known of Valmiki's Ramayana; and its contents called it a myth and highlighted Plato's scripts which described the identical event. Whenever a study for a submerged land surfaced they referred to Plato's scripts and searched for Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean; though there was much valid pre-historical evidence in Valmiki's Ramayana, I leave this particular point to the readers to come to an unbiased conclusion.

Why did Plato call Greece, Athens and its populace Athenians instead of calling them Greeks? The followers of the Buddha and Christ are called Buddhists and Christians, respectively, irrespective of their ethnicity.

As such it is correct to call the followers of Goddess Athena, Athenians. She was the Goddess whom they revered while living near Saraswathi River before it dried up. The Greeks treasured her so much so that the capital of Greece is named in her honour, as Athens.

Plato’ believed that Egyptians got the information from Hindus. Valmiki recorded in Ramayana the sinking of a massive island in a night and identified it as Lankapura. He stated that its populace was greatly skilled in irrigation and engineering.

Plato too described all these skills. In other words whatever Valmiki detailed in Ramayana, Plato too had detailed it in his scripts.

When studying Ramayana a mystery arises. It's whether Plato had a copy of Ramayana or whether he heard it orally or as a philosopher whether he had clairvoyance. Or else, how did he detail all what was found in Ramayana in his Timaeus and Critias.

Rig Veda refers to Lankapura as Rutas and depicts its people as Asuras; sun-worshippers, teetotallers, vegetarians and agriculturists who worked with nature. Rawana their Emperor was a great monarch but had two deadly weaknesses, arrogance and women. Due to them Rawana became evil and cruel.

Atlantis

Plato called this submerged island Atlantis, and Homer called it Troy. Plato and Homer were Greeks and they were unaware of their beginnings. What is Plato's account? Atlantis was a great island and its control extended beyond the ‘Pillars of Hercules'. He recalls the superior culture that existed 10,000 years ago that had a powerful navy that dominated Africa and Western Europe but their kingdom partly submerged overnight. Plato's Atlantis was close to where his ancestors lived 10,000 years ago. According to surfaced facts they are a group of Indo-Europeans that migrated to Greece.

Sanskrit grammarian Panini confirms that Greeks were in India and helped him to compile grammar but grammatical traditions do not exist in Greece.

The Greek historian Megasthenes identified Hercules, as the Hindu God Krishna. Is it a twist of fate or Indian authority on Greeks? Hercules (Krishna) as such it can be argued, talks of India. By the word pillar did Plato indicate the island in the south east of India, Sri Lanka?

The name Lemuria was first used in 1864 by zoologist Phillip L. Sclater who took hold of the word from Lemur (monkey) from Madagascar. None knew how the animal got to India.

Thus in honour of Lemurs it was named Lemuria by zoologist Phillip L. Sclater for reasons known to him.

Though some call Ramayana a legend, yet, there are many academics, literary pundits and historians who declare that Ramayana is historical. They base their claim on the rock inscriptions and places of historical and legendary importance in Sri Lanka pertaining to Rama – Seetha and Rawana. Rawana's kingdom is accepted, as Sri Lanka.

The pre-Mahavamsa kingdom of Emperor Rawana in the deep-southeast of Sri Lanka in closeness to Arugambay was sunken by a tragic earthquake, volcanic eruption or tsunami and was destroyed overnight and was detailed by Valmiki who lived long enough to record Rama's life to its end.

Rawana kingdom

This geological disaster surfaces evidence that the ‘Rawana Kingdom’ existed. The light houses in the deep south east of Sri Lanka were built on its leftovers. Is Sri Lanka the remaining part of the sunken island? There is realistic evidence that the present Sri Lanka as the remainder of the submerged island, as illustrated by Ramayana and Plato's Timaeus and Critias.

Danish marine archaeologists discovered a large submerged (475,000 sq kms) landmass in the deep south east of Sri Lanka at Godawaya, on March 14, 2009.

It is the celebrated lost island of Lankapura called Irisiyawa in Lankan legends closely linked to the culture and history of Sri Lankans. This proves the location of the much explored Lankapura – Atlantis – Lemuria.

The world was started in the 1930s by the claim of a Hungarian scientist, who lived in Paris. Easter island's Rongo-rongo has derived from the Indus Valley script of 2082 BCE, or even prior to it. A script similar to the Indus-script has been found on Easter island.

The Indians had a vast amount of influence and power in the pre-history. A remarkable Easter island legend says; ‘The first race that invented the Rongo-rongo writing, wrote on stone. Four parts of the world at one time were occupied by them and this race still exists in Asia. Interestingly, Mohenjo Daro and Easter island lie almost exactly 180 degrees.

Evidence strongly suggests that the origins of Greeks and Indo Europeans were in India.

The spread of Indo-European culture around the world can be explained as, “The spreading of the Vedic culture throughout the world due to the widespread sea trade links the Indus Valley civilisation had globally”.

Greeks and Indians are linked by their deities, philosophy, medical systems and social structure. Greeks originated in India and their distant memories were Indian.

The Indian philosophy is much older than the Greek philosophy. How did it appear in Greece abruptly? The answer is that the Greeks were in India and migrated out of India after the drying up of the Saraswathi River around 2200 BCE.

Present Geological researchers confirm that there was a severe drought for three centuries around 2200 BCE, which severely affected civilisations in India, West Asia, and North Africa. With all this new persuasive historical findings the historians have pushed the Vedic era to the Indus Valley civilisation. The data prove that the Indo-Eruopeans including the Greeks were in India and migrated around 2200 BCE.

Rama – Rawana war

The Greeks who were living in India were less-urban and more agrarian in the Mahabharata age around 3000 BCE.

If 7612 BCE is the correct timing of Ramayana, this is when the war between India and Lanka took place. Ramayana refers to it as Rama-Rawana war. Plato held that Atlantis (Lanka) attacked Athens (India), which name derived from Goddess Athena.

Though Plato is certain that Atlantis (Lanka) attacked Athens (India) we have to accept Valmiki's recording in Ramayana as Athens (India) attacked Atlantis (Lanka) as he recorded all events as it happened.

The war erupted between these two countries as Rawana abducted Seetha, Rama's wife as hostage in revenge of Lakshamana; Seetha's brother-in-Law attacking his sister Suparnika who was the governess in Dandaka-Aranya.

Astronomical dating places Ramayana to 9612 years.

It confirms that these happenings took place around 7612 BCE and is further confirmed by the dates quoted by Plato ‘when the war between Atlantis and Athens took place'.

The astronomical dating of Ramayana and other Vedic scriptures are honest, as the early Indians genuinely recorded them to date special events in their history, especially the birth of major kings.

Dr. Vartak confirms that Ramayana was written 9612 years ago, which is roughly 7612 BCE. The astronomical data given in Ramayana can be used positively to date the birth of King Rama.

The mystery of the history of Valmiki's Lankapura, Rig Veda's ruta, Plato's Atlantis, what zoologist Phillip L. Sclater's Lemuria come to an end with the discovery of 475,000 sq kms of landmass in the deep south-east of Sri Lanka by marine archaeologists. Historians have identified Valmiki's Lankapura later called Atlantis or the submerged island in one night, as the present Sri Lanka of which a small portion remains. The following points are important to consider;

* The sinking of Lankapura (Atlantis) and Rama's life history are detailed in Ramayana.

Valmiki recorded this island in the life history of Rama; the Ramayana. Valmiki is accurate because he recorded the incident as it happened. Plato referred to Atlantis very much later than Valmiki. As such we have accepted Valmiki's version as more authentic.

Max Mueller's made-up ‘Aryan Theory’ can be totally rejected. Indians originated in India.

The information collected from the excavations of the Indus Valley reveals that Vedic literature and the Indus Valley civilisation match. It confirms that the Indi-Europeans originated in India and migrated out of India. Therefore Greeks originated in India and their distant memories and legends are Indian.

The migration took place probably during the declining phase of the Indus Valley civilisation, when the Saraswathi River began to dry. It is now accepted geologically. During this phase we can find Indo-European cultures appearing in Central Asia and Europe.

The only record of Atlantis we have is from Plato. Its location is portrayed west of the Straits of Hercules. Plato himself did not visit Altantis. According to Megasthenes Hercules is Krishna.

Astronomical evidence confirms that the incident took place around 9612 BCE. It positively matches with Plato's account of Atlantis and submerged on the date he assigns to it.

Thus, there stands very strong proof to accept that Atlantis is Sri Lanka. Thus, Plato did not make it up; it really existed.

Ramayan is the life history of Rama and it details many more incidents of Rama even after the submerging of Lankapura. As such it's a historical chronicle.

Evidence

In accordance with the evidence and facts surfaced, it can be considered Sri Lanka, as the much sought after location of Lankapura or Atlantis named Irisiyawa by the Lankans in pre-historical times and also referred to in Lankan epistle poems.

The evidence will compel the western scholars to admit that they are of a recent culture compared to the Asians and that the Asians dominated the primeval of the world.

The exact astronomical dating compiled by Valmiki, the writings of Greek Philosopher Plato and many others from the beginning of the 19th century provided guidance to locate it.

With the recent discovery of a submerged land in the deep-south east Lanka many credible theories have surfaced.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka is part of the submerged island. The submerged huge landmass is identified, on the meticulous leads given first by Valmiki and then by Plato.

Historians, archaeologists and scholars from the east and the west called Valmiki's Ramayana an epic, a myth, a spiritual text but they completely overlooked the validity that it contained events of 9612 BCE recorded by Valmiki.

Tale or legend as a rule, shoots from some historical facts and so it is with Atlantis; identified in the deep south east of Sri Lanka and with it the Ramayana prophesy is evident. The truth is evident. Ramayana is the historical biography of Rama.

The writer is the Chairman, Sri Lanka Heritages Foundation. He participated in the Ramayana Festival and Conference held in Chennai, India recently.