We all have be grown hearing and watching (in TV of course) Ramayana and Mahabharata, probably the two most celebrated epic in the world. Indian scientists will undertake an expedition to Ram setu. Ram setu has quoted in Ramayana where Ram and this army built this very bridge to reach Sir Lanka and face the one who kidnapped his wife, Raavan and rescue his wife.
This scientific expedition is to date the coral chain and sediment forming the Ram setu. The project proposal was from the CSIR – National institute of Oceanography (NIO), goa to study the origin of this bridge and it was approved by archaeological survey of India,
Rama setu which is also as “Adam’s Bridge” is 48-km long bridge-like structure between India and Sri Lanka seen in Ramayana but little about it we know, scientifically.
Prof Sunil Kumar Singh, director of NIO said “The idea is to see whether Ram Setu is a man-made structure or not. The most important aspect of the project is to find its age, scientifically. Once it is known, the information can be verified and co-related with its mention in the Ramayana and similar scriptures,” CSIR – NIO will undertake the project for three years.
The main objective of the project is to study the date of the structure, hence carbon dating with is now available in India will be used.
The project will start by the end of March. Initially the underground photograph of the structure will be surveyed, checking for any habitation in and around the area. After this scientists planned to drill the structure and conduct laboratory analysis. According to some scriptures, wood is been used to build the structure, it would have been converted into a fossil now, hence they will look for any fossils proving it, has said by Singh.
Two types of study have been planned, one using a side scan SONAR and another with a silo seismic survey. NIO operates with oceanographic vessels – RV Sindhu Sankalp and Sindhu Sadhana, which can survey at 56 meters and 80 meters respectively.
So is this research significant? Yes it is. It is our duty to know our origin in this ever changing world. The rise in sea level is surreal and it’s the little work we can to do then watch it extinct. Dwaraka is an example where all these were ignored. Dwaraka is primarily seen in Mahabharata where the city sank from existence, in early 20s it was rediscovered but no further research conducted.
