50-foot snake fossil found in Gujarat mine – could be the longest one? After Ramapithecus, Bramapithecus – nothing was found? (2)

50-foot snake fossil found in Gujarat mine – could be the longest one? After Ramapithecus, Bramapithecus – nothing was found? (2)

Why Vasuki?: Vasuki, named after the snake king associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, rivals in size another huge prehistoric snake called Titanoboa, whose fossils were discovered in a coal mine in northern Colombia, as announced in 2009. Titanoboa, estimated at 42 feet (13 meters) long and 1.1 metric tons, lived 58-60 million years ago. The reticulated python is the longest extant snake, sometimes measuring 20-30 feet (6-9 meters). “The estimated body length of Vasuki is comparable to that of Titanoboa, although the vertebrae of Titanoboa are slightly larger than those of Vasuki. However, at this point, we cannot say if Vasuki was more massive or slender compared to Titanoboa,” said palaeontologist and study co-author Sunil Bajpai, a professor at IITR. These huge snakes lived during the Cenozoic era, which began after the dinosaur age ended 66 million years ago. Incidentally, Vasuki hs been associated with the creation of the world, universe etc.

The largest-known Tyrannosaurus rex: Perhaps the largest-known Tyrannosaurus rex is a specimen named Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago, at 40-1/2 feet (12.3 meters) long, though a T. rex would have been more massive than these snakes. The biggest Vasuki vertebra was around 4-1/2 inches (11.1 cm) wide. Vasuki appears to have had a broad, cylindrical body perhaps around 17 inches (44 cm) wide. The skull was not found. “Vasuki was a majestic animal,” Datta said. “It may well have been a gentle giant, resting its head on a high porch formed by coiling its massive body for most parts of the day or moving sluggishly through the swamp like an endless train. In some ways, it reminds me of (fictional giant snake) Kaa from ‘The Jungle Book.’” The researchers are not sure what prey Vasuki ate, but considering its size it could have included crocodilians. Other fossils in the area included crocodilians and turtles, as well as fish and two primitive whales, Kutchicetus and Andrewsiphius.

Vasuki – member of the Madtsoiidae snake family that appeared roughly 90 million years ago but disappered about 12,000 years ago: Vasuki was a member of the Madtsoiidae snake family that appeared roughly 90 million years ago but went extinct about 12,000 years ago. These snakes spread from India through southern Eurasia and into north Africa after the Indian subcontinent collided with Eurasia around 50 million years ago, Bajpai said. This was a dominant snake family during the dinosaur age’s latter stages and into the early Cenozoic before its diversity dropped, Bajpai added. “Snakes are amazing creatures that often leave us stunned because of their size, agility and deadliness,” Datta said. “People are scared of them as some snakes are venomous and have a fatal bite. But snakes perhaps attack people out of fear rather than with an intent to attack. I believe snakes, like most animals, are peaceful creatures, and an important component of our ecosystem.”

The fossil background of the Tortoise, Siwalik range etc: Col. Wilford, F. E. Pargiter, D. C. Sircar, S. M. Ali[1], Maya Prasad Tripathi[2], and others have dealt with the geography, geology and cosmology as described in the Itihasas and the Puranas. They have shown that the authors of the Puranas have been updating and incorporating the geographical and geographical knowledge in the Puranas, in their own way. D. C. Sircar[3] has used inscriptions also to locate ancient cities and places. D. N. Wadia has shown the geological approach to studying India and recorded the presence of fossils of men, fauna and flora also. Hugh Falconer[4] (1808-1865) discovered a fossil of a huge tortoise in the Himalayan range and he explained its significance with the “Hindu mythology”. The Siwalik Fossil Fauna contained monkeys, camels, and giraffes, mixed with Anoplotherium, Sivatherium and other mammiferous remais[5].  Though his findings, interpretations and drawings were discussed, they are not known in India[6]. In fact, the material evidences and his papers have also been not accessible to Indian researchers. The particular genus Megalochelys, known as Colossochelys fossil of a tortoise, has spread to the coasts of the Bay of Bengal down to SEA countries till Timor islands. Thus, it explains the maritime contacts of these countries since early times. Pratik Chakrabarti and Joydeep Sen have pointed out the work done by Falconer and the significance of Kurma in Indian context[7].

Dinosaurs in India: In 1980s, again much has been talked about “dinosaurs in India”, as India had its own dinosaurs, which roamed about 6.5 crores years ago. A joint Indo-American team of palaeontologists and geologists, which found the fossil, has given it a Sanskrit-Latin zoological name “Rajasaurs Narmadensius”[8] . However, it may be noted that D. N. Wadia has already recorded the find of the vertebrate fossils including Dinosaursrian reptiles on the beds of Narmada[9]. ‘The discovery of remains (in early 90s) of Cretaceous dinosaurs from Jabalpur and Dispura, Chanda District has greatly increased our knowledge of the fossil dinosaurs of India”, he noted. Ashok Sahni has given details as to how these species roamed through India[10]. Prof. Von Huene (1833) stated that Madhyapradesh fossil dinosaurs are closely allied to those occurring in the Cretaceous of Madagascar and also with those found in Patagonia and Brazil. This suggest land-bridge in the existing Indian and Atlantic oceans or the persistence of large remnants of the Gondwana continent. In Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kandam, specifically, Jurassic period birds and animals have been mentioned[11]. Even, if such descriptions are interpolated, it is significant that that poet noted some 1000 or 2000 YBP, long before the current scientific researches of the 20th and 21st centuries. Two hypotheses and theories suggest that Indian plateau moved towards north, collided with the land mass, thus, raising the Himalayas and production of rivers. According to the other theory / hypothesis, the whole Indian plateau moved towards north, hitting the northern mass and raising the Himalayas.

1935 Yale-Cambridge India Expedition: As usual, not only history, but also archaeology and even paleontology, geology, anthropology and other related subjects too, have to be known from the reports of the European experts. Now, their reports are available only in few pages with some photographs. After about 100 years of their research, Indians did not appear to pursue and continue such research. The Siwalik Hills are known for their remains of fossil primates, which made them known worldwide as one of the most important evolutionary centers of the sub–Human primates. The Siwalik ranges are the southernmost hills of the Himalayan foothills of the mighty Himalayas. They mostly maintain a regular course from the river Yamuna to river Ravi on the south of the western Himalaya. Helmut de Terra conducted a number of scientific expeditions into Asia and the Americas. He was the first to produce a glaciological map of the Eastern Himalayas and to advance the theory that humans were established in Asia almost as early as in Africa. He conducted three scientific missions to Asia, discovering stone-age cultures and collecting fossil remains of man’s remotest ancestors as well as making significant contributions to our knowledge of man’s geologic antiquity.

After Ramapithecus Bramapithecus – nothing was found?: Helmut de Terra was a close friend and colleague of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard joined de Terra’s 1935 Yale-Cambridge India Expedition, and together they carried out research in Burma in 1938. Even De Terra himself used this study as a standard reference for elaborating his observations regarding the lithic culture complex in the valleys of the Narmada and the Kortalayar (South India) during the course of the same expedition. Sivapithecus (lit. ’Shiva’s Ape’) (syn: Ramapithecus) is a genus of extinct apes. Fossil remains of animals now assigned to this genus, dated from 12.2 million years old in the Miocene, have been found since the 19th century in the Siwalik Hills of the Indian subcontinent as well as in Kutch. Any one of the species in this genus may have been the ancestor to the modern orangutans. Some early discoveries were given the separate names Ramapithecus (Rama’s Ape) and Bramapithecus (Brahma’s Ape), and were thought to be possible ancestors of humans.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

20-04-2024

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[1] S. M.Ali, Geography of Puranas, New Delhi, 1966.

[2]  Maya Prasad Tripathi, Development of Geographic Knowledge in Ancient India, Varanasi, 1969.

[3]  D. N. Wadia, Geology of India, MacMillan, London, 1944.

[4]  Probey T. Cautley (ed.), Fauna Antiqua Sivalesis being the Fossil Zoology of the Sewalik Hills in the North of India, Smith, Elder and Co, London, 1846.

[5]  Article V, Abstract of a Discourse by Falconer on the Fossil Fauna of the Sewalik Hills, in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, John Paker, London, 1866, Volume 8, pp.107-113.

[6] Charles Murchison (ed.), Palaeontological memoirs and notes of H. Falconer, with a biographical sketch of the author, Robert Hardicke, London, 1868, Vol.I.

[7]  Chakrabarti, Pratik, and Joydeep Sen. “‘The World Rests on the Back of a Tortoise’: Science and mythology in Indian history.” Modern Asian Studies 50.3 (2016): pp. 808-840.

[8] Ashok Sahni, Dinosaur in India Dead but alive, http://www.ias.ac.in/meetings/myrmeet/14mym_talks/asahni/ashoksahni.html

[9] D. N. Wadia, Geology of India, McGraw Hill Publishing Co., New Delhi, 1981, pp.272-273.

[10] Ahsok Sahni, Indian Dinosaurs Revisited, in Current Science, Vol.85, No.7, October 10, 2003, pp.904-910, Also available at http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/oct102003/904.pdf

[11] K. V. Ramakrishna Rao, A Jurassic Park  in Valmiki Ramayana!, Proceedings of the 20^th International Ramayana Conference, Tirupathi, Vol.II, 2006, pp.

Study of Vedanga Jyotisha and Sulba Sutras: How historians have to approach taking historical evidences [2]

Study of Vedanga Jyotisha and Sulba Sutras: How historians have to approach taking historical evidences [2]

Ganges valley civilization[1]: In fact, the European intelligentsia was searching for the human origins on the banks of the Ganges only[2]. The name “Ganga” has been so famous that it is found in the names of rivers in China and SEA countries also.

1. It was Jean Sylvain Bailly (1744-1844)[3], who shifted the origin of the human race from Greenland to New Zenyla to Ganges Valley, according to his astronomical calculations. He also explained that arts and sciences were developed only there. Here, actually, the concept of the origin of human race located at the Arctic region was changed to Ganges Valley.
2. Voltaire[4] also accepted such origins. Drawing attention to the books of John Zephaniah Holwell and Alexander Dow, he concurred with him that all of their arts, including astronomy, astrology, the concepts of birth and death etc., were derived from the Ganges Valley.
3. Later Pierre de Sonnerat[5] concluded that it was India that gave the legal system to the humanity and therefore, the origin of humanity.
4. To Guillaume-Thomas-Francois Raynal[6], India, not the Middle East, was the earliest inhabited part of the globe and the Indians were ‘the first who received the rudiments of science and the polish of civilization’. Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottfried Herder and others too had such views.

Dating of the Ganges Valley Civilization: As H. D. Sankalia[7] points out in the densely populated areas and towns, the archaeologists could not carry out horizontal excavations to get complete details about the human activities and their deposits. Pointing out that there is no evidence to prove that Chandragupta Maurya, Asoka and other ever walked on the roads of their cities, he urged that excavations had to be carried on at the sites connected with Ramayana. Up to the 1950s, the oldest excavation of rice was found at Hasthinapur (U.P) dated between 1000 and 750 BCE (Ghose et al. 1960). The often-cited chalcolithic sample of rice dated to 4500 BCE. A 1980 report on excavation made in Koldihwa at Mahagasra (U.P) pushed the date back to 6570-4530 BCE. The rice grains appeared to be of a cultivated type (See Chang, 1989)[8]. Kharailal Mehra and others working on the Ganges Valley Civilization show that antiquity of rice could go to c.5000 BCE based on the samples found there. According Rakesh Tiwari[9], the samples found on the Ganges Valley at Lathuradeva in Sant kabir Nagar go to c. 6000-5000 BCE adding that the dates 6^th and 5^th cent. millennium BCE are also the earliest indication of human activity in the Sarayapur area of mid-Ganga valley. Thus, the antiquity of GVC going before IVC has been very significant.

How days, weeks, months, seasons are remembered without clock, calendar etc in India:

1. As the farmers and agricultural activists were engaged in paddy cultivation, rice food etc., they knew the days, nights, seasons etc.
2. The solar year has more than 360, 365 days and it is corrected during the months of Chaitra, Vaishaka has been very clearly mentioned (Krishna Yajurveda, Taitttiriya Samhita etc).
3. The division of 360 into 24,12, 6, etc. with reference to season, asterism are well found, recorded and followed.
4. The superimposition / conjunction of 6 seasons (6 x 60⁰), 12 rasi mandala (12 x 30⁰), 27 asterism (27 x 13.33⁰), on the 360⁰ circle / cycle proves the cyclic nature of calculation of time, chronology etc.
5. Incidentally, the 15 days eclipses, with full moon (Paurnami) and new moon (Amavasya) calculations have been meticulous for conducting rites, rituals and celebrations.
6. The seasonal flowers, vegetables, seeds, and others were so chosen and linked with such rites, rituals and celebrations, even common people could remember the significance.
7. The first day (Padyami), second day (Dhiviya), third day (Tadhiya), fourth day (caviti), fifth day (panchami), sixth day (Shasti), seventh day (Saptami), eighth day (Astami), ninth day (Navami), tenth day (Dasami), eleventh day (Ekadasi), twelfth day (Dwadasi), thirteenth day (Triodasi), fourteenth day (Caturdasi), fifteenth day (Paurnami or Amavasya) are thus consciously remembered.
8. The waxing and waning days are attributed to some gods, goddesses, great men and others, so that they were always remembered.
9. The waxing days were taken for auspicious rites, rituals and celebrations and waning days for less rites, rituals and celebrations. Thus, Amavasya is taken for shraddha rituals to remember our forefathers and ancestors.
10. In India, only these activities have become traditions and followed by crores of people.

How these works were helpful to common people?: Many practices might appear superstitious according to modern mind, but, the reason behind them was forgotten. Thus, some are pointed out:

1. The farmers had been following traditional methods even today, in growing, sowing, keeping the seeds (for next period) on seasonal basis. Every agricultural process has been in consonance with the seasonal changes and therefore, there was no complaint about the excess growth, loss of crops by rains, cyclones etc.
2. Mention has already been made about the conduct of rites, rituals, ceremonies, celebrations etc,.
3. The vegetable cutter, cook and others followed the astronomical rules, so that no crop, seed, vegetable was wasted.
4. The grower of cotton, thread maker, weaver, and other textile manufacturer followed the astronomical rules and thus, the sentiment of the people were followed.
5. The Shiddhanta, Karana and Yantra works were studied together.
6. The observation and recording of days, weeks, eclipses, conjunction of planets, asterisms, zodiac, were useful to the construction of houses, palaces, temples, cities, forts, boats, ships etc.
7. Thus every stone worker, Stapathi, silpi, metal worker, metallurgist and related experts followed vastu and silpa sastras.
8. For the coastal navigation, internal river transport, overseas expeditions, maritime trade, the astronomical principles and yantras / instruments, gadgets etc., developed were used.

Conclusion: If a person is able to follow day and night, 24 hours day, week, month, year etc., it is evident that he knew clock and calendar, though, such devices of 5000 YBP have not been discovered. After the introduction and fee use of mobiles, crores of people all over the world stopped wearing a wrist-watch. If a man is conditioned to nature, his biological clock is set up and synchronized with nature. He does not require any clock, as hid body functions according to nature. He could get up from the bed at required time and goes to bed accordingly. In fact, it has become an old fashion to wear a wrist-watch. It does not mean that there was no wristwatch, mechanical (coil/spring-wound), digital etc., during the 1930-1980 period. Indians have to remember three generations of both husband and wife side. 1920-50 families have old photographs and many started losing them. In fact, they have started forgetting their great father and mothers by name. But, that doesn’t mean that the photographs were not there and the persons did not exist during their periods.

In the same way, the mathematical and astronomical details as found in the ancient book need not be doubted, as now, the modern researchers have only been struggling to interpret and understand them. It is only the fault of the present-day researchers that they could not understand the texts properly and not that of the ancient texts. Moreover, the researchers have to be open-minded without any linguistic, sectarian and other parochial bias, prejudice and pre-conditioned mind set up. As already pointed out, history cannot be read, understood and decided in isolation, without understanding the history of science and technology and the significance of the principles. Thus historical research and historiography have to be multi-disciplinarian.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

07-05-2020

[1] K.V. Ramakrishna Rao, GVC to IVC to SVC (Ganges Valley Civilization to Indus Valley Civilization to Sarasvati Valley Civilization), in S. Kalyanaraman (ed.,), Vedic River Sarasvati and Hindu Civilization, Aryan Books International, New Delhi and Sarasvati Research and Education Trust. Chennai, 2008, pp.247-274.

[2] The European intelligentsia tried to find an alternative, when they attempted to escape from the clutches of Judeo-Christian philosophy during 18^th century. For them, the East had been the attractive destination, as all references of the experts pointed to the East.

Martin Priestman, Romantic Atheism –  Poetry and free thought, 1780-1830, Cambridge University Press, London, 1999. Can be viewed through website, pages up to 26 from the wrapper – http://assets.cambridge.org/0521621240/sample/052162140 WSCOO.PDF.

[3] Jean-Sylvail Bailly, Traite de l’ Astronomie Indienne et Orientale, Paris, 1787, pp.498-500.

[4] H. Brumfitt (ed.), La Philosophie de l’historie (Studies on Voltaire and Eighteenth Century), Vol. XXVIII, Geneva, 1963. Introduction and commentary give valuable details, as mentioned by P. J. Marshall.

[5] Pierre de Sonnerat, Voyage aux Indes Orientales, 1782.

[6] Guillaume-Thomas-Francois Raynal, History of the Indies, Vol.I, p.35, 38.

[7] H. D. Sankalia, Ramayana – a Myth or Reality, Peoples Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1973.

[8] Wayne Smith and Robert H. Dilday, Rice: Origin, History, Technology, John wiley & Sons Inc., USA, 2002, p.12.

[9] Rakesh Tiwari, Preliminary Report of the excavations at Lathuradeva District Sant Kabir Nagar, U.P: 2002-2003-2004 & 2005-2006,  www.uparchaeology.org/pragadhara16.pdf.

More articles on Agriculture in South Asia: http://homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~tcrnfu/downloads.htm

Chronology of India – Proceedings of the two day National seminar held at Bangalore on February 18th and 19th 2019 [1]

Chronology of  India – Proceedings of the two day National seminar held at Bangalore on February 18^th and 19^th 2019 [1]

Maharani Lakshmi Ammani College entrance, where the seminar was held…………………..

Maharani Lakshmi Ammani College entrance, where the seminar was held…………………..banner hanging…

Sri Sastry founder of the college….

College reception……

National Seminar on chronology: The two day National seminar on “Chronology of  India” was held at Bangalore on February 18^th and 19^th 2019 at the premises of Maharani Lakshmi Ammani College, malleshwaram 18th cross, Bangalore, India 560055, Bangalore. MLACW (now mLAC) is located in the vicinity of national institutes of repute such as Indian Institute of Science, Institute of Wood Science & Technology, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Raman Research Institute and Central Power Research Institute. It was organized by the Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Samiti[1] in association with the Indian Council of Historical Research. Actually, the BISS of various states have already conducted seminars on chronology and I have attended most of them [held at Chennai, Tirupati, Dhanbad etc[2]] and my papers published in their proceedings since 1985[3]. The delegates were accommodated at different places – Yadava Smruti, Kaveri Hostel etc.

Invitation and program…..

The Theme of the Seminar: The organizers moted that “Main Theme: Chronology of Indian History” and the Sub Themes would be as follows:

• Chronology of South India (Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala & Maharashtra)
• Chronology of Archaeological evidences in India
• Chronology of Astronomy in India
• Chronology of Santha Parampara in Indian society
• Chronology of Evolution and development of Indian languages
• Distortion in Indian Chronology & Errors in dating
• Chronology of Construction of Forts in India
• Chronology of Construction of Dams in India
• Chronology of development of Ancient and Medieval science in India
• Chronology of development of Mathematics in India
• Chronology of Development of Society and Archaeological evidence.
• Chronology of Temple construction in India

The paper presenters had not covered all the themes, instead restricting to three or four. On archaeological evidences, there was only on paper and so also on other language-literature- Tamil.

Stage before inauguration…..

Before inauguration – audience RHS from the stage……..

Before inauguration – audience LHS from the stage……..

Students sitting……

The objective of Akila Bharatheeya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana (ABISY): The objective of  ABISY is to write Bharatheeya history from a national perspective. The British distorted Bharatheeya history; destroyed / perverted the tradition, heroes, culture, literature and language. Hence ABISY coordinates patriotic, bold and incorruptible scholars & historians to write history truthfully on the basis of facts and evidences. In order to systematically compile all available facts comprehensively, regional chapters of ABISY have been established throughout the country. The regional chapters are functioning under the name “Bharatheeya Itihasa Sankalana Samithi (BISS)”. Akila Bharatheeya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana is actively involved in bringing out the history of Bharath for the past 5000 years i.,e from 3102 BC, the beginning of kaliyuga onwards.

preparing for lighting a lamp……..

lighting a lamp with a lamp……….

Kotresh – Introducing the theme of the seminar: Prof Kotresh,  ICHR member, pointed out explaining the theme of the seminar that the traditional chronology proposed is questioned by the modern scholars. They say that Ramayana and Mahabharata were myth. Badami inscription clearly recorded the Mahabharat war had taken place in 3102 BCE. Therefore, research has to be done to bring out the facts. The seminar was intended for the purpose. Abhishek Avdhani started the function with chanting of Vedic  mantras.

During prayer – standing-sitting – it appears common………………………….knowingly or unknowingly………………………..

Balamukund Padey – Inaugural address: Balamukund Pandey, National Organizing Secretary, ABISY spoke inaugurating the seminar that he did not know Kannada, not comfortable with English and therefore, he wanted to talk in Hindi. Stressing that they do not write without evidences (Namulam likyate kinchit). He claimed that before the Chartered Act, there were less distortions in Indian history, but after the Act, much distortion started, particularly with the establishment of Royal Asiatic Society. As the British wanted to divide people, the restricted the chronology within 4000 BCE, when the world was supposedly created by god as per the Bible. Accordingly, no date could go beyond that date. The date of Buddha, Adi Sankara have been disputed referred to by traditional and modern scholars with their respective dates, i.e, 18^th cent BCE or 563-483 B.C.E, Adisankara 506-477 BCE or 788-820 CE and so on[4]. As Sankara did not mention Christians and Mohammedans, it is clear that he lived before them…Saraswati valley civilization goes beyond 5000 YBP. Thus he spoke. The last point that “. Tamil literature did not give details about local evidences” is totally wrong, of course, a paper was presented in the seminar on the topic that was discussed below. Ironically, that was the last paper read with one person as audience, besides the sectional president R. Sridhara.

The Chartered Acts introduced: Though, Pandey did not specifically mentioned the Act, the enacted act after 1857 had been the crucial in the context. By the Charter Act of 1793, the Company’s commercial privileges were extended for a further period of twenty years. The Charter Act of 1833 by abolishing the Company’s commercial monopoly altogether completed the earlier step in this regard taken by the Charter Act of 1813. Abolition of slavery was also a very commendable feature of the Act of 1833. The Charter Act of 1853 renewed the authority of the Company and allowed it to retain possession of its Indian territories to be “held in trust for Her Majesty (Queen Victoria) and her heirs and successors”, until the Parliament should otherwise decide. The Charter Act of 1853 by extending Company’s authority over its territories until the Parliament would decide otherwise kept it open for the Parliament to step into authority over the Company at any time. The revolt of 1857-58 offered the opportunity as the demand for divesting the Company of its authority over the Company’s territories.

D. Srinivas – Key-note address: Next, M. D. Srinivas, former ICHR member, gave key-note address introduced himself as a specialist in philosophy and astrophysics. He was never seen in any of the IHC, SIHC, TNHC, APHC, THC etc. He suggested to Sudharshan Rao that all the mss should be digitized. And so also all the inscriptions should be published. Only 1/3 inscriptions have only been published implying that 2/3 not published. Similarly 60,00,000 [6 million / 6 lakhs] mss have not yet been published. Therefore, National Commission should publish all inscription and digitize mss. The other things he spoke about Indian astronomy, Kerala School etc., have been repeated, as he used to mention them in his speech, where he goes. They can be summarized as follows: Thirteen and a half naks.atras ending with Visakha were situated in the northern hemispheres; these were called devanaks.atras. The remaining naks.atras ending with Bharani. that were in the southern hemisphere were called yamanaks.atras (yama: twin, dual). This classification in the Taittirıya Brahman. a (1.5.2.7) corresponds to 2300 BCE. The Satapatha Brahman. a speaks of a marriage between the Seven Sages, the stars of the Ursa Major, and the Krttikas; this is elaborated in the Puran. as where it is stated that the r.s.is remain for a hundred years in each naks.atra. In other words, during the earliest times in India there existed a centennial calendar with a cycle of 2,700 years. Called the Saptarsi calendar, it is still in use in several parts of India. Its current beginning is taken to be 3076 BCE. On the other hand, notices by the Greek historians Pliny and Arrian suggest that, during the Mauryan times, the calendar used in India began in 6676 BCE.

audience listening to M. D. Srivivas, key-note address………

I asked him, quoting –

Shastabdhanam shastardha vyatitastrashyam yugapadha|

Trayadhika vimsatirabdhastdheha mama janmanoatita||

“When sixty times sixty years and three quarter yugas (of the current yuga) had elapsed, twenty three years had then passed since by birth”

That the verse 10. of Kalakriya was also subjected to criticism is evident from the interpretation of the verse. There had been different versions in reading and interpretation of the verse as expressions found in the manuscripts:

1. 60 x 60 = 3600 – 3101 = 499 – 23 = 476 AD / CE.

1. 60 x 60 = 3600 – 3101 = 499 + 78 = 554 AD / CE.

1. AD 522 according to Saka 444; thus, 444 + 78 = 522 AD / CE.

1. 3623 years elapsed; 3600 – 3101 = 522 AD / CE.

1. 60 x 6 = 360; 3101 – 360 = 2741 – 26 = 2715 BC / BCE.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Srinivas continued, “It is very likely that this calendar was the Saptarsi calendar with a beginning at 6676 BCE. Thus, the Indian astronomical chronology could be fixed in three periods:

1. Rgvedic astronomy (c. 4000? – 2000 BCE).
2. Astronomy of the Brahman. as (2000 – 1000 BCE).
3. Early Siddhantic and early Puranic (1000 BCE – 500 CE)’…………………

When asked about the two dates assigned to Aryabhata based on the interpretation of verse, he did not commit, but stick to 499 CE and not 2742 BCE, as BISS tried to promote. It has to be mentioned here that Sri Ram Sathe has written and published a series of books arguing for the 2742 BCE date and of course, it was in turn pointed ut earlier by Kota Venkatachalam[5].

 

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

27-02-2019

[1]  अखिल भारतीय इतिहास-संकलन योजना / Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana – http://www.abisy.org/, https://itihasabharati.org/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhil_Bharatiya_Itihas_Sankalan_Yojana  and http://daniela.berti.free.fr/RiSS.pdf

[2] The proceeding volumes of Chennai, Dhanbad were published immediately and distributed during the seminar itself.

[3] However, in Tamilnadu, a peculiar attitude has emerged with certain individuals, who have been projecting themselves as Secretary, President and so on and working for the BISS, though, they have not been head, seen anywhere in the meetings, seminars or conferences. Those who have been working since 1980s have been neglected.

[4] In 1988 CE a symposium named “The Dating of the Historical Buddha” took place in Gottingen, Germany. The dates proposed by a group of experts who attended goes from 486 BCE to 261 BCE for the decease of the Buddha. Though, different  dates were suggested, the death of the Buddha according to different sources are as follows:

• Long chronology (Ceylonese): 544-543 BCE
• Corrected long chronology: 487-486 BCE
• Short chronology (Indian chronology): 368 BCE
• Buddhist t. Ramaradition (non-scholar): ranges from 2420 to 290 BCE
• Succession of the five patriarchs: Five succession of teachers before Ashoka

[5] Actually, it was the books of Kota Venkatachalam that inspired the members of ABISY and BISS and they started their research. Earlier, Krishnamachariar, T. S. Narayana Sastri, Triveda, and others have published their books mentioning the traditional dates.