I have been planning to write on Buddhism and Jainism, the two Great Religions of India apart from Hinduism.
To begin with let me share information about the propagation of Buddhism around the world.
Ashoka Maurya (/əˈʃoʊkə/; Sanskrit: अशोक मौर्य; 304–232 BCE), commonly known as Ashoka and also as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE.[1] One of India’s greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over a realm that stretched from the Hindu Kush mountains in the west to Bengal in the East and covered the entire Indian subcontinent except parts of present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The empire’s capital wasPataliputra (in Magadha, present-day Bihar), with provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain.
Asoka took to Buddhism with great zest and propagated it around the world by sending out preachers.
He had recorded this in his edicts.
The Ashoka inscriptions represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the first wide expansion of Buddhism through the sponsorship of one of the most powerful kings of Indian history. According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist proselytism during this period reached as far as the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created.
The inscriptions proclaim Asoka’s beliefs in the Buddhist concept of dhamma and his efforts to develop “dhamma” throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism and the Buddha are mentioned, the edicts of Asoka tend to focus on social and moral precepts rather than religious practices or the philosophical dimension of Buddhism.
The inscriptions revolve around a few repetitive themes: Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program.
Ashoka explains that he converted to Buddhism out of remorse for his conquest of the Kalingas around 264 B.C.E. in eastern India (near the present-day state of Orissa):
Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dhamma, a love for the Dhamma and for instruction in Dhamma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas (Rock Edict Nb13, S. Dhammika).
Following his conversion, Ashoka traveled throughout India and visited sacred Buddhist locations, where he would typically erect a pillar bearing his inscriptions:
Twenty years after his coronation, Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, visited this place and worshipped because here the Buddha, the sage of the Sakyans, was born. He had a stone figure and a pillar set up and because the Lord was born here, the village of Lumbini was exempted from tax and required to pay only one eighth of the produce (Minor Pillar Edict Nb1, S. Dhammika).
Ashoka’s concept of “Dhamma” seems to be synonymous with righteousness. In order to propagate the Buddhist faith, Ashoka explains he sent emissaries to the Hellenistic kings as far as the Mediterranean, and to the peoples throughout India, claiming they were all converted to the Dharma as a result. He names the Greek rulers of the time, inheritors of the conquest of Alexander the Great, from Bactria to as far as Greece and North Africa, displaying an amazingly clear grasp of the political situation at the time.
Buddhist proselytism at the time of kingAshoka (260-218 B.C.E.).
Now it is conquest by Dhamma that Beloved-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest. And it (conquest by Dhamma) has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni (Rock Edict Nb13, S. Dhammika).
The distance of 600 yojanas (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponds to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).
Citation.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/indian_inscriptions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka
I had written articles on the Patala mentioned in the Hindu Puranas refer to Latin and ,Central and North Americas and indicated the Sanskrit,Sanatana Dharma and Tamil connection to these places.
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The presence of Giants in the past is a part of almost all cultures.
In the Hindu Puranas there are repeated mentions of these Giants.
The Ramayana has Kumbhakana, brother of Ravana is described as a Giant.
Ravana called upon his Moola Sainya in the Patala for a final go at Rama.
Kara and Dhusuana were Giants.
Bhima, his son Gatohkaja of Mahabharata were Giants.
The curious fact is that these Giants lived side by side with ordinary Men.
Except Bhima, almost all the Giants described were reported to have lived in the Patala Loka.
If some one wanted to hide they went to Patala as in the case of Jayathratha, when he heard Arjuna had vowed to kill him before sunset , as a revenge for Jayathratha’s merciless killing of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.
Now there are reports from around the world that skeletons of Giants have been found.
‘There was gas exploration conducted in the south-east region of the Arabian deserts. It uncovered the skeletal remains of a human of phenomenal size. This skeleton was discovered in the Rab-Ul-Khelee region. It stated in the Quran that God created people of phenomenal size which he had never created before. They were the people of Aad. These people were given a lot of powers, but they started misusing the powers. They turned against God and his prophet and often intervened the path of God. So God destroyed them. Ulemas in Saudi Arabia believe that the remains belong to these mythical people of Aad. Though the Saudi military had secured the place but some photographs leaked out.
Another gigantic skeleton was found in India by an exploration team. In the Indian mythology it is mentioned that Brahma created people of phenomenal size which he had never created before. These men were tall, powerful and very big. They could put their arms around the trunk of large trees and uproot them. They were created to bring order to Earth and stop people from fighting each other. Bhima who is mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata was one of the God sons of Brahma and had similar powers. The skeletons unearthed bear resemblance to such descriptions. They are large beyond recognition.
Another incident during the 2004 tsunami that effected India and Sri Lanka adversely. There was a giant skeleton washed ashore by the tides. It was one of the largest ever seen skeletons. Closer inspection of the skeletons revealed that each one of these were thousands of years old and some even dated back to the prehistoric ages. It seems that giants did in fact stroll on this Earth and all the myths were not fictitious.”
* These statements are stated to be Hoaxes, but curiously nobody has explained why they are called hoaxes!
Some more evidence is found in the US and Peru.
This is yet to be contradicted.
‘Nephilim’s Graveyard of the Kings near the Newark, Ohio Earthworks
Located in a small town, north of Newark, Ohio have been found gigantic human remains in all of the burial mounds. In one of the mounds a megalithic bee-hive tomb with a keystone at the top was uncovered.
The Hindu Puranas were not imaging things at all.
Citation.
http://gianthumanskeletons.blogspot.in/2013/04/nephilims-graveyard-of-kings-near.html
Most of are unaware of what our Culture ,History and our country.
One instance is we have a Sphinx like formation in Phantom Rock, near Edakkal Kerala.
At Edakkal we have cave writings dated between 12000 to 9000 BC.
Phantom rock is a skull shaped rock, which has an eerie similarity to the face of Phantom. In the local area it is popularly known as Cheengeri Mala.
Edakkal Caves (11°37′28.81″N 76°14′8.88″ECoordinates: 
11°37′28.81″N 76°14′8.88″E) are two natural caves at a remote location at Edakkal, 25 km from Kalpetta in theWayanad district of Kerala in India’s Western Ghats. They lie 1,200 metres above sea level on Ambukutty Mala, beside an ancient trade route connecting the high mountains of Mysore to the ports of the Malabar coast. Inside the caves are pictorial writings believed to date to at least 6,000 BC, from the Neolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region. The Stone Age carvings of Edakkal are rare and are the only known examples from south India.(wiki)
The caves contain drawings that range over periods from as early as 5000 BC to 1000 BC. The youngest group of paintings have been in the news for a possible connection to the Indus Valley Civilization.
Historian M.R. Raghava Varier of the Kerala state archaeology department identified a sign “a man with jar cup” that is the most distinct motif of the Indus valley civilization.The finding, made in September 2009, indicates that the Harappan civilization was active in the region. The “a man with jar cup” symbol from Edakkal seems to be more similar to the Indus motif than those already known from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Mr. Varier said “The discovery of the symbols are akin to that of the Harappan civilisation having predominantly Dravidian culture and testimony to the fact that cultural diffusion could take place. It is wrong to presume that the Indus culture disappeared into thin air.” Iravatham Mahadevan, a scholar of Indus valley and Brahmi scripts said the findings were very significant called it a “major discovery”.
I have written that the Chinese are reported to have descended from the son of Pururava.
Mahabharata refers to this.
‘
The word/race of Chins as rulers of eastern and northern kingdoms is mentioned in Mahabharata too (composed around 3100 BCE).
Cinas of yellow color, are said to ‘look like a forest of Karnikaras”.
In the Arthashashtra of Chanakya, China is mentioned as well. It is theorized that the name China is based upon the name of the kingdom, Ch’in, which was established by Shih Huang Ti in year 221 BC.
However, the name China comes from an ancient Sanskrit name for “the regions to the East”.
The Chin Indians did not only name a great country but also created the Chinese nation.
Regardless of the origins of the Chinese, the evidence reveals that ancient Chinese culture was Vedic in nature.’
Chinese origins may be traced to two tribes .
One from Kashmir.
And another is from South India,what is now called as Tamil Nadu.
The original Chin race of India dwelling in Kashmir, and several parts of South India colonized Shensi, a province of Central China and subsequently subjugated all other petty kingdoms and thus became the emperors of perhaps the one of the largest empires of the world.
The name China and the Chinese were after the Chins of India and hence the scholars are unanimous about the Indian origin of the name of China.
A Chinese source states that in 720 AD the Pallava King Narasimhavarman II constructed a temple (in Tamil Nadu, India) on account of the empire of China, and another text cites the existence of three Hindu temples in southern China where ‘Brahmans’ resided during the 8th century.
The temple in Quanzhou is now in ruins, but over 300 carvings are still within the city.
Many are currently on display in the Quanzhou museum, and some have become a part of Buddhist temple—Kaiyuan Temple.Behind its main hall “Mahavira Hall”, there are some columns decorated by some Hinduism carvings. The carvings are dispersed across five primary sites in Quanzhou and the neighboring areas.
They were made in the South Indian style, and share close similarities with 13th-century temples constructed in the Kaveri Delta region in Tamil Nadu.
Nearly all the carvings were carved with greenish-gray granite, which was widely available in the nearby hills and used in the region’s local architecture.
Poorly written/formatted tamil wordings on these carvings prove that those were done by a non-native tamilian in China.
“First, I would like to make it clear that the probable language of the Kushana was Tamil. According to Dravidian literature, the Kushana were called Kosars=Yakshas=Yueh chih/ Kushana. This literature maintains that when they entered India they either already spoke Tamil, or adopted the language upon settlement in India.
The Kushana and the Yueh chih were one and the same. In addition to
North Indian documents the Kushana-Yueh chih association are also
discussed in Dravidian literature. V Kanakasabhai, The Tamils Eighteen
hundred years ago, note that in the Sanskrit literature the Yueh chih were called Yakshas, Pali chroniclers called them Yakkos and Kosars< Kushana.”
They allegedely arrived in India during the 2nd century BC. He makes it clear that the Yueh chih/ Kushana as noted on their coins worshipped Siva as seen on the coins of Kanishka. This is why we have a coin of a Kushana king from Taxila, dated to AD 76 that declares that the king was maharaja rajatiraja devaputra Kushana “Great King, King of kings, Son of God, the Kushana”.
Vedic Presence in China.
The Vedic tradition has undoubtedly been best preserved in India yet the universality of Vedic culture is such that none can claim to be the sole inheritors or originators of the Vedic traditions.
These traditions are part of the basic fabric of nature and the universe and can be accessed by anyone anywhere at any time.
The same ‘eternal’ vedic tradition known as Santana Dharma is at the very core of Chinese civilization.
For example, Imperial Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) used the Hindu/Vedic calendar a long side with the Chinese calendar.
Amongst the Gods, the Lord of Death and the Underworld known in Vedas as Yama is called ‘Yanmo Wang’ within the Chinese tradition.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang (ruled 712–56) called upon the Indian monk Vajrabodhi (671–741) to perform ‘Tantric’ rites to avert a drought in the year 726 AD.
In the Fujiyan province, in the Xinmen area of Quanzhou, there are the remains of a Siva Temple.
It still has a Siva lingam over five meters tall.
An ancient stone that still stands today; it has been widely identified as a Siva Linga.
Chinese records reveal that it was cut in half in the year 1011 AD and then rebuilt in the 1400s.
Even as late as 1950, childless mothers would go to it to invoke the blessings of the deity for motherhood.
In Hsuan-wu, Lo-yang district there is a pillar with Sanskrit writings from top to bottom and right to left. Besides Buddhism, Saivism was also popular in Yunan as is manifest from the prevalence of the cult of Mahakala there.
This ancient Indian colony in the south of China was a strong link in the Sino-Indian cultural relationship.
Shiva Temple may have already been in existence, which is highly likely, and it is only the Deity of Lord Shiva that was new.
Shiva temple had originally been built in 685 AD during the Tang Dynasty but was rebuilt by the Tamil Hindu community in the city in the late 13th century who dedicated it to Lord Siva.
There is direct evidence of that there were indeed Hindu temples in China as early as the 6th century AD.
Citation.
http://booksfact.com/religions/siva-worshipped-in-ancient-china.html
http://bafsudralam.blogspot.in/2010_12_01_archive.html
There are quite a few strange things/events associated with Hindu Temples in India.
There are Temples where Snake comes and offers pooja to Shiva, Sun bathes Idols on a specific day,temple emerges from the sea at a fixed Time,where Crows do not fly over the temple Tower..the list goes on.
Scroll down for Video.
Now add one more to this list.
During street procession (Margazhi and Panguni), English Month December,an unbelievable event takes place at the Nachiyar Koil. While only 4 people carry Lord Garuda out of his Sannidhi, as the Lord goes out of each Layer and prakaram, he is said to increase in weight, that 8 people, 16 and then 32 people are required to carry Lord Garuda out of the temple. Finally, when the Lord is taken outside the temple, Garuda increases in weight so much that 128 people are required to carry the Lord. On his way back, it is said that Garuda mount decreases in weight and finally when he is back in the Sannidhi, only 4 people are required to carry him.
This happens every year.
Nachiar Kovil or Thirunarayur Nambi Temple in Thirunarayur, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state ofTamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th to 9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Srinivasa Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Nachiyar. The temple is the place where god Vishnu is believed to have initiated Pancha Samskara (religious initiation) to Thirumangai Azhwar. The temple follows Thenkalai mode of worship.
The temple is believed to have been built by Kochengat Cholan of the late 3rd century AD, with later contributions from Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings.
This is the 71st Temple built by Kochengat Cholan, the first Temple for Vishnu, the other 70 Temples having been built for Lord Shiva.
Legend.
The sage Medhavi was doing penance at this place. While taking a bath in the river, he found an image ofChakrathazhwar entwined with Yoga Narasimha. A divine voice asked him to install the image in his hermitage and worship it. The goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu chose to grow in the hermitage and appeared to the sage in the form of a small girl and requested him to take care of her. Vishnu traveled in search of Lakshmi on his vehicle Garuda, the eagle. Garuda found the presence of Lakshmi in the hermitage. Vishnu appeared to Medhavi, pleased by the latter’s devotion and asked his daughter to be married to him. The sage happily married Lakshmi to Vishnu and requested him to stay in his place, which Vishnu accepted.There is another local legend that king Kochengat Cholan was once defeated and he was advocated to seek the blessings of Vishnu, which he obliged.
Prominence to Goddess.
Nachiyar Koil is one of the few Divyadesams where the goddess has prominence over Vishnu. Some of the other temples where the such female dominance are observed areAndal Temple at Srivilliputhur, Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple at Woraiyur and Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple in Thiruvellarai. While Srivilliputhur is called Nachiyar Thiru Maaligai, Thirunaraiyur is called Nachiyar Koil.[2]
Vishnu was of the view that during Kali Yuga, men would have to listen to women. Hence he decided that he would first set an example and listen to goddess here. During all festive occasions, the first rights are reserved for Nachiyar, who moves ahead, while Srinivasa follows her. Even the food is first served to Nachiyar and then to Srinivasa. Being a temple where goddess has prominence, Vishnu is located slightly by the side and goddess has the prominent position inside the sanctum.
How to Reach Nachiyar Koil and Temple Timings
Nearest Airport. Tiruchi,Tamil Nadu.
Railway Station.Kumbakonam.
Bus Station,.Kumbakonam. Nachiyar Koil is called Thirunaraiyur.
It is eight Km from Kumbakonam.Buseses are available.
The Vedic Influence in the Americas is very high.
The Mayans, Incas and Aztecs have their roots in Vedic Dharma and Tamil
Please read y posts filed under Hinduism.
The rituals, calendar, Deities worshiped have a close resemblance to Hinduism.
Hindu Trinity – Brahma- Vishnu- Shiva and the Mexican Trinity are Ho- Huitzilopochtli- Tlaloc .
The idols were represented with serpents round their heads, as for Lord Shiva.-basically raised Kundalini.
The Swastika sign of this area , seen on a “huaco” pot had with four dots inside, a Vedic sign .
The ancient American’s dresses (male and female) were simple and similar to those of Hindu dresses.
Ayar Inoa King used to wear a turban, earring and a trishul type trident in his hand.
Archaeologists found many Hindu deities like Shiva, black meteorite Shiva linga, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Kali, Sun god Surya , Buddha etc. (in similar or slightly different forms) which were worshiped in ancient America.
Images of Ganesha have been excavated in plenty in Mexico. This god with the elephant’s trunk is frequently depicted in Mexican manuscripts . Lord Ganesha ‘Ekadant Ganesh’ was found in the temple at Kopan .
The image of Hanuman called by the name ‘Wilka Huemana’ and measuring 50 feet in height and 12 feet in breadth was found in Guatemala. Similar one was found during an excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico City and was known as ‘Euhectal’, a wind God, a monkey God.
In the jungles of Honduras idols sit in Hindu mudra meditation pose .
The Hindu doctrine of the ages is found on a massive stone monolith popularly known as the Aztec calendar. This amazing piece of stone disc is 12 feet in diameter and weights more than 20 tons.
A festival called Sita-Ram (Situa – Raimi) was celebrated in Mexico during Nav-Ratri or Dussehra period which has been described on page 5867 in the book ‘Hamsworth History of the World’. ( read my post0
Both in Central and South America, there are found Sati cremation, priesthood, gurukul system, yajna, birth, marriage and death ceremonies to some extent similar to the Hindus. When Pizarro killed Peruvian King Atahualpa his 4 wives committed Sati—or self sacrifice.
Same with Hindu concepts of cataclysm, rebirth, four yugas and the concept of two planets like Rahu and Ketu causing solar eclipse
AZTEC OF MEXICO is derived from “worshipper of Ashtabhuja or Ashtak ( 8 armed ) ” , the eight armed God- found in Mexican temples.
Citation.
http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.in/2012/07/maya-inca-aztec-civilizations-decoded.html
The above Link is an excellent source that can guide one to research further.
The Vedic presence is strong in the Russian region, and Caucasus.
This can be probably due to the presence of Shiva, Ganesha and later by Pradhyumna in the Russian, Baltic and Arctic Region.
Please read my posts on these.
The presence of Asvinikumaras are to found in households in Lithuania.
‘Lithuania (
i/ˌlɪθjuːˈeɪniə/; Lithuanian: Lietuva; [ˈliɛtʊvaː] ), officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublika), is a country in Northern Europe,[9] one of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south,Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 3 million as of 2013, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Lithuanians are a Baltic people…..
Asvinikumaras.
The Ashvins or Ashwini Kumaras (Sanskrit: āśvin-, dual āśvinau), in Hindu mythology, are two Vedic gods, divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranyu (daughter ofVishwakarma), a goddess of the clouds and wife of Surya in his form as Vivasvant. They symbolise the shining of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and averting misfortune and sickness. They are the doctors of gods and are devas of Ayurvedic medicine. They are represented as humans with head of a horse. In the epic Mahabharata, King Pandu’s wife Madri is granted a son by each Ashvin and bears the twins Nakula and Sahadeva who, along with the sons of Kunti, are known as the Pandavas.
They are also called Nasatya (dual nāsatyau “kind, helpful”) in the Rigveda; later, Nasatya is the name of one twin, while the other is called Dasra (“enlightened giving”). By popular etymology, the name nāsatya is often incorrectly analysed as na+asatya “not untrue”=”true”.’
“Traditionally, the Vedic peoples of Lithuania worshipped the Ašvieniai, the divine horse twins, related to the goddess Ūsinis. They are said to pull the Sun Chariot through the sky. The Lithuanian people continue to adorn their roof tops with the symbol of the divine horse twins in order to receive protection for the household…
Sanskrit Roots.
Asva(Lithuanian)=Ashva(Sanskrit) meaning ‘horse’
Dievas (Lithuanian)=Devas (Sanskrit) meaning ‘gods’, ‘the shining ones';
Dumas (Lithuanian)=Dhumas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘smoke’
Sunus (Lithuanian)=Sunus(Sanskrit) meaning ‘son’
Vyras(Lithuanian)=Viras(Sanskrit) meaning ‘man’
Padas(Lithuanian)=Padas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘sole of the foot’
Ugnis(Lithuanian)=Agnis(Sanskrit) meaning ‘fire’
Vilkas(Lithuanian)=Vrkas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘wolf’
Ratas(Lithuanian)=Rathas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘carriage’
Senis(Lithuanian)=Sanas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘old’
Dantis(Lithuanian)=Dantas(Sanskrit) meaning ‘teeth’
Naktis(Lithuanian)=Naktis(Sanskrit) meaning ‘night’
Citation.
http://www.indiadivine.org/news/history-and-culture/the-vedic-people-of-lithuania-r842
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashvins
https://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/narayana-mantra-by-asvinikumaras-for-fortune-health/
Ashwaklanta (Ashwakranta) is an important Vaishnava shrine situated on the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra, opposite to Gauhati.
The temple contains the idol of Anantha sayana Vishnu, with Brahma in a lotus came out from his navel. Maha maya, the two demons Madu, Kaitabhas and two rows of Naga kanyas are present in the temple.
Lord Sri Krishna came to kíll Narakasura, with an army ascended by horses. This is the place where he camped his army and stabled his horses, before starting the battle. Lord Sri Krishna also established Dwiteeya Gaya by placing his foot print here.
Contact Detail.
Amingaon Doul Govinda Road North Guwahati Guwahati, Assam 781031
How to reach.
Airport.Guwahati.
Rail/Bus. Guwahati.
http://www.shaktipeethas.org/vishnu-temples/topic52.html
https://plus.google.com/116117524643671582701/about?gl=in&hl=en
One of the curious features of World History written by the West is the observation, whenever there is a reference to Human Races, Immigration, Cultural practices, inscriptions, a simple statement is made to the effect if the issue related to is Race,Immigration or Cultural practices, that they are from Asia, or to be specific(for the West of course), is central Asia.
Migration Of Gypsies from India.
They normally use this term to denote Iran,Kazakhstan or the Central Asian Region.
But they do not probe further.
Where did these people or customs, languages come from?
Though there is enough evidence is available in terms of archaeological findings, references in the local legends they are not verified.
In such cases, the trail is picked up, it normally ends up with Etruscan,Mayan,Sumerian Civilizations.
If only they could pursue the issue further ,they would find the roots in Bharatavarsha,as India was called then.
I am not sure whether this is a genuine apathy or a deliberate ploy to undermine Hinduism.
Considering the services of people like max Mueller, I tend to believe it is the latter.
I was struck by the terms Roma, Lombardy regions in Italy.
References in Vedic and Tamil Literature abound about Italy and Greece.
Sometimes the term Yavana is used to denote Greeks as well as Romans.
Trade and communications were quite strong even during the period of Julius Caesar.
In India we have the term Lambadi for the nomads, who go about throughout the country, a sort of Gypsies
The language they speak , sometimes, sounds Italian.
They are found in Andhra Pradesh in large numbers, which they use as their base.
They are also found in Vidarba and Madhya Pradesh.
Lambadis of India.
Banjaras are traditionally known as suppliers and pack bullock carriers and Banjara word is derived from Sanskrit word vana chara(wanderers in jungle). The word Lambani or Lamani is derived from Sanskrit word lavana (salt) which was the principal goods they transported across the country.’
I may be noted that the eary tamil Sangam Literature mentions that the Romans imported Salt from India in exchange for Horses.
Banjara people follow Hinduism, and worship Hindu gods like Krishna, Balaji, Jagadamba Devi and Hanuman. They also pray tl Sati Aayi, Seva Bhayya or Sevalal, Mithu Bhukhiya which are gods of their community. They also worship peer and Banjara Devi by praying in the forest, represented by a heap of stones. Of these, Mithu Bhukhiya was an “expert decoit” of the tribe and is worshipped in a hut built in front of Tanda or village with a white flag on top. This practice is gradually losing its importance, mainly because the people are more engaged in agriculture, government employment and other labour.[15] No member of the community is allowed to sleep in the special hut built for Mithu Bhukhiya (also spelled Mitthu Bhukhiya). Seva Bhaya or Seva Lal was a saint and is highly respected by the Banjara people. He protected the women of his community and his story is quoted by British administrators who tagged his period around 1857 A.D. with his original name as Siva Rathode.
The most numerous Banjara or Lambadi community is in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states at 2.2 million where they speak their own dialect along with Telugu. In Karnataka, they are spread in northern parts of the state[ and Karnataka has second largest population (1.1 million, as of 2012) in India.
The word Lombardy comes from Lombard, which in turn is derived from Late Latin Longobardus, Langobardus (“a Lombard”), derived from the Proto-Germanic elements *langaz + *bardaz; equivalent to long beard. Some sources derive the second element instead from Proto-Germanic *bardǭ, *barduz (“axe”), related to German Barte (“axe”).
Lombardy originally referred to the entire territory of Italy (known as Longobardia Major and Langobardia Minor) ruled by theLombards, a Germanic tribe who conquered much of the Italian peninsula beginning in the 6th century.
1.The Rishis are known t have long beards.
2.The German tribes, especially the Huns were settlers from India.
They moved from South India, at the of a Tsunami when Rama’s ancestor Satyavrata Manu mover to Ayodhya.
The area of current Lombardy was settled at least since the 2nd millennium BC, as shown by the archaeological findings of ceramics, arrows, axes and carved stones. Well-preserved rock drawings left by ancient Camuni in the Valcamonica depicting animals, people and symbols were made over a time period of eight thousand years preceding the Iron Age.[8] and 300,000.[9]
The many artifacts (pottery, personal items and weapons) found in necropolis near the Lake Maggiore, and Lake Ticino demonstrate the presence of the Golasecca Bronze Age culture that prospered in Western Lombardy between the 9th and the 4th century BC.
In the following centuries it was inhabited by different peoples among whom the Etruscans, who founded the city of Mantua and spread the use of writing; later, starting from the 5th century BC, the area was invaded by Celtic – Gallic tribes. These people settled in several cities (includingMilan) and extended their rule to the Adriatic Sea.
Their development was halted by the Roman expansion in the Po Valley from the 3rd century BC onwards. After centuries of struggle, in 194 BC the entire area of what is now Lombardy became a Roman province with the name of Gallia Cisalpina (“Gaul on the inner side (with respect to Rome) of the Alps”).
The Etruscan may be traced to India.
Please read my Post.
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Legend states that at the beginning of the Etruscan Age, the city of Rome was founded by the twin sons of the war God Mars. Their names were Romulus and Remus. The boys had been abandoned by their divine father and Etruscan mother and were reared in the forest by a she-wolf. This is a slightly different version of the story of the Hindu epic Ramayana where the divine king Sri Rama abandons Sita and his twin sons, Luva and Kusha. The two boy were reared by their mother and Rishi Valmiki in his forestashram.
In the Etruscan legend, the twins are raised by a she-wolf in the forest, but that probably emerges from a confusion between the Sanskrit terms ‘rishi’ (ऋषि) which means a ‘sage’ and the Sanskrit ‘vriki’ (वृकी) which means a ‘she-wolf’ – considering that the fame of Sri Rama had traversed west from India by the time of the Etruscans. And a treasure trove of Etrsucan paintings bears out this argument…
Details Here .
And.
The early upbringing of Rishyasringa is linked to the highland location in the central mid hill of Nepal now popular as Resunga in the Gulmi District of the Lumbini Zone. Stories about the unique setting of the special mountain that has attracted and made it the home to many famous mystic Yogis. The Saha Kings of Nepal have dedicated special respect and attention to its maintenance and arrangement and the religious circuit of Ridi-Rudrabeni-Resunga in the Gulmi district is a huge attraction for national and international tourists. The all-weather road that connects the Indian border of Sunauli (Uttar Pradesh) and passes through the Nepal’s Sidharthanagar-Butwal-Palpa cities leading to the Ridi Sangam with Kali Gandaki and upward towards the district headquarters Tamghas.
The return of these people who left South India is being mistakenly quoted as the Invasion of Aryans .
It is only the return of a group of the Vedic people , who left because of a Tsunami from South India,
This group was led by Shiva and His son Ganesha who proceeded to Arctic before coming back to India to settle in Sarasvati Valley.
Please read my posts on this,
The Genetic Proof.
“Our genetic lineage study demolishes this theory and proves that gypsies known as Romanis actually are descendants of Domas who have inhabited the Gangetic plain for centuries now,” said Dr Gyaneshwer Chaubey of Tartu University, Estonia, and a member of the research team that included scientists from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB) and University of Bern, Switzerland.
The Y chromosome is inherited from father to son, son to grandson, and so on. This means that all males of a family or a population evolved from a single founder male possess the same Y chromosome.
Based on genetic signatures that exist on Y chromosome, every male could be assigned to a specific group. This helps in tracing paternal lineage.
Researchers screened about 10,000 males from around the world including 7,000 belonging to 205 ethnic populations of India, to discern a more precise ancestral source of Gypsies.
“The result of this genetic analysis showed that aboriginal scheduled tribes and scheduled caste populations of northwestern India, traditionally called Doma, are the most likely ancestral populations of modern European Roma,” Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj of CCMB said.
Citations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombardy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishyasringa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjara
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285248/India
There are lost Cave Temples in the Himalayas.
Some of them have been found are in a difficult terrain.
They have fascinating histories.
Patal Bhuvaneswar.Pithogarh.
One such is Pathala Bhuvaeswara temple, in Uttarkhand,India
Patal Bhuvaneswar Cave Entrance.
‘The first human to discover this cave was Raja Ritupurna who was a king in Surya Dynasty who was ruling Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga. The story starts with Ritupurna and King Nala. It is said that once, King Nala was defeated by his wife, Queen Damayanti. In order to escape his wife’s prison Nala requested Ritupurna to hide him. Ritupurna took him to the forests of the Himalayas and asked him to stay there. While going back home he was fascinated by a deer which ran into woods and went after it. He could not find it and took rest under a tree. He had a dream where the deer was asking Ritupurna not to chase him. His sleep broke and as he woke up and went to a cave where a guard was standing. After enquiring about the cave he was allowed to go inside. Right at the entrance, Ritupurna met Sheshnag who agreed to take him through the cave. It carried him on his hood. He saw the marvels of Gods taking place inside. He all the 33-crore gods and goddesses including Lord Shiva himself. It is said that after his visit, the cave was closed for ages with a slight prediction in the Skandpurana that it will be reopened again in Kaliyuga. Shankarcharya in Kalyug, during his temporary visit to Himalayas re-discovered this cave. Since then regular worship and offering are being done at this place.
Patal Bhuvaneswar Location Map.
According to belief King Rituparna of the Sun dynasty (Surya Vansha) discovered the cave in ‘Treta yug’. It has been described in the ‘MANAS KHAND’ of ‘SKAND PURAN’. Adi Shankaracharya visited this cave in 1191 AD. That was the beginning of the modern pilgrimage history, at Patal Bhuvaneshwar.[2] The journey inside the cave has to be carried in feeble lights, holding protective iron chains. The Stone formations of Sheshnag can be seen, holding earth, heaven the world beneath. ‘Havan’ (fire sacrifice) is performed in a dimly lit, solemn atmosphere, under the spell of holy chants. You’ll also be impressed by theto visit these parts form the celestial heights of His abode in Kailash.The cave, it is believed, is connected by an underground route to Mount Kailash.[3] it’s believed that Pandavas, the ‘Mahabharat’ heroes proceeded towards their last journey in the Himalayas after meditating here, in front of Lord Shiva.This hidden pilgrimage situated at 1,350mts above sea level is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva.Almost every god that you would have heard of resides in this mystifying cave. It is also believed that you can worship at Patal Bhuvaneshwar is equivalent to worshipping at Char Dham of Uttarakhand.
The priest family, the Bhandaris are performing religious rites at Patal Bhuvaneshwar since the time of the Adi Shankaracharya. More than 20 generations in the line. They are a treasure house of legends, lores, anecdotes and information about this holy place. It is also believed that this cave is internally connected to the four abodes /seats (Char Dham)
“This awesome cave is believed to be as old as the earth itself. It has been mentioned in detail in the 103 chapter of Manaskhand of “Skanda Purana”. The first human who entered this cave was king “Rituparna” of Suraya Dynasty during the “Tretayuga”. It is said that during his visit, he had encountered several demons and “Sheshnaag” himself acted as his guide.One can see the gateway of the great ages in Patal Bhuvaneshwar. There are four entrances inside the cave named as ‘Randwar’ ‘Paapdwar’, ‘Dharamdwar’ and ‘Mokshadwar’. The Paapdwar was closed soon after the death of Ravana and the Randwar, literally, the road to war, was closed down after the great Mahabharata war. At present only two gateways are opened. You can see the tongue of Kali Bhairav, Aravati of Indra, hairs of Lord Shiva and several other wonders inside the caves of Patal Bhuvaneshwar.
How to reach Patal Bhuvaneswar.
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The nearest railhead to Patal Bhuvaneshwar is Tanakpur situated at a distance of 154kms. Taxis and buses are easily available from Tanakpur Railway Station to Patal Bhuvaneshwar, Gangolighat, and Lohaghat etc. Tanakpur is well connected with major destinations of India like Lucknow, Delhi, Agra and Kolkata. Trains are frequent to Tanakpur Railway Station. |
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Patal Bhuvaneshwar is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state. Buses from ISBT Anand Vihar are available to Tanakpur, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Lohaghat and many other destinations from where you can easily hire a local cab or bus to reach Patal Bhuvaneshwar.
Citation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patal_Bhuvaneshwar
Sanatana Dharma, as has been proved was ancient.
Madurai Meenakshiamman Temple. Image Credit. http://ayshamohamed93.blogspot.in/2014/11/my-madurai.html
It was quite advanced in Arts, Literature,Science and Philosophy.
The temple architecture bears testimony to the development of Science, especially Astronomy .
Gangaikonda Cholapuram,. Image credit.http://www.incredibleindiaphotogallery.com/2012/07/glimpse-to-the-glorious-past-gangaikonda-cholapuram/dsc_5102/
The construction of these temples, with stones in an area where no stones or Mountains were available is a testimony to the fact that the ancient knew quarrying and more importantly transporting heavy materials like a single stone of nearly 180 tons to the roof of the temple which is 216 feet in the year 1000 AD.
It is the Thanjavur Brhadeeswara Temple in Tamil Nadu.
There are temples where the rays of the Sun touch the idol at the sanctum on a particular day of the year.
1000 pillars Halls, Stone pillars producing the Seven Notes of the Carnatic Music, cave temples ..the list is endless.
The cities were laid out in a systematic pattern in south India.
In the Centre was a temple, with a Pond.
The city was surrounded by square-shaped streets around the temple complex, all the streets leading to the Temple.
This can be seen in many temples in many cities of Tamil Nadu, notable examples being Madurai, Sri Rangam Srivilliputhur, Chidambaram.
These cities had a resting place for Travelers at regular intervals on the highways, at every Kaatham, about 16 Kilometers.
This may be seen on the road from Madurai to Srivilliputtur.
Each city , at the outskirts , had a small water tank meant for animals.
A stone column was erected for the animals to relieve their itching!
Such a civilization should have had great cities.
Many have sunk as in Lemuria where the Tamil Sangam 1 and 2 were held, in Then Madurai ( South Madurai and Kavatapuram)
We had Indraprastha now called Delhi,Pataliputra, now Patna
I had a look at some of the ancient cities of India which are to be discovered in full.
If people can look around places where tanks had been located with the satellite imagery they would find more cities.
Here is a List, which, of course, is not exhaustive.
I shall be writing on each of them in detail.
Readers may also contribute.
Kalibangan
Kalibangan is a town situated in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. The town is precisely located upon the banks of Ghaggar River. This ancient city of India has been considered as the third important city amongst all the excavated Harappan sites, under the Indus valley civilization. The city had received its name from the innumerable pieces of terracotta bangles that were excavated here.
Sravasti
Sravasti is an exceedingly substantial Buddhist religious and research centre, located in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh.
Sagala
Sagala is believed to be the modern day Sialkot, and it had once served as a great centre of trade and commerce, filled with business prospects.
Sitanagaram
Sitanagaram is a small and humble and ancient site located in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Bhinmal
Bhinmal is a town in the Jalore district of Rajasthan. Bhinmal had once served as the capital of ancient Gujarat. The earlier name of Bhinmal was Bhillamala.
Tamralipta
Tamralipta is the name of another important ancient city of West Bengal. Now the place is however identified as Tamluk. Tamluk derives its name from the Sanskrit word Tamra Lipta meaning ‘full of copper’.
Urayur
Urayur is an ancient city located in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
Dwaraka
Dwaraka is another ancient city situated in Gujarat. According to Hindu mythology, Dwaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. The meaning of the word Dwaraka is a ‘door’.
Ujjain
Ujjain is located on the banks of Shipra River in Madhya Pradesh. According to Hindu mythology, Shipra had originated from the much admired churning of the oceans by the Gods and the Demons, with Vasuki, the serpent, serving as the rope. Osiyan is another ancient city that is approximately located at a distance of 65 kilometres from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The city houses a number of temples and is presently a famous tourist spot.
Bayana
Bayana is a town in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.
Citation and Reference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_city#India
It is customary for Indian households to offer Gift to visitors.
Mandatory are the Kumkum(Vermillion) and Thamboola.
The Kumkum is a sign of wealth and prosperity and it represents Goddess Mahaslakshmi, called as Sri.
Thamboolam.
The significance of offering Kumkum is the wishes of the house holder that the visitor may be blessed with Prosperity.
Thamboola has three elements.
Coconut signifies the Blessings of the Trimurthis, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, represented as the three marks in the Coconut.
The areca nut iss attributed to Brahma, the Tambool (betel) leaf to Vishnu and lime to Mahesh.i
Lime is offered along with these in Hindu marriages after Food.
At the practical level, this mixture, when taken after food is good for digestion.
The Legend of Thamboola.
Mohini distributed Amrut (ambrosia) amongst various gods. The urn with the remaining of the Amrut was kept near Indra’s elephant « Nagraja ». Growing inside the urn was a strange creeping plant and the gods became ecstatic. Vishnu ordered Dhanvantari to examine the plant. He thus discovered its stimulating quality. From then on, Vishnu began to offer its leaves, as a gesture of love and affection. Since, it is said , that the betel trine was born. It began to be associated with the Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh Trinity. The areca nut was attributed to Brahma, the Tambool (betel) leaf to Vishnu and lime to Mahesh.
According to another legend, after the Pandavas’ victory at Hastinapur, they began to have a fervent desire for Tambool. A messenger was urgently sent to the underground abode of the Queen of the snakes. The Queen, only too happy to oblige, cut the extreme phalange of her little finger and sent it to the Pandavas. The phalange was planted with great ceremony and soon the Betel plant grew out of the phalange. The creeper is since then referred to as « Nagveli » the snake plant. The ceremony of the leaves commemorates this origin and the Barais offer prayers to the God of snakes on the occasion.
Another version.
Once all dev gans (Devtas, Gods) assembled on Earth at a place called ‘Naumi Sharayan’ to perform some auspicious ceremony, and while they were approaching back to ‘Bakunthya Dham’ (Heaven) they all started feeling thirsty due to extreme heat on earth when a particular community came forward and quenched their thirst by serving them Beatle leaves .Impressed by their hospitality, the Devtas not only blessed them but also honoured them by gifting the title chaturashiitah i.e. ‘CHAURASIA’ . According to the Baudhâyanas’rauta-sûtra CHAURASIA’s belong to Kashyapa, Some believe that they belong to [Bharadvâja],So there are many beliefs about Gotras .
In recent days people of this community are employed in a variety of occupations (some also refers themselves as ‘Vaishya’ i.e. traders,since becoming followers of Vallabhacharya ji, adopting Vaishanavism nearly 300 years ago.) and their religious traditions and culture are becoming less of a factor in daily life.
Details of Chaurasia Brahmins follows.
Citation.
In Hindu system of community classification of ancient times,the communities were grouped together based on the their location,number of families in a group,the chosen profession ,or the deeds done by them.
Also if some groups performed some specific Yagnyas, among Brahmins, they were designated as such, for example, Vajpayee, those who have preformed and specialists in performing the Vajapeya Yaga.
Among the Brahmins in the South, there are Asta Sahasram, (Eight Thousand families), Vadama(those who lived on the north bank of River Kaveri), Vaathima, who speialised in Purohitham.
In the North we have many communities of Brahmins on similar lines.
The Chaurasia Community is one which is based on the number of families belonging to this clan.
They are reported to be 84,000 in number.
HAURASIA word originated from ancient INDIAN Vedas which basically refers a Brahmin community in INDIA, CHAURASIA word inherits from a vedic word ‘chaturashiitah’ which refers eighty four in sansakrita . Since ancient INDIA, according to the Hindu mythology it is believed there are eighty four thousands Yonis(breeds, Types) of Gods existing in this universe. Every species which exist on Earth belong to a particular Yoni . At later stage and for easy pronunciation it transformed as ‘Chaurasia’ (A Hindi equivalent also refers eighty four).
* Yoni is a term for female Genital Organ in Sanskrit.
The Puranas state that, while describing the evolution of beings on the Earth, there are 84 Lakhs different Yonis and their derivatives among the Humans.(Yoni Beda)
Hence I am of the opinion that 84,000 families of Chaurasias may be off the mark, considering the limited Brahmin families in ancient India(this is so even today)
This could be 84 or at the most 8000.
Readers may send in their views.
Chaurasia community belongs to the following Gotras
Sub castes
Following are the synonyms of Chaurasia surname by regional preferences:
Reference and Citation.
I had written articles on the Nazca Lines, where the three lines in Peru resembling Lord Shiva’s Trishul is present even today and the reference in the Ramayana to the Nazca Lines, , the Hindu Epic,where the Vanara (Monkey) King directs his Monkey army to search for Sita who was abducted by Ravana.
And I have also written on the three rotating cities destroyed by Shiva.
Now it has come to light that the Nazca Lines, consist of Monkey figures drawn inside the Lines and archaeologists are unable to explain it!
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In the Peruvian Desert, about 200 miles south of Lima, there lies a plain between the Inca and Nazca (sometimes also spelled Nasca) Valleys. Across this plain, in an area measuring 37 miles long and 1-mile wide, is an assortment of perfectly-straight lines, many running parallel, others intersecting, forming a grand geometric form. In and around the lines there are also trapezoidal zones, strange symbols, and pictures of birds and beasts all etched on a giant scale that can only be appreciated from the sky.
The figures come in two types: biomorphs and geoglyphs. The biomorphs are some 70 animal and plant figures that include a spider, hummingbird, monkey and a 1,000-foot-long pelican. The biomorphs are grouped together in one area on the plain. Some archaeologists believe they were constructed around 200 BC, about 500 years before the geoglyphs.
There are about 900 geoglyphs on the plain. Geoglyphs are geometric forms that include straight lines, triangles, spirals, circles and trapezoids. They are enormous in size. The longest straight line goes nine miles across the plain.
Discovery and Meaning
Though discovered by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe who spotted them while hiking through the surrounding foothills in 1927, the forms are so difficult to see from the ground that they were not widely known until the 1930’s when aircraft spotted them while surveying for water. The plain, crisscrossed, by these giant lines with many forming rectangles, has a striking resemblance to a modern airport. The Swiss writer, Erich von Daniken, even suggested they had been built for the convenience of ancient visitors from space to land their ships. As tempting as it might be to subscribe to this theory, the desert floor at Nazca is soft earth and loose stone, not tarmac, and would not support the landing wheels of either an aircraft or a flying saucer.
So why are the lines there? The American explorer Paul Kosok, who made his first visit to Nazca in the 1940s, suggested that the lines were astronomically significant and that the plain acted as a giant observatory. He called them “the largest astronomy book in the world.” Gerald Hawkins, an American astronomer, tested this theory in 1968 by feeding the position of a sample of lines into a computer and having a program calculate how many lines coincided with an important astronomical event. Hawkins showed the number of lines that were astronomically significant were only about the same number that would be the result of pure chance. This makes it seem unlikely Nazca is an observatory.
Perhaps the best theory for the lines and symbols belongs to Tony Morrison, the English explorer. By researching the old folk ways of the people of the Andes mountains, Morrison discovered a tradition of wayside shrines linked by straight pathways. The faithful would move from shrine to shrine praying and meditating. Often the shrine was as simple as a small pile of stones. Morrison suggests that the lines at Nazca were similar in purpose and on a vast scale. The symbols may have also served as special enclosures for religious ceremonies.
How were they built? The lines were apparently made by brushing away the reddish, iron oxide covered pebbles that compose the desert surface and uncovering the white colored sand underneath. In most places wind, rain and erosion would quickly remove all traces of this within a few years. At Nazca, though, the lines have been preserved because it is such a windless, dry and isolated location.
A writer by the name of Jim Woodman believes that the lines and figures could not have been made without somebody in the air to direct the operations. “You simply can’t see anything from ground level,” states Woodman. “You can’t appreciate any of it from anywhere except from above. You can’t tell me the Nazca builders would have gone to the monumental efforts they did without ever being able to see it.”
Woodman has proposed that ancient hot-air balloons were used to get an aerial view of the construction. To prove his hypothesis, Woodman constructed a balloon using materials that would have been available to the Nazca people. He was able to conduct a successful flight, though it only lasted two minutes.
Considering the mass of Finds found in the Americas relating to Hinduism and the Ramayana, I am of the view that the area was peopled by ancient Indians and the lines might have been marked by them.
Or,since the Patalas , the Nether world, referred to by Hindu Texts as having been inhabited by the Rakshasa,they could have used this as a launching pad to travel to other worlds.
Citations and Reference.
http://www.unmuseum.org/nazca.htm
I published an article on Rama’s Empire, showing the territories held by Rama.
The map was based on the references in the Ramayana of Valmiki,the descriptions of the Geography of Valimiki, the reference to the Kings who attended Sita’s Swayamwara,The descrition valimki provides while the Horse , during the Aswamedha Yaga Rama performed after His return to Ayodhya, the directions provided by Sugreeva to his Vanara ,Monkey army when they were searching for Sita , the details found in Raghu Vamsa of Kalidasa and ancient Tamil Literature.
There have been comments about the content in the post.
That
1.The landmass shown in the Map, hows relatively modern locations like the Suez canal.
My answer is that the reference to the areas won by Rama were cross checked for their modern names , correlated with the descriptions found in Valmiki Ramayan;then the Map was prepared taking the current names for these ancient places.
This has been done to enable the reader to understand the map.
Another point is that the ancient landmass was different from what we see to-day .
Landmass has changed.
There were super continents like Lemuria,Atlantis.
Some evidence of their existence has become available.
Research is on.
Meanwhile evidence unearthed in Arikkamedu,Tamil Nadu/Pondicherry and the epigraphs of the Thirukoilur TamilNadu speak of Kings from Tamil Nadu having links with Sanatana Dharma.
Early Tamil Sangam woks speak of Rama and Krishna and Silappadikaram mentions that the Yadavas were present in Madurai,Tamil Nadu.
Krishna and Arjuna visited The Dravida Desa, South India.
Both of them married Princesses from the south.
While Krishna had a daughter through the Pandyan Princess , got her married to Pandya Prince, Arjuna had a son Babruvahana.
Balarama visited south and worshiped Lord Subrahmanya.
And Lord Krishna attended Tamil Sangam.
Please Check my posts on each these.
All these have been cross verified by archaeology, epigraph,Astronomy.
It would be erroneous to dismiss the mass of evidence because we yet to recover all the artifacts.
Remeber.
River Saraswati has been identified,Dwaraka excavated.
It takes time to unearth by Indian Scholars.
There is no Dhanushkodi in Souh Now.
Only traces remain.
I have visited the place when I was a child.
Can I deny Dhanushkodi now?
Hence the empire of Rama is true, possible and probable, taking into consideration all the facts mentioned above.
2.Rama lived in Treta Yuga.
No doubt about this.
Treta Yuga is thousands of years ago.
The present date of Ramayana around 5000 BC is not accurate for the following reason.
Astronomical dating is done by verifying the Planetary position by taking reference to the Horoscope of Rama, Sita and Ravana apart from the eclipses mentioned in the Ramayana.
The problem is that Astronomical events keep on occurring at regular intervals.
So a planetary position or an eclipse is not unique.
What date do we take?
Now we are taking the latest for reckoning, that’s all.
Here comes the concept of Circular Time.
According to Hinduism Time is not Linear, that is it is not flowing in one direction.
It is circular.
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The Purana state that Agastya moved towards the South twice .
Once when Lord Shiva ordered him to move over to South to stabilize the earth, when the North end came down, South rose because of overcrowding by people who came to witness Shiva’s wedding with Uma.
( These two events have happened at different periods, not atzone instance.He moved again to South to tame the Vindhya mountain.
Now let us look the calculation of Time .
There are Four Yugas and they repeat themselves.
Brahma, the Creator begins Creation at the beginning of each Yuga which will be dissolved at the end of one Chatur Yuga
Kali Yuga 4,32000 Years
Dwpara Yuga 4,32,000*2= 8,64,000
Tretha Yuga 4,32,000*3=1296000
Satya Yuga 4,32,000*4=1728000
Total 4820000 Years One Chatur Yuga
One Manvantara is 306.72 million Years.
Life in the universe is created and destroyed once every 4.1 to 8.2 billion years, which is one full day (day and night) for Brahma. The lifetime of a Brahma is believed to be 311 trillion and 40 billion years-Hindu Cosmology.
‘Eighty million years ago, India was approximately 6400 km (3968 miles) south of the Eurasian plate. Separating the two was the Tethys Sea. The Indo-Australian tectonic plate – containing the continent of Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and surrounding ocean – was pushed northward by the convection currents generated in the inner mantle. For millions of years, India made its way across the sea toward the Eurasian plate. As India approached Asia, around 40 million years ago, the Tethys Sea began to shrink and its seabed slowly pushed upwards. The Tethys Sea disappeared completely around 20 million years ago and sediments rising from its seabed formed a mountain range. When India and Tibet collided, instead of descending with the plate, the relatively light sedimentary and metamorphic rock that makes up the subcontinent of India pushed against Tibet, forcing it upwards, and created a massive mountain fold. The Himalayas.’
Proof from the position of Agastya Star,Canopus.
Canopus is associated with the sageAgastya, one of the ancient rishis (the others are associated with the stars of the Big Dipper). Agastya, the star, is said to be the ‘cleanser of waters’ and its rising coincides with the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean. It is considered the son of Pulasthya, son of Brahma.
Canopus is 310 Light Years away from the Earth.
‘Agastya, is the author of 25 hymns (nos 166 to 190) of the first ‘mandala’ of the Rigveda.
2. Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky, is called Agastya in India.
3. This star is close to the ecliptic south pole, having an ecliptic latitude of –76°.
4. As the celestial poles go round the ecliptic poles due to the phenomenon of precession of the earth’s axis of rotation, this star becomes visible from different latitudes on the globe at different times. If we assume that for a star to be visible at a place its altitude at the meridian passage should be at least 5°, then calculations give the visibility curve for Agastya (Canopus) as follows.
5. Agastya was not visible from any part of India before 10,000 BC.
6. First it became visible at Kanyakumari around that epoch. Thereafter, as it was brought more and more northwards by precession, it became visible at various places in India.
7. It became visible in the east coast (in the present Chennai region) in 8500 BC, and in the present day Hyderabad in 7200 BC, in the Vindhya region in 5200 BC, at Delhi in 3100 BC.
8. At present it is visible from most parts of India for longer or shorter durations. This cycle will repeat after every 25,765 years. It is thus clear that around 5000 BC, the star Agastya was visible from the south of the Vindhyas, but not from the north of it.
9. If sage Agastya was the first to cross the Vindhyas from the north, he would have been the first northerner to see the star. Hence the star has been named after him, just as the Magellanic clouds in the southern sky are named after the navigator Magellan, who first saw them as he sailed southwards.
10. This fixes an epoch of 5000 BC for sage Agastya. This date is based on the assumption that for a star to be visible its meridian altitude has to be at least 5°.
11. If we make 8° meridian altitude as the criterion for visibility, the date of Agastya would be shifted to about 4000 BC. The dates 5000 and 4000 BC should therefore bracket the probable epoch of Agastya crossing the Vindhyan mountains.
Hindu Puranas state that the south Pole came up because of over crowding in the Himalayas because people has rushed in to witness the wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati and to set the earth’s balance aright Shiva ordered Agastya to go to South and he did so.
Now the tectonic plate movement of the Himalayas confirm this by observing that
” The Indo-Australian tectonic plate – containing the continent of Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and surrounding ocean – was pushed northward by the convection currents generated in the inner mantle. For millions of years, India made its way across the sea toward the Eurasian plate. As India approached Asia, around 40 million years ago, the Tethys Sea began to shrink and its seabed slowly pushed upwards. The Tethys Sea disappeared completely around 20 million years ago and sediments rising from its seabed formed a mountain range. When India and Tibet collided, instead of descending with the plate, the relatively light sedimentary and metamorphic rock that makes up the subcontinent of India pushed against Tibet, forcing it upwards, and created a massive mountain fold.”
Hence Agastya left for the South around 40 Million years ago to balance the earth.
Please read my Post Canopus Agastya validates Sanatana Dharma.”
Above is an except from My Post
So the Treata Yuga period is validated.
The Astronomical events which we are using to date Ramayana happened in Treta Yuga, as celestial events take place regularly, as well.
The land mass as I have shown is correct for the reasons mentioned in answering critics in point number 1 .
And that Rama lived in Treta Yuga and both the observations are correct.
Kindly read my posts on Agastya Date, Ramayana Date, Mahabharata date,Dating tools and more posts filed under Hinduism.
Lord Rama’s son ,Lava built Lahore now in Pakistan.
Taxila, called as Takshashila in Sanskrit and Takashila was built by Bharata, brother of Lord Rama , for his son Taksha.
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Legend has it that Takṣaśilā derived its name from Takṣa, who was the son of Bharata, the brother of the Hindu deity Rama. Takṣa’s kingdom was called Takṣa Khanda and its capital that he founded was named Takṣaśilā.
*According to another theory propounded by DD Kosambi, Takṣaśilā is related to Takṣaka, Sanskrit for “carpenter”, and is an alternative name for the Nāgas of ancient India. In the great Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Kuru heir Parikṣit (grandson of the Arjuna) was enthroned at Takṣaśilā. Traditionally, it is believed that the Mahabharata was first recited at Takṣaśilā by Vaishampayana, student ofVyasa at the behest of the seer Vyasa himself, at the Snake Sacrifice.
* There is no supportive evidence for this.
In “Lalitha Vistara,” we are told of the formation of such institutions for teaching the three R’s and moral stories to the young. Further, a very remarkable achievement of ancient India in the post-Vedic and Buddhist ages was the organisation of higher education in a few of the prominent centres of India. The earliest and the most famous institutions of the kind were those of Benares and Taxila, which were the educational havens for people from all parts of the world, right down at least from the Buddhist age. The one place which acquired a great reputation not only for its mastery over a special branch of knowledge, medicine, but also for its general ideal instruction, perfect discipline and homely training was the University of Taxila…
In the Ramayana, (Vangavasi Edition-Uttarakandam-Chapter XIV) Bharata, Sri Rama’s brother, is said to have built two cities, Takkhasila and Puskalavata, and appointed his sons, Takkha and Puskala, to be their rulers respectively. The cities were described as very prosperous in as much as their citizens were pious and prosperous. There is another reference in the same Uttarakanda of Ramayana that Takkhasila was a centre of learning and that people from different parts of the country resorted to the Institution of Education there to specialise in Law (Vyavahara). The 88th Chapter of Vayupurana refers to Takkhasila, the capital of Takka, a beautiful city.
‘Brihatsamhita’ mentions Takkhasila as a most famous city, implying thereby that it was doubtless a centre of ancient education and culture. Further, in Mahabharata, it is recorded that the King Janamejaya conquered it. It also declares the men Taxila to be matchless and unrivalled in discussions and debates in educational and cultural learning. Lastly, Ksemendra’s ‘Aradanakalpalata’ says that Asoka’s son, Kunala, was sent by Asoka to conquer Takkhasila, which was ruled by Kunjarakarna.
Taxila has been referred to, often, in Pali literature as well, a great centre of learning and as an important University centre in ancient India. According to Dhammapadattahakatha, Pasenadi, King of Kosala, was educated at the University of Taxila. From the Mahavagga, (Vinaya Pitaka), we learn that several princes from various kingdoms, within and without India, went to the University of Taxila for their complete education.
Dhammapadadattahakatha speaks of a student who went to Taxila, all the way from Benares, to study the ‘Silpas’, in the midst of five hundred class-mates. In several places, in the Pali Jatakas, there are references to highly renowned teachers living at Taxila and to the various subjects taught there.
The foreign writers of Greece, Rome and China have left Lind valuable records of accounts of Taxila. Arrian refers it as having been a great and flourishing city in the times Alexander. Strabo comments upon its population. Plutarch dwells upon its fertile soil. Hiuentsang writes of its rich harvests and luxuriant vegetation. There are other foreign Buddhist works which refer to the various arts and sciences, imparted at the University of Taxila, in the Buddhist age.
Guruvayur is a famous temple of Lord Krishna in Kerala and is called as the Dwaraka of the South.
The temple is referred to as having been a place of worship since 5000 years.
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According to the legends, the idol worshipped here is more than 5000 years old. But there are no historical records to establish it. In the 14th century Tamil literature ‘Kokasandesam’, references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as 16th century (50 years after the Narayaneeyam was composed) many references are seen about Kuruvayur. In ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur.
But according to Prof. K V Krishna Iyer (eminent historian), the Brahmins had begun to come and settle at Kodungalloor during the period of Chandra Gupta Maurya ( 321-297 BC). Trikkunavay in the Guruvayur documents is the same as Thrikkanamathilakam or Mathilakam mentioned in the Dutch and British records. And this place was in between Guruvayur and Kodungalloor. Guruvayur was Trikkunavay’s subordinate shrine since they were destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. That way Guruvayur must have come into existence before 52 AD. The story of Pandyan King building a shrine here may be a reference to the Azhavars , but they are all silent in their writing about Guruvayur.’..
The Temple is constructed B.C 3000(Around 5000 years oldest Temple) According to legends, the deity worshipped here is more than 5000 years old. But there are no historical records to establish it. In the 14th century, “Kokasandesam” (a Tamil literary work), references to a place called Kuruvayur are made. As early as the 16th century (fifty years after Narayaniyam was composed) many references to Kuruvayur are seen. In ancient Dravidian languages, “kuruvai” means “sea”, hence the village on the Malabar Coast may be called Kuruvayur. The earliest temple records date back to the 17th century. The earliest mention of the many important Vishnu temples of Kerala are found in the songs of Alwars,Tamil saints, whose time-line is not exactly fixed. Mamankam was a very famous local event at Tirunavaya, on the bank ofBharatappuzha. The battles between the Calicut under Zamorins and Valluvanad popularised Guruvayur Temple. Due to the prolonged battles, people across the riverbank started preferring Guruvayur. Even the Zamorin of Calicut become a devotee and thus his subjects followed him. The central shrine that see today is said to have been rebuilt in 1638 AD. “Viswabali” was performed later to propitiate all the spirits, good and bad. By the end of the 16th century Guruvayur had become the most popular pilgrimage centre in Kerala.
Considering the evidence I have been able to unearth about Hinduism and its spread throughout the world, its scientific approach and the references made to it by Sanskrit and Tamil literature two of the oldest languages, I am unable to brush aside that Gurauvayur has been a place of worship for 5000 years aside.
It is a fact that the Vedas do not advocate collective, group, community worship and no mention is found in them to the practice of building temples.
However, after the advent of the Agamas, the Temple worship has begun.
The Agamas are dated behind Lord Krishna and Mahabharata, though there are references to the worship of Mother Goddess in the Mahabharata in small temples.
How these temples could have been built and by whom?
The ancient temple, as far as History goes in found in Saluvar Kuppam ,Pondicherry for Lord Subrahmanya, which is excavated.
Most of the early temples of India have been built by Tamil Kings.
If the Tamil Kings had to build temples they had to be conversant with the happenings in the North of India and should have been influenced by them.
They have been a part of Sanatana Dharma.
The Tamil King Perunchotru Udiyan Neduncherallathan provided food for the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas during the epic battle of Mahabharata.
He allotted lands to Brahmins in lieu for them performing the Yagnyas daily.
He also offered Tharpana for those soldiers who died in the war.
Other Tamil Kings followed suit.
There is also evidence that Lord Krishna attended the Tamil Sangam as an Invitee.
He also married a Pandyan Princess , had a daughter through her and allotted Yadavas to serve her as a part of her dowry.
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Ravana entered into a peace treaty with a Pandya King.
Rig Veda and Puranas have references to pieces, Elephant Tusks,Gems, and Pearls being imported from Tamil Nadu /Dravida.
Tamil Kings were present during the Swayamwar of Damayanthi, Sita, Draupadi, descriptions of the may be found in the Ramayana ,Mahabharata and the Puranas.
I have some articles on this.
During the Mahabharata Days the interaction between the South and the North were more intense and frequent than what it was during the Ramayana Period.
Lord Krishna attended the Tamil Sangam,Conclave of Poets held at Kavatapuram.
He was a special Invitee.
“Krishna was known to Tamil lands even during his life time. He had been one of the esteemed guests at the 2nd Sangam assemblage that took place in Kavaatam, the then capital of the Pandyans. Kavaatam’s location can be deciphered from Shugreeva’s description of the trail to the South which he described to the vanaras in chapter 4-41-19a. That place was submerged around the time Byt Dwaraka was submerged.”
Krishna married Nappinnai, a Pandyan Princess and had a Daughter Pandyahs, that’s how Megasthanes calls her.
Krishna had his daughter married to a Pandya Prince and settled her near Madurai.
For more Read here.
The chances are that the Temple of Guruvayur having been built by a Tamil King, Krishna having been to the south and it could be a Tamil Pandya King who built the temple as Lord Krishna was the son-in-law of the Pandyas and his daughter was a Pandyan Princess.
Scholars may look into this.
Citation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guruvayur_Temple
http://www.guruvayurdevaswom.nic.in/htemple1.html
