[nukkad] Rama: a myth or reality

["Mahesh chandra Gupta" <>]

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Some list members had raised a query as to whether Rama is just the
imagination of epic poets or is a reality immortalised in the epics. I had
promised to look into my archives and shed light on this.

I find two evidences from two different angles.

ONE

[Times of India, 18 April 2001]
"dating the Ramayana with Valiki's clues" by Subhash Kwatra
(available on www.spirituality.indiatimes.com)

Gist is as follows:

1. It is an ancient Indian tradition to record the events in the form of a
tithi which is a sort of an astronomical calendar dating by referring to the
position of sun, stars, moon, planets, equinox etc. All this is
astronomically verifiable. The astronomical configuration at the time of
Rama's birth is described very clearly by Valmiki. [It is given in the
article]. It is so unique that it has occurred only once in measurable
history. Such configuration occurred on Dec 4, 7323 BC. That is the date of
Birth of Rama

2. Other dates arrived from similar evidence of tithi's are as follows:

        Marriage to Sita                        April 7, 7307 BC
        Exile                                         Nov 29, 1906 BC
        Hanuman enters Lanka               Sept 1, 7292 BC
        Hanuman meets Sita                    Sept 2, 7292 BC
        Construction of Setu [bridge]    Oct 26-30, 7292 BC
        War begins                                Nov 3, 7992 BC
        Kumbhakarna dies                     Nov 7, 7292
        Ravana killed                            Nov 15, 7292
        Return to Ayodhya                    Dec 6, 7292

TWO

Cultural evidence
Times of India. Dec 20, 2000
"Southeast asia and Russia lay claim to Rama" by Narayani Ganesh [News item]

Week long International dance festival titled "Ramayana around the world"
was celebrated at Khajuraho and ended Sunday Dec 17, 2000. Among those who
partcipated were troupes from cambodia, China, Myanmar, Russia, Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore. They presented the Ramayana dance story in their
respective countries since times immemorial. Pechnikov from Russia is known
there as Lord Rama of Russia. He has played Rama there for 25 years.
Cambodians are mostly Buddhists, but have a very strong tradition of their
culture. In all the countries, Rama is a part of their culture irrespective
of their faith.

I submit that such wide spread dissemination of Rama would not have been
possible merely by writings of Valmiki or Tulsidas, had there not been in
reality a person by that name who had such great appeal that he became well
known in diverse lands and cultures and survives in their folklore and
dance -drama form till today.

MC Gupta
Aug 18


































































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