Adam's Bridge, also known as Rama Setu[1] meaning "Rama's Bridge", is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. Hindus believe that this bridge was built by Vishnu's incarnation of 
Rama to rescue his consort Sita who was abducted to Lanka by Ravana, as mentioned in the Ramayana. Many historical inscriptions, coins, old travel guides, old dictionary references, old religious maps indicate that this structure is considered sacred by Hindus. Geological evidence indicates that this bridge is a natural formation and acted as former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation.There are controversies about whether this structure is natural or manmade. A few scientists have claimed that this structure is a natural one whereas others, including former Geological survey of India director S.Badrinaryanan, claim that this structure is man made. While the Madras High Court, the highest court of law in Tamil Nadu (the state where this bridge lies) has said that this bridge is man-made, Government of India in a recent affidavit in the Supreme Court of India said that there is no historical proof for it.
In 2001, the Government of India approved a controversial multi-million dollar Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project that aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait by dredging through a portion of this causeway. Some organizations oppose this project using current alignment based on religious, economic and environmental grounds and suggest implementation of the same through one of the 5 alternative alignments considered earlier without damaging this structure.source: [wiki]
From Skeptic Point of view
The most popular Indian epics-the Ramayana and the Mahabharata-are compared to Homer’s Illiad and the Odyssey. The Mahabharata is about a long drawn out war, full of heroics, treachery, and blood-shedding like the Illiad. The Ramayana dealing with the wanderings of Ram and Sita, resembles the Odyssey but the story is one of Sita the wife-like Penelope- who remains faithful to her husband despite being wooed by another and even abducted. The epic is idealistic, presenting Sita as a woman impressive by her devotion. This epic has a strong emotional appeal to Hindus. Ram, is worshipped as a perfect being, never failing for his duty as a son to his father, and a husband for his commitment to his wife.
Briefly, the story about Ram and Sita will provide a background to one more religious absurdity rooted in their epic now thrown up in this modern century. Once upon a time a king named Dasratha, with Ayodhya as his capital, had four sons, the eldest being Ram. Ruling over another kingdom was a king called Janaka who had an incredibly beautiful daughter, named Sita. She was born from Mother Earth, having appeared out of a furrow in field.
Janaka declared any suitor who could bend his mighty bow would win Sita as his wife. A number of suitors tried and failed. But Ram not only bent the bow he snapped it. Ram and Sita were married and travelled back to Ayodhya. Dasratha, old and feebleminded, had made a promise to one of his wives that he would grant her any request she wanted. She immediately asked that instead of Ram her son, Bharat, should be placed on the throne. If the old man didn’t fulfill her wishes she would directly die, she said.
Her wish was that Ram should be sent in exile to the Dandakaranya forests of central India for fourteen years, as a hermit with matted hair, wearing skins. and living in a cave. The deeply grieved Dasratha agreed to send Ram and Sita away. With them went a faithful brother, Lakshman. The Ramayan presents details of their long journey crossing the Ganges and then the Yamuna river into the deepest forested region. They built a simple dwelling near the sources of the Godavari river. From here, Ravana, the twelve headed king of Ceylon, abducted Sita, grabbing her by her hair and lifting her into his flying chariot yoked with asses. Having been away neither Rama nor Lakshman knew why or how sita disappeared from their hermitage.
In the quest for Sita, the two travelled far south. Finally Hanuman, the monkey headed god, located Sita’s imprisonment in Ceylon. Though there was a wide channel dividing the island from the mainland, the god leapt through the air and discovered Sita was confined in a garden of Asoka trees, protected by fierce female guards. Hanuman gave her a token from Ram, and returned with a message of her undying love and fidelity despite Ravana’s relentless wooing.
Ravana was thoroughly frightened by Hanuman’s appearance. Moreover the monkey-god set his tail afire and bounded through the town and burnt more that half of it to ashes. But Ravana refused to return Sita. Both sides sat down to make plans for war. Ram was supported by countless chieftans and Hanuman and his monkey followers. Ravana enlisted rakshasas (devils) on his side.
The island was separated by a passage of sea, dotted with a number of small islands. To get his army across Ram built a causeway for them to march and invade. Ceylon. Ravana was killed and Sita resorted to Ram. This is a brief account from the 24,000 couplets originally composed by Valmiki. The bridge – Ram’s Bridge-is evidence of the great scientific ability of Ram and his monkey brigade as builders. This bridge is a significant example of Ram’s existence as a real being.
In Ayodhya there are countless temples where each presiding priest can point out to the exact point on which Ram was born in his temple, proof of his identity as a real human and not a mere mythological character. But Hindu fanatics had long decided the true spot was under a mosque built by Babur the Moghul to erase the original sacred site. The Babri Masjid was destroyed by the Hindu political party, the BJP, triggering off a number of Hindu-Muslim riots in the country, many killed on both sides. This widened the deep rift between the two communities. The Hindus have had pillars and stone blocks cut to erect the temple to Ram on the spot of the mosque. But a stalemate persists with the government preventing the construction to go ahead.
The destruction of the Ayodhya mosque put Hindus in conflict with Muslims. But now two sides again confront each other-the Hindu fundamentalists against the Congress-led government at the centre. Ram’s Bridge is going to be knocked down. Fanatics claim if that happens Hinduism itself will collapse. The countrywide agitation is gathering strength.
In earlier maps the bridge made by Ram was called Adam’s Bridge. Its real name is Ram Sethu. What is the advantage from breaking through this causeway? The idea came up in 1860, proposed by an English marine engineer, A.D.Taylor. Smaller ships managed to navigate the channel between Ceylon and India, but bigger ships had to go round the island of Sri Lanka. A canal can be deepened from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal through a separating stretch of sea in the Palk Strait. Two channels can be created-one across Ram Sethu (Adam’s Bridge), the chain of islets linking the two countries. Another channel could be made by deepening the Palk Strait, providing a depth of 300 meters for two-way navigation of the largest ships. The project will reduce travel distance by 254-424 nautical miles (about 465-835 km.) and cut time by 21-36 hours. National defence will be easier and quicker between west and east coasts of India. Coast guard and naval ships won’t need to go right around the island of Sri Lanka. The Project can be completed by 2009 and promote industrial developments, and trade and commerce by sea.
The Project was cleared by Nehru’s cabinet in 1965, and a number of studies were done thereafter. The estimated cost would be about Rs.2,500 crores. The present government has inaugurated the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP). Hindu critics have claimed NASA has taken pictures of Ram Sethu and announced it is a man made structure. NASA has refused to endorse this absurd claim put forward by RSS and BJP leaders. However, the Geological Survey of India which studied the Ram Setu found the causeway is a natural formation, and about four or five hundred thousand years old.
The four Shankracharyas of the four peethams of Hinduism (like popes each with his own establishment) met in Bangalore on May 20 to discuss the issue. They decided to intensify the agitation peacefully against the project which is to demolish Ram’s bridge. They, according to a Times of India report, claim the bridge is 17 million years old. Which would place Rama into an Age where there were no humans as his subjects ruling a kingdom with only primitive mammals and birds. They declared Ram Sethu is not a natural bridge of rocks and sand. It is highly scientifically built bridge made by Ram to rescue Sita. It is proof of the oldest bridge ever built in the world, proving Hindu culture was superior even thousands of years ago. As is the custom countless numbers of politicians have promptly plunged into the sea, each putting forward their claim to shake the world. They declare the Rama Setu is like the Ayodhya site- a sacred symbol of the Ramayana era. It establishes that Lord Rama did exist and made a heroic effort to rescue Sita by building the bridge with the help of “vanars”. (monkeys) commanded by the monkey-god Hanuman. Hanuman is the official bridgekeeper and to prove that he means to defend the bridge he has made costly equipment, dredge and cranes simply tumble into the sea. Astrologers have discovered omens in their stars of the Project dismally failing.
Inevitably, the culprit who wants to make Hinduism fall is Sonia Gandhi. She is in collaboration with the Americans providing dredgers, cranes etc. One spokesman says “We want Om not Rome!” When the agitation turns violent, goons will target Gandhi.
The Ram Sethu movement is gathering momentum. Organised Hindu groups have promised to make the entire country rise up to defend it. Another high seer has announced that Ram was a real god who lived 17 lakhs years ago-that is, 1.7 million years ago. Antiquity is always significant in Hinduism. Ages are easily defined without the need of carbon-dating, or any scientific investigation. We are told ancient rishis lived millions of years ago, their times coinciding with the appearance of species of dinosaurs. They didn’t even bother those wise men who lived in forest dwellings and discovered every known science simply by their intuition.
Ram’s age takes him into the Pleistocene period which began about a million years ago. Enormous woolly mammoths, shaggy, and with large tusks, existed in the coldest regions, sabre-teethed tigers roamed in the jungles with many other mammals still at primitive stages of evolution. And here was when appeared the “Dawn Men” and Cave-dwellers, prehistoric humans. It is laughable to appoint Rama as a king over creatures half-way between apes and humans. There remains one other problem which nobody has thought of. In Rama’s time most of the earth was frozen with vast sheets of ice spreading over most regions. This was the Ice Age. Actually during Rama’s time the sea channel between India and Sri Lanka must have been frozen, offering easy access of his monkeys and warriors to invade the island. There was no need to haul rocks and sand to make a bridge.
Seven million years or 1.7 million years have no reference to the Ages devised by Western science. Only Hindu four Ages are valid, with reference to all myths and fables. Hindu science is far superior to Western science. Hindu science, supported by Hanuman the guardian-deity, will save the Ram Sethu from being demolished by modern technology. Source:Indian Skeptic
Rama to rescue his consort Sita who was abducted to Lanka by Ravana, as mentioned in the Ramayana. Many historical inscriptions, coins, old travel guides, old dictionary references, old religious maps indicate that this structure is considered sacred by Hindus. Geological evidence indicates that this bridge is a natural formation and acted as former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation.There are controversies about whether this structure is natural or manmade. A few scientists have claimed that this structure is a natural one whereas others, including former Geological survey of India director S.Badrinaryanan, claim that this structure is man made. While the Madras High Court, the highest court of law in Tamil Nadu (the state where this bridge lies) has said that this bridge is man-made, Government of India in a recent affidavit in the Supreme Court of India said that there is no historical proof for it.
In 2001, the Government of India approved a controversial multi-million dollar Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project that aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait by dredging through a portion of this causeway. Some organizations oppose this project using current alignment based on religious, economic and environmental grounds and suggest implementation of the same through one of the 5 alternative alignments considered earlier without damaging this structure.source: [wiki]
From Skeptic Point of view
The most popular Indian epics-the Ramayana and the Mahabharata-are compared to Homer’s Illiad and the Odyssey. The Mahabharata is about a long drawn out war, full of heroics, treachery, and blood-shedding like the Illiad. The Ramayana dealing with the wanderings of Ram and Sita, resembles the Odyssey but the story is one of Sita the wife-like Penelope- who remains faithful to her husband despite being wooed by another and even abducted. The epic is idealistic, presenting Sita as a woman impressive by her devotion. This epic has a strong emotional appeal to Hindus. Ram, is worshipped as a perfect being, never failing for his duty as a son to his father, and a husband for his commitment to his wife.
Briefly, the story about Ram and Sita will provide a background to one more religious absurdity rooted in their epic now thrown up in this modern century. Once upon a time a king named Dasratha, with Ayodhya as his capital, had four sons, the eldest being Ram. Ruling over another kingdom was a king called Janaka who had an incredibly beautiful daughter, named Sita. She was born from Mother Earth, having appeared out of a furrow in field.
Janaka declared any suitor who could bend his mighty bow would win Sita as his wife. A number of suitors tried and failed. But Ram not only bent the bow he snapped it. Ram and Sita were married and travelled back to Ayodhya. Dasratha, old and feebleminded, had made a promise to one of his wives that he would grant her any request she wanted. She immediately asked that instead of Ram her son, Bharat, should be placed on the throne. If the old man didn’t fulfill her wishes she would directly die, she said.
Her wish was that Ram should be sent in exile to the Dandakaranya forests of central India for fourteen years, as a hermit with matted hair, wearing skins. and living in a cave. The deeply grieved Dasratha agreed to send Ram and Sita away. With them went a faithful brother, Lakshman. The Ramayan presents details of their long journey crossing the Ganges and then the Yamuna river into the deepest forested region. They built a simple dwelling near the sources of the Godavari river. From here, Ravana, the twelve headed king of Ceylon, abducted Sita, grabbing her by her hair and lifting her into his flying chariot yoked with asses. Having been away neither Rama nor Lakshman knew why or how sita disappeared from their hermitage.
In the quest for Sita, the two travelled far south. Finally Hanuman, the monkey headed god, located Sita’s imprisonment in Ceylon. Though there was a wide channel dividing the island from the mainland, the god leapt through the air and discovered Sita was confined in a garden of Asoka trees, protected by fierce female guards. Hanuman gave her a token from Ram, and returned with a message of her undying love and fidelity despite Ravana’s relentless wooing.
Ravana was thoroughly frightened by Hanuman’s appearance. Moreover the monkey-god set his tail afire and bounded through the town and burnt more that half of it to ashes. But Ravana refused to return Sita. Both sides sat down to make plans for war. Ram was supported by countless chieftans and Hanuman and his monkey followers. Ravana enlisted rakshasas (devils) on his side.
The island was separated by a passage of sea, dotted with a number of small islands. To get his army across Ram built a causeway for them to march and invade. Ceylon. Ravana was killed and Sita resorted to Ram. This is a brief account from the 24,000 couplets originally composed by Valmiki. The bridge – Ram’s Bridge-is evidence of the great scientific ability of Ram and his monkey brigade as builders. This bridge is a significant example of Ram’s existence as a real being.
In Ayodhya there are countless temples where each presiding priest can point out to the exact point on which Ram was born in his temple, proof of his identity as a real human and not a mere mythological character. But Hindu fanatics had long decided the true spot was under a mosque built by Babur the Moghul to erase the original sacred site. The Babri Masjid was destroyed by the Hindu political party, the BJP, triggering off a number of Hindu-Muslim riots in the country, many killed on both sides. This widened the deep rift between the two communities. The Hindus have had pillars and stone blocks cut to erect the temple to Ram on the spot of the mosque. But a stalemate persists with the government preventing the construction to go ahead.
The destruction of the Ayodhya mosque put Hindus in conflict with Muslims. But now two sides again confront each other-the Hindu fundamentalists against the Congress-led government at the centre. Ram’s Bridge is going to be knocked down. Fanatics claim if that happens Hinduism itself will collapse. The countrywide agitation is gathering strength.
In earlier maps the bridge made by Ram was called Adam’s Bridge. Its real name is Ram Sethu. What is the advantage from breaking through this causeway? The idea came up in 1860, proposed by an English marine engineer, A.D.Taylor. Smaller ships managed to navigate the channel between Ceylon and India, but bigger ships had to go round the island of Sri Lanka. A canal can be deepened from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal through a separating stretch of sea in the Palk Strait. Two channels can be created-one across Ram Sethu (Adam’s Bridge), the chain of islets linking the two countries. Another channel could be made by deepening the Palk Strait, providing a depth of 300 meters for two-way navigation of the largest ships. The project will reduce travel distance by 254-424 nautical miles (about 465-835 km.) and cut time by 21-36 hours. National defence will be easier and quicker between west and east coasts of India. Coast guard and naval ships won’t need to go right around the island of Sri Lanka. The Project can be completed by 2009 and promote industrial developments, and trade and commerce by sea.
The Project was cleared by Nehru’s cabinet in 1965, and a number of studies were done thereafter. The estimated cost would be about Rs.2,500 crores. The present government has inaugurated the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP). Hindu critics have claimed NASA has taken pictures of Ram Sethu and announced it is a man made structure. NASA has refused to endorse this absurd claim put forward by RSS and BJP leaders. However, the Geological Survey of India which studied the Ram Setu found the causeway is a natural formation, and about four or five hundred thousand years old.
The four Shankracharyas of the four peethams of Hinduism (like popes each with his own establishment) met in Bangalore on May 20 to discuss the issue. They decided to intensify the agitation peacefully against the project which is to demolish Ram’s bridge. They, according to a Times of India report, claim the bridge is 17 million years old. Which would place Rama into an Age where there were no humans as his subjects ruling a kingdom with only primitive mammals and birds. They declared Ram Sethu is not a natural bridge of rocks and sand. It is highly scientifically built bridge made by Ram to rescue Sita. It is proof of the oldest bridge ever built in the world, proving Hindu culture was superior even thousands of years ago. As is the custom countless numbers of politicians have promptly plunged into the sea, each putting forward their claim to shake the world. They declare the Rama Setu is like the Ayodhya site- a sacred symbol of the Ramayana era. It establishes that Lord Rama did exist and made a heroic effort to rescue Sita by building the bridge with the help of “vanars”. (monkeys) commanded by the monkey-god Hanuman. Hanuman is the official bridgekeeper and to prove that he means to defend the bridge he has made costly equipment, dredge and cranes simply tumble into the sea. Astrologers have discovered omens in their stars of the Project dismally failing.
Inevitably, the culprit who wants to make Hinduism fall is Sonia Gandhi. She is in collaboration with the Americans providing dredgers, cranes etc. One spokesman says “We want Om not Rome!” When the agitation turns violent, goons will target Gandhi.
The Ram Sethu movement is gathering momentum. Organised Hindu groups have promised to make the entire country rise up to defend it. Another high seer has announced that Ram was a real god who lived 17 lakhs years ago-that is, 1.7 million years ago. Antiquity is always significant in Hinduism. Ages are easily defined without the need of carbon-dating, or any scientific investigation. We are told ancient rishis lived millions of years ago, their times coinciding with the appearance of species of dinosaurs. They didn’t even bother those wise men who lived in forest dwellings and discovered every known science simply by their intuition.
Ram’s age takes him into the Pleistocene period which began about a million years ago. Enormous woolly mammoths, shaggy, and with large tusks, existed in the coldest regions, sabre-teethed tigers roamed in the jungles with many other mammals still at primitive stages of evolution. And here was when appeared the “Dawn Men” and Cave-dwellers, prehistoric humans. It is laughable to appoint Rama as a king over creatures half-way between apes and humans. There remains one other problem which nobody has thought of. In Rama’s time most of the earth was frozen with vast sheets of ice spreading over most regions. This was the Ice Age. Actually during Rama’s time the sea channel between India and Sri Lanka must have been frozen, offering easy access of his monkeys and warriors to invade the island. There was no need to haul rocks and sand to make a bridge.
Seven million years or 1.7 million years have no reference to the Ages devised by Western science. Only Hindu four Ages are valid, with reference to all myths and fables. Hindu science is far superior to Western science. Hindu science, supported by Hanuman the guardian-deity, will save the Ram Sethu from being demolished by modern technology. Source:Indian Skeptic
7 comments:
oh my god....religion has now become a key to all answers. Science will take a back bench. I simply do not understand that why Scientists in India do not raise their voice against this absurdity.
And people throwing around their estimation of how old the bridge is...its so laughable. People like this still make India look so primitive...sigh.
Loved your post.
I will not comment here... just because I mostly keep off religious topics. Loved reading this blog.
Adam's Bridge also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
The bridge is 18 miles (30 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation. [ It was reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century until storms deepened the channel: temple records seem to say that Rama's Bridge was completely above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480 CE.
The earliest map that calls this area Adam's bridge was prepared by a British cartographer in 1804, probably referring to an Islamic legend, according to which Adam used the bridge to reach Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, where he stood repentant on one foot for many hundred years, leaving a large hollow mark resembling a footprint. Both the peak and the bridge are named after this legend.
This bridge has been one of the most interesting one 'whether this structure is natural or manmade.
I am not taking away any Credit whether it was built by Rama with the help of Vanara Sena [Monkey's army] to reach Sri Lanka to fight against demon King Ravana or it is naturally created or some other person constructed it. This is just a 30 KMS Long Bridge, Almighty Allah [God] has given us more superior Brain compares to all his creation. So we have already reach Moon and Now planning to go Planet Mars. Constructing 30 Kms long bridge was not a big deal.
If Hanuman had got super natural power to alter his body size and according to Hindu epic Ramayana that he had already tried to eat the Sun assuming it to be a fruit when he was just a child. The diameter of Sun is 1.4 million kilometer, In order to eat sun; Hanuman has to increase his mouth size more 1.4 million kilometer, If the legend story Ramayana is true, Then why Rama had to build the bridge between India and Sri Lanka.
If even Hanuman could increased his body size and put his finger tip on sea between India and Sri Lanka, itself be enough for Rama and Vanara sena [Monkey Army] to cross the Sea between two countries. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Hanuman is capable of flying. So he could just increase his body size and could took Rama and Vanara Sena in just Palm of one hand and easily flew to Sri Lank. If Hanuman had not got any supernatural power then Ram himself may just built a huge boat or some large size boats with help of Varana Sena and easily crossed 30 Kms long Sea.[Because In Mastya Purana Vishnu incarnated himself as a Fish to help Vaivasvata Manu to construct a huge Boat in order to save Humanity]
This is just a 30 KMS Long Bridge, Almighty Allah [God] has given Mankind more superior Brain compares to all his creation. So we have already reached Moon and now planning to go to Planet Mars. Normally People travel on the sea in Boat and ship. British, French, Spanish, Portuguese traveled thousands of Miles/Kilometers across Seas or Ocean in order to reach India, This Proves that the Adam Bridge is Natural form, So the Epic Ramayana was written by Valmiki who just Glorified the character of his fairy tale story whose statements itself contradict.
Are humans enough intelligent to match up God's creation? Or to understand God doings? So why everyone keep on critisizing? Because you are being modern!! Is being modern helps you to overcome life's miseries? Try believing in God and his creation at least once. There is nothing to lose in your jargon
Ummm... n,
If hanuman had done that what you are saying, there wouldn't be any proof of ramayan today would there. This is proof that the story of ramayan is true. Anything could happen. Ram was all magical, so he could have simply teleported to ravan's cour and killed him with one arrow. what do u think hum?
well what ever it is, what is there in macca can u say we hindu's say there is a shiva linga in macca. it stopped every bad evil from growing. if u r right focus on macca and show the whole world whats there inside the macca
Hello, For hindhu's there having proofs that the god is there.. But for musilms there are no proofs that Allah is there. Directly or indirectly all muslims are praying hindhu gods only.
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