Rama His Historicity, Mandir and Setu (Evidence of Literature, Archaeology and other Sciences)

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Item Code: IDK394
Author: B. B. Lal
Publisher: Aryan Books International
Language: English
Edition: 2019
ISBN: 9788173053450
Pages: 118 (20 Color Illus:, 15 B/W Illustrations)
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.5" X 5.5"
Weight 360 gm
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Book Description
Back of the Book

The recent controversy about the Rama Setu has offered an opportunity to certain individuals to question even the historicity of Rama. Their approach is quite ingenious. If the very existence of Rama as a real-life person is denied, the question of there having been a Setu associated with him automatically does not arise. In this context, one cannot help quoting the learned Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who recently raised two very interesting questions, namely "Who is this Rama?" and "From which engineering college did he graduate?"

This booklet seeks to present archaeological facts, nothing but hard facts, in regard to the three more or less allied topics, viz.: (i) 'Was Rama a figment of the imagination of a poet called Valmiki, or is there any evidence to suggest that he may have been a historical figure?" (ii) 'Was there a temple in the Janma-Bhumi area at Ayodhya, prior to the construction of the Babari Masjid?"; and (iii) 'What are the "credentials" of Rama Setu'?

A world-renowned archaeologist, Professor B.B. Lal was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. His excavations cover a very wide range. At Kalibangan, Rajasthan, he unearthed a prosperous city of the Harappan Civilization. The excavations at Hastinapura have established that there was a kernel of truth in the Mahabharata, even though the epic is full of interpolations. The excavations at Ayodhya have shown that the Ramayana too has a basis in history. In 1961 he conducted excavations in Egypt as well.

Amongst his latest books are: the Earliest Civilization of South Asia; India 1947-97: New Light on the Indus Civilization; The Sarasvati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture; Excavations at Kalibangan: The Early Harappans (under joint-authorship); and The Homeland of the Aryans: Evidence of Rigvedic Flora and Fauna and Archaeology.
The President of India has honoured him with Padma Bhusana.

 

Preface

This booklet seeks to present archaeological facts, nothing but hard facts, in regard to the three topics which have become, as it were, the 'talk of the day', viz.: (i) 'Was Rama a figment of the imagination of a poet called Valmiki, or is there any evidence to suggest that he may have been a historical figure?'; (ii) 'Was there a temple in the Janma-Bhumi area at Ayodhya, prior to the construction of the Babari Masjid?'; and (iii) 'What are the "credentials" of the Rama Setu'?

Of late I have been busy finalizing my next book, How Deep are the Roots of Indian Civilization? Archaeology Answers. But in the midst of this schedule, for more than a month now I have also been attending to calls from television channels, print media and a number of eminent individuals asking for my views on the above-mentioned topics. In fact, the Sahara Samaya channel, not finding me in Delhi, got hold of me at Fursatganj (Raibareli) where my wife and I were spending some quiet insisted on interviewing me over the telephone on September 15 and aired the same for its listeners. The NDTV, I was told, wanted me to participate in a debate on the Rama Setu issue around the same time, but could not get me since I was away. However, a very senior editor of the India Today had a long telephonic conversation with me on the subject and published some of my views in its Special Issue dated October 1, 2007 Since the telephone still keeps on ringing, I thought it was better for me to write out a small booklet on the above, mentioned issues so that all those who are interested in knowing the archaeological and allied evidence are not deprived of it.

With these few words, I have the pleasure of placing this booklet in the hands of inquisitive readers, hoping that they would find it of some interest.

Contents

 

  Preface vii
  Acknowledgements xiii
  List of Illustrations xv
I Was Rama a Real-life Person or Mythical? 1
  A. Introductory 1
  B. Rama's Life-story in Literature 2
  1. The Ramayana of Valmiki 2
  2. In West Bengal and Bangladesh 4
  3. In Gujarat 4
  4. In Uttar Pradesh 5
  5. In Karnataka 7
  6. In Tamil Nadu 7
  C. Non-Brahmanical Sources of the Story of Rama 8
  1. In Buddhist Literature 8
  2. In Jain Literature 9
  3. In Persian Literature 10
  D. Rama's Story Beyond the Frontiers of India 10
  1. Sri Lanka 10
  2. Tibet 11
  3. China 11
  4. Japan 12
  5. Thailand 12
  6. Malayasia 12
  7. Cambodia 12
  8. Indonesia 13
  9. Philippines 13
  A Thought 13
  E. Evidence of a Purely Secular Text 14
  F. Archaeology Comes into the Picture 15
  1. Introductory 15
  2. Ayodhya 20
  3. Sringaverapura 23
  4. Bharadvaja Asrama 25
  5. Chitrakuta 28
  6. Nandigrama 28
  7. A Brief Analysis of the Results from the Excavated Sites 28
  G. Portrayal of Rama's Life in Art 34
  1. In Terracotta 35
  2. In Stone 40
  3. In Paintings 43
  4. Sculptural Representation of Rama's Life-story Abroad 45
  H. An Analysis of the Entire Evidence 45
  1. The Evidence of Literature 46
  2. The Evidence of Archaeological Excavations 49
  3. The Evidence of Art 51
  4. Must a Contemporary Inscription be the Sole Adjudicator of Rama's Historicity? 52
II What there a Temple in the Janma-Bhumi Area at Ayodhya preceding the Construction of the Babari Masjid? 54
III What are the 'Credentials' of the Rama Setu? 69
  Appendices:  
  I. A yiraha (ballad) dealing with the Human Tragedy during the Kumbha Mela at Allahabad in 1954 79
  II Ayodhya Visnu-Hari Temple Inscription 81
  Bibliography 93
  Index 95

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