3757980 Rama Setu Heritage

7/30/2019 3757980 Rama Setu Heritage

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Rama Setu:

Heritage

Valmiki ramayana, Sarga 21, Yuddhakandam

Describes Ramas victory over the ocean; he releases the arrow

which makes a volcano erupt, resulting in a tsunami.

This episode is validated by the heatflow and geotectonic maps of

Bharatam in the Rama Setu region.

S. Kalyanaraman, Ph.D.,Sarasvati Research Centre,Former Sr. Exec.,Asian Development Bank,[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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A volcanic canyon west of Rama Setu, 1 m to 3000 m slope

Location map.Inset:

bathymetry map

of the Gulf of

Mannar

(reproducedfrom Murty et

al., 1994)http://www.Setusamudram.in/htm
http://www.setusamudram.in/htmdocs/Articles/cp_rajendran_2.htmhttp://www.setusamudram.in/htmdocs/Articles/cp_rajendran_2.htm


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Seismic activity

Indian plate dynamically moves northwards @6cm. per year resulting in plate tectonics (e.gBhuj earthquake, Aceh quake).

The Indian Ocean in this region is riddled withearthquake fault-lines


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Tsunami effect: 2,60,000 lives lostDestruction of Aceh island, damage in beaches north of Chennai and

Nagapattinam

Sea-bed has risen by about 200 m. in some regions

2/3 of the aquatic life and corals devastated in the Biosphere Reserve/Marine

National Parks


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Tsuanmi of Dec. 26, 2004Result of plate tectonics in Sunda plate


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Tectonic setting of the Bay of BengalThe potential for giant tsunamigenic earthquakes in the northern Bay of BengalPhil R. Cummins Nature 449, 75-78(6 September 2007) doi:10.1038/nature06088
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v449/n7158/full/nature06088.htmlhttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v449/n7158/full/nature06088.html


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Project location


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Bore-hole locations on Rama Setu Collapsed canyons

forming a ridge

Destruction of

fragile coralislands bysediments

Likely reactivation

of sub-seaheatflows

No tsunami-protection walls

(as in Japan)


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Tsunami funneling effect in a

channel

The Sethusamudram canal similar toAlberni canal.

In the March 28, 1964, Alaska earthquake

tsunami, outside of Alaska the largesttsunami amplitude was at the head of the

Alberni canal well inland and not at the

open coast as everyone expected.Due to (a phenomenon known as) quarterwave resonance.(Prof. Tad Murthy)

http://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htm
http://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htmhttp://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htmhttp://mail.google.com/mail/?realattid=f_eywidjrs&attid=0.1&disp=inline&view=att&th=11120b4c79f17b1ehttp://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htmhttp://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htm


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Nightmare ship salvage operation if

Setusamudram is aligned as a mid-

ocean channel passageSuez canal uses

special bollards

every 200 ft. tosalvage agrounded vessel

Such bollards are

possible only if aland-basedcanal is used.


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Geological, archaeological evidence:Dept. of Earth Sciences (March 2007)

Rameswaram: Mesolithic microlithic tools indicating the

human habitation and activity 8000to 9000 years B.P Talaimannar: Bone and fossils of

human and animal form, human

habitation -- late Pleistocene (about13,000 B.P)

Human activity on both sides of

Rama Setu


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Ramashotspot

Heatflow inRama Setu100 to 180milliwatt per sq.m. comparable toHimalayan

hotsprings

Will dredging inthe area activate

these heat zones?.


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Thorium/titanium placer deposits due

to churning action of ocean currents,

with Rama Setu acting like a sieve orcentrifuge

Thorium deposits in Kerala (Aluva, Chavara), Tamilnadu(Manavalakurichi) that support nuclear power source forIndia will be desiccated if Rama Setu is damaged. Ifanother tsunami strikes, the placer deposits will besubmerged in the ocean.


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1.US Navy operational directive, 23 June

2005

2. Inauguration of SSCP 2 July 2005.

United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1958),Convention of the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone

recognizes HISTORIC Waters

Sirimavo Bandaranaike and India (Indira Gandhi) June1974: declaration Gulf of Mannar as Historic waters

This claim is not recognized by the United States.

U.S. conducted operational assertions in 1993 and 1994,1999 in Gulf(or tadi eduttavan tandal kaaran) treating theseas international waters.

Geopolitics:USA naval bases : Diego garcia, Trincomalee, Straits of MalaccaChina naval bases: Gwadar, Haumtota, Sitwe


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Traditions

Setutirtha snaanam as sacred. Mahatittha in Sri Lanka.

No ploughs are used in Ramanathapuram district : peoples belief that the earthis sacred since Sri Rama made three sivalinga using this earth

Any fisherman extracting stone together with algae does prayascittam

Skanda Purana (III.1.2.1-114), Vishnu Purana (IV.4.40-49), AgniPurana (V-XI), Brahma Purana (138.1-40) refer to theconstruction of Rama Setu. Skanda Purana (VI.101.1-44)describes the installation ofthree Shiva linga at the end, middle

and beginning of Rama Setu and making the same bridgesubmerged and thereby creating Setu-Teertham. This is alsorelated in Kurma Purana (21.10-61). Garuda Purana (1.81.1-22)lists sacred places including Setubandh and Rameswar. NaradaPurana (Uttara Bhag 76.1-20) extols the greatness of Rama-Setu.


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E id f S lit t


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Evidence from Sangam literature

venve_r- kavuniyar tonmudu

ko_d.imuzhangirum pauvam iranku mun tur-aivelpo_r iraaman arumar-aikku avittapalveezh aalam po_lao_viyavintanr-aal ivazhunkaloore (Akanaanoor-u paadal 70)

Before Sri Rama embarked upon his journey toSri Lanka, he sat below a big banyan tree on

the banks of the sacred Setu (tiruvan.aikkarai)and was engrossed in conversation with hisfriends. The birds on the banyan tree werechirping. Sri Rama stopped the chirping by his

command.

l b ( ) d b


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Malabar Bowen map (1747) drawn byNetherlands shows Ramarcoil I (that is,

Rama temple).

Islamic expansion and changing Western views


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Islamic expansion and changing Western views

of South Asia, 7th-12th centuries (Al-Birunis

record)http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=070Schwartzberg Atlas, v.

, p. 33.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=070http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=070


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Ancient Setu (Aryachakravarti) coins of Jaffna, 13th

century

Parantaka Chola copper plate (10th cent.)

The copper plates indicate

that Aparajitavarman went

to Setutirtha. (Nagaswamy R.1979. Thiruttani and Velanjeri Copper

Plates. State Dept. Of Archaeology,

Tamilnadu. Madras. See: LHernault F.

1978. LIconographie de Subrahmanya

au Tamilnad, Institut Franc ais d

Indologie. Pondichery, p.111, ph. 63.)

Setupati coinage,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Coin_Setu_Bull_Rev_a.jpg


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Rama Setu in sculptures (9th and

10th centuries CE) Stone steles from the Ramayana

wall carvings at PrambananTemple, Java, Indonesia (builtduring the ninth and tenth centuriesCommon Era). Classical Javanesedance performances of theRamayana are held seasonally at

Prambanan temple. A 2006earthquake in Central Java,however, caused considerabledamage to the World Heritage Site.

Devi Sita talking to Sri Hanuman Vaanara Sena carrying stones, in

their arms and on their heads, tobuild Rama Setu, followed by SriRama, carrying a sword.

Fish and other sea creatureshandling stones from Rama'sbridge to Lanka, during theconstruction of Nala Setu (RamaSetu).

Source:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/2616http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/2616


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Kilakkarai and other places produce sankha, a cultural

symbol venerated in Bharatiya traditions (West Bengal Dev.

Corpn. In Kilakarai has an annual turnover of Rs. 100

crores to procure sankha from Rama Setu coastal zone)


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Save marine wealth:

Vegetarian sea-cow, green turtle

The only place in theworld where dugonglives.

Dugong is a sea-cowwhich eats onlysea-grass.

There are over 3,600

unique aquaticspecies in the Gulfof MannarBioreserve nationalparks.


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Project does NOT make

nautical/economic sense

According to Capt. Balakrishnan, the savingin time from Kolkata to Tuthukudi(Tuticorin) for a ship will be only 1.5 hrs.

Crossing channel at 6 nautical miles payingpilotage charges (approx. Rs. 5 lakhs perpassage)?

Even many small ships with only 30,000Dead Weight Tonnes may prefer tonavigate around Srilanka instead of usingthe channel.


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Rama Setu: ancientmonument of internationalimportance, whether man-

made or natural; even astone or a cave or a river isa monument under the1958 Act.

From Setu to Himachalamdefines the sovereignBharatam according to theSuvey of India logo since1767.


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Why save Rama Setu ?

To remember Sri Rama. The only surviving

monument related to Sri Rama whowalked from Ayodhya to Srilanka

This social, cultural memory is sacredSri Rama vigrahavaan dharmah (the very

embodiment of dharma)

Sri Rama is the role model for bharatiyavalues based on dharma and forintegrity

of the rashtram

Documents

3757980 Rama Setu Heritage