In the Newspaper The Hindu dated 23 Feb 2007 an article was
published which I reproduce here vervatim." CHENNAI: Ancient structural
remains of some significance have been discovered at Dwaraka, under water and
on land, by the Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI). Alok Tripathi, Superintending Archaeologist, UAW, said the
ancient underwater structures found in the Arabian Sea were yet to be
identified. "We have to find out what they are. They are fragments. I
would not like to call them a wall or a temple. They are part of some
structure," said Dr. Tripathi, himself a trained diver.
Thirty copper coins were also found in the excavation area. The
structures found on land belonged to the medieval period. "We have also
found 30 copper coins. We are cleaning them. After we finish cleaning them, we
can give their date," he said.
Dwaraka is a coastal town in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
Traditionally, modern Dwaraka is identified with Dvaraka or Dvaravati,
mentioned in the Mahabharata as Krishna's city. Dwaraka was a port, and some
scholars have identified it with the island of Barka mentioned in the Periplus
of Erythrean Sea. Ancient Dwaraka sank in sea and hence is an important
archaeological site." My idea is not to go in the discussion of how the
city went under the sea but the fact is that this city is now approximately
under water of the Arabian sea some 135 feet below water. This city has been
mentioned in the Mahabharata and that this city has been found, dated, and
mapped. The probable date of this city is between 9500 to 7500 years before
present which will put it as 7500 to 5500 years BC.
Mahabharata was not a fictional epic but a reality is also
evident from the works of many scholars who have done extensive work in this
area, and by getting all the facts together what comes out of the whole is the
fact that the near about exact dates of the major happenings in the epic has
also been identified. This at least proves that the Vedic civilization is a
much older phenomenon than perceived by many western scholars till date.
There is a striking inscription which has been found in the Jain
Temple at Aihole prepared by one Chalukya King Pulakeshi. It says, according to
scholars, that the temple was constructed in 30+3000+700+5 = 3735 years, after
the Bharat War and 50+6+500 = 556 years of Shaka era in Kali era. Today Shaka
era is 1910. Hence 1910- 556 = 1354 years ago the temple was constructed. Thus
the year of inscribing this note is 634 AD. At this time 3735 years had passed
from the Bharat War. So the date of the War comes to 3101 BC. This is also the
date of Kali Yuga Commencement. Naturally, it is evident that relying on the
beginning of Kaliyuga Era and holding that the War took place just before the
commencement of Kaliyuga,
The verse inscribed is :
Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaditaha | Saptabda
Shatayukteshu
Gateshwabdeshu Panchasu | Panchashatasu Kalaukale Shatasu Panchashatsu
cha | Samatsu Samatitasu Shakaanamapi Bhoobhujaam ||
The verses has been interpreted by considering the clauses of
the verse. It says "3030 years from the Bharat War" in the first
line, ( Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaaditaha) where the first clause
of the sentence ends. in the second line, the second clause starts and runs up
to the middle of the third line thus ( Saptabda.....Kalaukale) This means
700+5+50 = 755 years passed in the Kali Era. It is clear from the former
portion of the verse that 3030 years passed from the Bharat War and 755 years
passed from Kali Era. Kali Era started from 3101 BC. 755 years have passed so
3101-755 = 2346 BC is the year when 3030 years had passed from the Bharat War.
So 2346+3030 = 5376 BC appears to be the date of Bharat War.
The Greek Ambassador Magasthenis has recorded that 138
generations have passed between Krishna and Chandragupta Maurya. Many scholars
have taken this evidence, but taking only 20 years per generation they fixed
the date of Krishna as 2760 years before Chandragupta. But this is wrong
because the record is not of ordinary people to take 20 years per generation.
In the matter of general public, one says that when a son is born a new
generation starts. But in the case of kings, the name is included in the list
of Royal Dynasty only after his coronation to the throne. Hence, one cannot
allot 20 years to one king. We have to find out the average per king by
calculating on various INDIAn Dynasties. I have considered 60 kings from
various dynasties and calculated the average of each king as 35 years. Here is
a list of some of important kings with the no. of years ruling.
Chandragupta Mourya 330-298 B.C. 32 years.
Bindusar 298-273 B.C. 25 years.
Ashok 273-232 B.C. 41 years.
Pushyamitra Shunga 190-149 B.C. 41 years.
Chandragupta Gupta 308-330 A.D. 22 years.
Samudragupta 330-375 A.D. 45 years.
Vikramaditya 375-414 A.D. 39 years.
Kumargupta 414-455 A.D. 41 years.
Harsha 606-647 A.D. 41 years.
---------
327 years.
The average is 327/9 = 36.3 years.
Multiplying 138 generations by 35 years we get 4830 years before
Chandragupta Mourya. Adding Chandrgupta's date 320 B.C. to 4830 we get 5150
B.C. as the date of Lord Krishna. Megasthenis, according to Arian, has written
that between Sandrocotus to Dianisaum 153 generations and 6042 years passed.
From this data, we get the average of 39.5 years per king. From this we can
calculate 5451 years for 138 generations. So Krishna must have been around 5771
B.C. Pliny gives 154 generations and 6451 years between Bacchus and Alexander.
This Bacchus may be the famous Bakasura who was killed by Bhimasena. This
period comes to about 6771 years B.C. Thus Mahabharata period ranges from 5000
B.C. to 6000 B.C. and Dwarka fits into this scenario perfectly.
Mahabharata mentions the ancient tradition as 'Shravanadini
Nakshatrani', i.e., Shravan Nakshatra was given the first place in the
Nakshatra- cycle (Adi-71/34 and Ashvamedh 44/2) Vishwamitra started counting
the Nakshatras from Shravan when he created 'Prati Srushti'. He was angry with
the old customs. So he started some new
customs. Before Vishvamitra's time Nakshatras were counted from the one which
was occupied by the sun on the Vernal Equinox. Vishvamitra changed this fashion
and used diagonally opposite point i.e. Autumnal
Equinox to list the Nakshtras. He gave first
place to Shravan which was at the Autumnal Equinox then. The period of Shravan
Nakshatra on autumnal equinox is from 6920 to 7880 years B.C. This was
Vishvamitra's period at the end of Treta yuga. Mahabharat War took place at the end of
Dwapar yuga. Subtracting the span of Dwapar Yuga of 2400 years we get 7880 -
2400 = 5480 B.C. as the date of Mahabharat War.
Recently Dr. S.B. Rao, Emeritus Scientist of the National
Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, has discovered under the
sea, Dwaraka and dated it as between 5000 to 6000 BC. This news has been
published by all the leading newspapers on 22nd October 1988. Many works of the
Vedic and Puranic tradition contain a sufficient number of clues in the form of
astronomical observations which can be used to determine the approximate date
of Mahabharata and thus establish the historical authenticity of the events
described in this great epic. Notable among these works are the Parashar
Sanghita, the Bhagvat Puran, Shakalya Sanghita, and the Mahabharat itself.
Aryabhatta, one of the greatest mathematicians and astronomers of India in the
fifth century AD, examined the astronomical evidence described in the
Mahabharata in his great work known as the "Aryabhattiya". According
to the positions of the planets recorded in the Mahabharata, its approximate
date was calculated by Aryabhatta to be 3100 BC
implying that the great war described in the Mahabharata was fought
approximately 5000 years ago, as most Hindus have always believed.
A number of British scholars of the 19th century, especially
Friedrich Max Muller, tried to interpret this astronomical evidence to prove
that the observations recorded in Hindu scriptures are imaginary. As an amateur
astronomer, I propose to examine the astronomical evidence presented in the
Bhagvat Puran and Max Muller's criticism of this evidence in light of the
advances made in astronomy in the past fifty years. Max Muller, in the preface to his translation of the Rig Veda,
examines the astronomical observations described in the
Bhagvat Puran and concludes that these observations are "imaginary",
apparently because they did not agree with the prevalent views of the European,
primarily British, Indologists of the nineteenth century about the time of the
Mahabharata.
Carl Segan, a renowned astronomer at Cornell University, who
hosted the public television series "Cosmos" in 1985, pointed out
that Hindus were the only ones who came anywhere close to correctly estimating
the real age of the universe. Unlike many cultural
traditions which treat science and religion as antithetical to each other, the
Hindu tradition encourages the study of physics and metaphysics both for a
comparative understanding of the true nature of the cosmic mystery surrounding
and pervading the universe.
Everything about the Mahabharat is huge, from its sprawling length,
to the enormous breadth of its vision. The longest of all epics is like an
encyclopaedia, a world all on its own. At its core is the powerful and moving
story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins who ultimately fight the greatest war
of all, Kurukshetra. But that is not all, the Mahabharata is full of mythic
stories, vast time spans of history, detailed geography and a massive body of
spiritual teachings.
Bibliography:
Forbidden Archaeology by Michael cremo, David Frawley.
Underworld by Graham Hancock.
tginvents.com/tushar/MahabharatDating2.htm
hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/mahabharat/mahab_sarasvat.html
epicindia.com/magazine/Culture/the-lost-city-of-dwarka
XOXO
