http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output/NRI/5ee77123-77f5-4b61-b82a
-09181803c433.aspx
PATNA, INDIA, April 3, 2005: A Canadian researcher of Indian origin
says on the strength of astronomical evidence that the Mahabharata war
was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas in 2156 bce. Anand Mohan
Sharan, who teaches in the faculty of engineering at the Memorial
University in Newfoundland, said he used computers and several kinds of
software to reach the conclusion about the epic Kurukshetra battle.
"The astronomical evidences proved the historicity of the Mahabharata
war by verifying the position of the planetary configurations mentioned
in the 'Bhishma Parva' of the Mahabharata," Sharan told IANS. The
Bhishma Parva is one of the 18 Parvas, or sections, that make up the
Mahabharata.
Sharan, who is visiting Bihar, says that his research on the
Mahabharata war proves that the epic was no fiction. According to
Sharan, the evidences include Lord Krishna's departure for negotiations
in a bid to avoid the war on Revati day and the start of Balram's
pilgrimage for 42 days along the Saraswati river on Pushya day. The
drying up of the Saraswati river is believed by many to have take place
around 1700 bce. "My results confirm that the descriptions in the
Mahabharata are correct, and do not require re-organization of the
shlokas, as suggested by many researchers in the past," he said. Sharan
said his search time span covered 500 bce to 4000 bce. "This time span
ensures that it covers all possible dates of the Mahabharata war. The
date so determined were checked against other archaeological evidences
such as the possibility of the presence of iron in India on that date."