Mythology to History

[talwan]

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A brief overview of the irrefutable substantial evidence now available which corroborates Vedic statements, timelines, history and innumerable other facts stated in the vast Vedic literatures — much of which unfortunately have previously been regarded as mythology. Strong substantiation by scientific investigation now moves these narrations from the realm of mythology to that of historical facts.

Source: archaeologyonline

More to follow,
Alwan

 

[sarang]

Faith in self and native narrations is a pretty requisitive no doubt, but what is more important is preservation and bequeathing the knowledge to our descendants, who perhaps will know and appreciate the divine wisdom transmitted by generations.

 

[talwan]

The Vedic Age
The Vedic civilization was sustained by agriculture. What triggered the agricultural revolution was the release of the frozen waters- an event that transformed not only India but also East Asia. Temperatures rose as much as 5 degrees Celsius, melting the Himalayan glaciers in which enormous quantities of fresh water had been locked up as ice and snow. Higher temperatures also meant increased evaporation and a more vigorous monsoon. Lakes and rivers had two new sources of freshwater- melting glaciers and the abundant monsoon. Great perennial rivers burst forth from the Himalayas- Indus, Sutlej, Sarasvati (now dry), Yamuna and Ganga in North India, and Brahmaputra, Irrawady and Mekong to the east.
Of these the Sarasvati was the greatest- as the Rigveda describes, and as science now confirms. It was flowing in all its majesty from 8000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C. It began to decline about 3500 B.C. and dried up completely in the 2200 B.C. to 1900 B.C period. Considering that agriculture had been mastered in Southeast Asia-in Thailand and the Mekong region-no later than 10,000 B.C. or 12,000 years ago, the Sarasvati dates give a reasonable approximation for the Vedic period. It means that in the post Ice Age period, it took some 2000 years for agriculture to make its way from its place of origin to the Sarasvati river area. This is probably an underestimate.
This scenario is receiving increasing scientific support. River delta cultivation of rice is known both in India and further east in Asia. This means the skills needed for growing food grain were already in place 10,000 years ago, even as newer crops like wheat and barley came to be cultivated later. Genetic analysis has shown that Indian livestock-the humped bull and the water buffalo-are of East Asian origin. Indian and Southeast Asian human populations also are genetically close.

 

[talwan]

The carbon dating of the wooden artifact, which was recently carried out by the Birbal Sahani Institute of Palaeobotony and the National Geophysical Research Institute, indicates that the settlements, accidentally discovered by a team of oceanographers, could be one of the oldest Neolithic sites discovered in India till date.
The discovery follows a series of surveys conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) during 2000 to 2001. According to Dr B. Sasisekaran, research associate in the National Science Academy, ‘‘The carbon dating of 7,500 B.C. obtained for the wooden piece recovered from the site changes the earlier held view that the first cities appeared on the horizon around 3,500 B.C. (the Sumer valley around circa 3,000 B.C. and at Harappa circa 2,500 B.C.)’’.
The material collected at the site include artefacts, possible construction elements with holes and studs, pot shreds, beads and fossil bones.
At a press conference today, Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, said, ‘‘The impact of these discoveries will be far-reaching. Not only would they link various theories regarding earliest human settlements in the country, it would also open avenues for understanding the geomorphic characteristics of the Gulf of Cambay.’’ The presence of an archaeological site indicative of a very ancient culture in the Gulf of Cambay was first announced by the ministry in May last year.
Subsequently, further underwater explorations were carried out in the area which yielded a cache of artifacts suggesting an ancient culture.
Professor S.N. Rajguru, former joint director and head of department of Archaeology at Deccan College, said, ‘‘These collections representan exciting breakthrough in offshore archaeology. The findings indicate that the entire landscape between Bhavnagar and Hazira were probably connected around 7,000 B.C.’’
The acoustic images of the area present channel-like features, indicating the presence of a river in the region ‘‘Geometrical structures and the antiquities have been discovered in an area only within 200 m adjoining the channel indicating human activity on the banks of the river that was present at that time,’’ Prof Rajguru added.
Having discovered indications of a possible settlement earlier in 2001, NIOT scientists undertook a confirmatory survey in November 2001 in the Gulf of Cambay area, by using advanced marineunderwater survey techniques with side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler.
Images taken of the site revealed structures similar to staircases, temples and bathrooms, said Joshi, adding that further investigations were necessary.He said the findings would be submitted to scientific journals within 10-15 days.‘‘Further investigation of this area is important as this has implications and might throw some light on the development of humancivilisation, besides having a bearing on Indian history,’’ Joshi said.

 

[dhikshita]

Sir,
A reading of the scientific write up (NIOT) by a lawman like me gave a colossal view of the creation of Almighty. Of course I tried myself to keep some invaluable information shared in the write up in my upper chamber. Most of the information are very much new to me.
I also agree with Sri Sarangji’s view that the importance in preserving and bequeathing the knowledge to our descendants who would definitely appreciate the divine wonders transmitted by generations.
Hope the above research by NIOT would have incorporated in the syllabus of students who pursue Post Doctoral Degrees in Oceanography.

 

[talwan]

Sir,
A reading of the scientific write up (NIOT) by a lawman like me gave a colossal view of the creation of Almighty. Of course I tried myself to keep some invaluable information shared in the write up in my upper chamber. Most of the information are very much new to me.
I also agree with Sri Sarangji’s view that the importance in preserving and bequeathing the knowledge to our descendants who would definitely appreciate the divine wonders transmitted by generations.
Hope the above research by NIOT would have incorporated in the syllabus of students who pursue Post Doctoral Degrees in Oceanography.

Sir,
Thanks for your views on the subject.
Alwan

 

[talwan]

The 4th, 5th and 6th centuries AD witnessed a tremendous resurgence of Hinduism when it became the official religion of the Gupta Empire. Consequently, this era was also marked by the emergence of innumerable images of popular Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Images of Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, the Sun-God and goddess Durga evolved in this period. The Udaigiri caves in Madhya Pradesh house a colossal image of Vishnu. Here he is presented as the great savior who rescued 'mother earth' from the depths of the ocean, in his incarnation as a varha (boar). Other statues of this period found in various temples and museums are indicative of the various dimensions of early Hindu art and sculpture.

 

[talwan]

References from the Rig Veda reveal a clear understanding of the astronomical cycles of day and night, month and the year as well as intercalary postulations for a 13th month to provide a reliable calendar.
The Rig Veda gives more than 50 references to planetary configurations for which precise dates have been determined by modern planetary software. These astronomically related dates reach from 7000 BCE to 4000 BCE in a consistent manner.30
An early reference to a Vedic Calendar with the year beginning at Winter Solstice is found in the Rig Veda 5-77-1/2; 1-46-14; 7-69-3/2. In fact, there are 53 references in Rig Veda as prayers offered to Ashvini at dawn, referring to the pair of stars in the Aries constellation, used in the ritual to mark the year beginning. These particular references from the Rig Vedashow the sky with the heliacal rising of Ashvini Nakshatra after Winter Solstice, marking the year beginning, are calculated by planetary software to be Jan 5, 7000 BCE, 0649 hrs.31

 

[talwan]

MAHABALIPURAM, India -- Archaeologists have begun underwater excavations of what is believed to be an ancient city and parts of a temple uncovered by the tsunami off the coast of a centuries-old pilgrimage town.

Three rocky structures with elaborate carvings of animals have emerged near the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, which was battered by the Dec. 26 tsunami.
As the waves receded, the force of the water removed sand deposits that had covered the structures, which appear to belong to a port city built in the seventh century, said T. Satyamurthy, a senior archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India.
Mahabalipuram is already well known for its ancient, intricately carved shore temples that have been declared a World Heritage site and are visited each year by thousands of Hindu pilgrims and tourists. According to descriptions by early British travel writers, the area was also home to seven pagodas, six of which were submerged by the sea.

 

[talwan]

Vastu Shastras are canons dealing with the subject of vastu which means the environment. Put differently, one may regard them as codification of good practices of design of buildings and cities, which will provide settings for the conduct of human life in harmony with physical as well as metaphysical forces. These Vastu Shastra canons provide guidelines for design of buildings and planning of cities such that they will bring health, wealth and peace to the inhabitants.

Mythological beliefs are certainty at the root of the origins of these canonical texts and their discourse. The first of these relates to Vastupurusha, which appears to be the first step in ordering a part of the vast cosmic space, the brahmanda, for human habitation. According to myth, long ago there existed an unnamed, unknown and formless being which blocked the sky and the earth. The Gods forced it down on earth and pressed it face down. To ensure that it did not escape again, Lord Brahma, the supreme creator, along with other gods weighted it down and called it vastupurusha.

 

[talwan]

The grand conjunction (in Aries) of five bright planets including the Sun and the moon in close proximity above the eastern horizon, accepted as legend in India, for the beginning of the Age of Kali-yuga is seen in planetary software as occurring January 13th, 3103 BCE, 22 days after the Winter Solstice. References to this are given in the Mahabharata as well as in statements by Aryabhata. Although scholars have formerly taken this as mythology, planetary software shows precisely this configuration.34

 

[talwan]

Seals are one of the most commonly found objects in Harappan cities. They are decorated with animal motifs such as elephants, water buffalo, tigers, and most commonly unicorns. Some of these seals are inscribed with figures that are prototypes to later Hindu religious figures, some of which are seen today.

​

For example, seals have been recovered with the repeated motif of a man sitting in a yogic position surrounded by animals. This is very similar to the Hindu god of Shiva, who is known to have been the friend of the animals and sat in a yogic position. These seals are known as the Shiva seals. Other images of a male god have been found, thus indicating the beginnings of Shiva worship, which continues to be practiced today in India.

 

[talwan]

Civilization, of which the Vedic is the oldest recorded, is a post Ice Age phenomenon. It was made possible by the forces of nature that the calamitous ending of the Ice Age unleashed. This has been evolving not for centuries but over more than 10,000 years- from the birth of agriculture in a peculiar ecological niche to the present day. It shows that no civilization evolves in isolation. Our genes came from Africa, agriculture from Southeast Asia and modern technology mostly from the West. India too contributed many important things- from mathematics to metallurgy.
Ultimately it is nature that makes everything possible. She is her own mistress and chooses her own place and time to unleash the forces that bring about momentous change. History is only an extension of natural history

 

[talwan]

[h=1]The Heliodorus Column[/h]An archaeological discovery proves that there were western followers of Vedic principles twenty-two centuries ago
By Jack Hebner & Steven Rosen
Heliodorus was a Greek ambassador to India in the second century B.C. Few details are known about the diplomatic relations between the Greeks and the Indians in those days, and still less is know about Heliodorus. But that the column he erected at Besnagar in central India about 113 B.C.(1). is considered one of the most important archaeological finds on the Indian subcontinent.

It is known that Heliodorus was sent to the court of King Bhagabhadra by Antiakalidas, the Greek king of Taxila. The kingdom of Taxila was part of the Bactrian region in northwest India, conquered by Alexander the Great in 325 B.C. By the time of Antialkidas, the area under Greek rule included what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan and Punjab.(2)
The column erected by Heliodorus first came to notice in 1877, during an archaeological survey by General Cunningham. The inscription, however, went unnoticed, because of the pillar's thick coating of red lead paste. It had been the custom of pilgrims who had worshipped there to smear the column with vermillion paste. The column, Cunningham deduced from its shape, was from the period of the Imperial Guptas (3) (A.D. 300-550). Thirty-two years later, however, when the inscription was brought to light, it became clear that the monument was several centuries older. (4)

 

[talwan]

The casualty of the creation of the dichotomy between history and mythology is the attempt to understand the nature of both. But they are not dichotomous; they have much in common


The recent observations of the new Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Chairman, Professor Yellapragada Sudershan Rao, that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are not works of mythology but of historical veracity brings back to the fore the old debate about the nature of history and mythology. The fundamental assumption here is that the two stand in a dichotomous relationship with no common space between them. This dichotomy also places them in a hierarchy, with history being equated with truth and mythology with falsehood.

 

[talwan]

Indian civilization whether Hindu, Buddhist or Jain, or any other, developed primarily from the unique (and varied) conditions of Indian geography and the human exertion that went into modifying those conditions to advance agriculture and settled civilization. Taken in the general context of say three or four thousand years of Indian history, it is hard to ascribe to an "Aryan" invasion/s the sort of paramountcy assigned by the British. While British motives in magnifying the "Aryan" character of Indian civilization are only too apparent, this contemporary obsession with the "Aryan" question that appears to have gripped large sections of the Indian intelligentsia suggests that the ideological confusion created by the British has not yet been fully sorted out.

 

[talwan]

Hinduism is not only a religion, but a scientific way of life. It has all requirements – from astronomy to Ayurveda, Armory (Dhanur veda) to spiritual. Mahavishnu’s Dasavathrams are nothing but the evolution of life in the sequence of order – from a living being in water (fish), water & land (tortoise), Animal (varaham), Animal and man (Narasimha), under developed man (vamana), Man, but with mental instability -anger – (Parasuram), A perfect man (Rama), Man evolving as God (Balarama), God (Krishna) and finally attaining Moksha by destroying sins (Kalki). These incarnations were told thousands of years before – compare this with the Dwarwin’s evolution- which is just 150 years old – yet being questioned now in the light of development of molecular biology about irreducibly complexity. Another proof of Hinduism scientific capability – Predicting the movement of Earth, moon, sun and calculating their eclipses, for thousands of years -Panchangs, perfectly in sync with modern science

 

[talwan]

Detail of Runestone 181, in Stockholm. Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr are represented as three men. Credit: Berig, Wikipedia​

Read more: The true meaning of Paganism | Ancient Origins

 

[talwan]

Dwarka (Dvarka, Dwaraka, or Dvaraka, is a city in Gujarat state in India). Dwarka also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area. According to Hindu legend the god Krishna built a city which was ultimately destroyed by rising sea levels. Now archaeologists and Indian Navy divers are investigating underwater ruins at Dwarka on India's western coast, said to be Krishna's city. The new efforts, it is hoped, will settle the debate currently raging over the age and authenticity of the site near the Samudranaraya temple. Divers have collected blocks and samples which will now be dated. Traditional Hindu scholars referencing ancient Hindu scriptures believe the location to be very ancient, originally built many thousands of years ago. Such notions are, of course, vehemently rejected by establishment scientists though they are willing to concede that there is evidence indicating an age of as much as 3500 years.

 

[talwan]

The story of Indian art and sculpture dates back to the Indus valley civilization of the 2nd and 3rd millennium BCE. Tiny terra-cotta seals discovered from the valley reveal carvings of peepal leaves, deities and animals. These elemental shapes of stones or seals were enshrined and worshipped by the people of the civilization. Two other objects that were excavated from the ruins of the Indus valley indicate the level of achievement that Indian art had attained in those days. The bust of a priest in limestone and a bronze dancing girl show tremendous sophistication and artistry.

 

[talwan]

Facts on Hinduism:

1. Each of our time cycles has 4 main periods – the Satya yuga (golden age of innocence), Tretha yuga, Dwapara yuga and Kali yuga. In the last stage, people get so filthy that whole thing is cleaned up and the cycle starts all over again.
2. If you ask a religious Hindu when exactly did Krishna or Rama existed, the answer will be millions of years ago or some other random number. Actually, it doesn’t matter. Because, Hindus believe in a circular time (rather than the linear time concept in the Western world).
3. Hinduism is the world’s 3rd largest religion closely following Christianity and Islam. However, unlike the top 2 religions, 95% of Hindus live in a single nation!
4. Hinduism is the oldest of the major extant religions. Its fundamental book – Rig Veda was written over 3800 years ago.
5. Rig Veda was orally passed for 3500+ years in parallel. And yet, its current form has no major discrepancies. It is indeed a stupendous achievement that a major body of work can be orally passed between people in such a large nation with no loss in quality/content.

 

[talwan]

The speed of light was first determined in 1675 by Roemer who looked at the difference in the times that light from Io, one of the moons of Jupiter, takes to reach earth based on whether it is on the near side of Jupiter or the far side. Until then light was taken to travel with infinite velocity. Even Newton assumed so.
But why are we talking about the absurd scenario of the archaeologists in Antarctica? Because, we are confronted with a situation that is quite similar! I am an archaeologist of texts. I read old texts from the point of view of history of science. One such book is the celebrated commentary on the Rigveda by Sayana (c. 1315-1387), a minister in the court of King Bukka I of the Vijayanagar Empire in South India.
In a hymn addressed to the sun, he says that it is ``remembered that the sun traverses 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.”
This statement could either relate to the speed of the sun or to that of light. The units are well known. For example, the Indian epic “Mahabharata”, conservatively dated to 400 BC – 400 AD, defines 1 nimesha to be equal to 16/75.3 seconds; 1 yojana is about 9 miles.

Substituting in Sayana’s statement we get 186,536 miles per second. Unbelievable, you’d say! It cannot be the speed of light. Maybe it refers to the speed of the sun in its supposed orbit around the earth. But that places the orbit of the sun at a distance of over 2,550 million miles. The correct value is only 93 million miles and until the time of Roemer the distance to the sun used to be taken to be less than 4 million miles. This interpretation takes us nowhere.
What about the possibility of fraud? Sayana’s statement was printed in 1890 in the famous edition of Rigveda edited by Max Muller, the German Sanskritist. He claimed to have used several three or four hundred year old manuscripts of Sayana’s commentary, written much before the time of Roemer. Is it possible that Muller was duped by an Indian correspondent who slipped in the line about the speed? Unlikely, because Sayana’s commentary is so well known that an interpolation would have been long discovered. And soon after Muller’s “Rigveda” was published, someone would have claimed that it contained this particular “secret” knowledge. The fact that the speed in the text corresponds to the speed of light was pointed out only recently by S.S. De and P.V. Vartak. Also a copy of Sayana’s manuscript, dated 1395 AD, is available.

Further support for the genuineness of the figure in the ancient book comes from another old book, the Vayu Purana. This is one of the earliest Puranas, considered to be at least 1,500 years old. (The same reference is to be found in the other Puranas as well.)
In Chapter 50 of this book, there is the statement that the sun moves 3.15 million yojanas in 48 minutes. This corresponds to about 10,000 miles per second if considered as speed of light, and 135 million miles for the distance to the sun, if considered as the speed of the sun. Sayana’s speed of light is exactly 18 times greater than this speed of the sun! Mere numerology? For the rationalists these numbers are a coincidence. Given the significance of these numbers, they’d look very carefully at the old manuscripts of Sayana’s commentary