Protect Ram Sethu--and Protect Under Water Cultural Heritage.

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Hari OM!

Dear Ones,

Our present Indian Governmet want to destroy Ram sethu. This is a supporting article by Sri S.R.Rao.. and appeared in Haindava Keralam Website.

 

S.R.Rao,Former Scientist emeritusPresident- Society for Marine Archaeology in India

Submerged sites and towns as well as ship-wrecks constitute a very important cultural heritage of mankind; which the UNESCO wants the states to explore, list and protect them under a UN convention approved by the U.N. the ICOMOS international committee on underwater cultural heritage (ICUCH) consisting of "Underwater Cultural Heritage".

The ILA's Definition on underwater Cultural Heritage includes all underwater traces of human existence, which are of historical or cultural importance including sites, buildings, shipwrecks, together with their archaeological and natural context. The Ram Sethu comes under this category. It is refereed to in the Epic Ramayana and in the Puranas. At the site known as Ram Sethu, the natural rock and the 'piles of stone' laid on it have been submerged with the rise in sea level over 5000 years or more.

This rise of sea level was not confined to Dvaraka of Mahabharata period in Saurashtra. The underwater exploration by Marine Archeology centre (MAC) in NIO Goa along west coast has revealed that the prehistoric ports of Somnath and Prabhas were also submerged as is evident from the submerged channel waylaid for bringing ships and the presence of anchors and mooring stones in it. In the ElephantaIsland , the early historic brick structures of 1st century B.C to 3rd century A.D. have been submerged. The Buddhist period port of sopora is also submerged. On the east coast of India, traces of poompuhar port town have been found in the sea as well as intertidal zone.

The rock of Ram Sethu must have been in the intertidal zone and stones must have been piled up to enable the army to cross the sea easily. Over thousands of years small size stone blocks of bridges must have been transported by waves and currents. The frequent textual references to Ram Sethu are not to be dismissed as myths. (Mr.R.Subbarayalu has compiled two millennium old references found in Tamil literature in a 200 page book 'Sethu Bandhanam').

Even the submergence of Dvaraka was considered a myth until the buildings were discovered. The national institute of Oceanography in cooperation with ASI should be asked to undertake the survey listing and protection of important underwater sites and shipwrecks. This works must be undertaken by the Government of India and State Governments as laid down in UN Convention on Protection of Underwater cultural heritage.

Ram Sethu must not be damaged but saved and protected. The MAC had initiated certain steps for survey and listing of underwater cultural Heritage of India and even published a tentative map showing shipwrecks sites and submerged parts. Before further damage is done by nature and men to this vast underwater heritage of India, immediate survey listing of Sites with a brief note on each wreck or site should be done , giving highest priority to Ram Sethu

link: http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HkPage.aspx?PAGEID=5879 & SKIN=B

 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

With Love & OM!

Krishna Prasad