Lord Rama’s Chapel In UR Iraq


Lord Rama seems to have been popular in Mesopotamia anda Chapel of Lord Rama was found by archeologists.

‘Ur (Sumerian: Urim;[1] Sumerian Cuneiform: 𒋀𒀕𒆠 URIM2KI or 𒋀𒀊𒆠 URIM5KI;[2] Akkadian: Uru;[3] Arabic: أور‎) was an importantSumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia, at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar (Arabic: تل المقير‎) in south Iraq’s Dhi Qar Governorate.[4] Although Ur was once a coastal city near the mouth of the Euphrates on the Persian Gulf, the coastline has shifted and the city is now well inland, south of the Euphrates on its right bank, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Nasiriyah.[5]

Map showing Ur in Mesopotamia.jpg
Map showing Ur in Mesopotamia.Image credit odysseyadventures

The city dates from the Ubaid period circa 3800 BC, and is recorded in written history as a City State from the 26th century BC, its first recorded king being Mesh-Ane-pada. The city’s patron deity was Nanna (in Akkadian, Sin), the Sumerian and Akkadian (Assyrian-Babylonian) moon god, and the name of the city is in origin derived from the god’s name, URIM2KI being the classical Sumerian spelling of LAK-32.UNUGKI, literally “the abode (UNUG) of Nanna (LAK-32)”

Ruins of UR Sumeria.jpg
Ruins of UR. Credit.”Ur-Nassiriyah” by M.Lubinski from Iraq,USA. – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ur-Nassiriyah.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Ur-Nassiriyah.jpg

 

Lord Rama's Chapel in UR.jpg
Lord Rama’s Chapel in UR.

‘One of the major triumphs of modern archaeology was the hair-raising discoveries of Sir Leonard Woolley at Ur. Amidst the ruins of Ur, he unearthed a Ram-chapel but totally missed its relevance in world history. This crucial finding not only bridges the wide gaps between Indian tradition and archaeology but also unfolds the historic bonds that once united ancient India, Iran and Sumer. Ram-Sin of (Larsa) to whose memory this chapel was dedicated must have been Rama of Valmiki. The name Ararama of Larsa may be an echo of Rama. This Ram-Chapel of Ur is the earliest known memorial to the great Rama and may have been erected by Dilmun merchants who resided nearby. Dilmun was always mentioned in the Sumerian texts together with Magan and Melukkha and it is possible that these three states were somehow allied to each other.’

 

‘ In the highly authentic Sumerian king list appears such hallowed names as Bharat (Warad) Sin and Ram Sin. As Sin was the Moon god Chandra Ram Sin can be seen to be same as Rama Chandra. Bharat Sin ruled for 12 years (1834-1822 BC), exactly as stated in the Dasaratha Jataka. The Jataka statement, “Years sixty times hundred, and ten thousand more, all told, / Reigned strong-armed Rama”, only means that Rama reigned for sixty years which agrees exactly with the data of Assyriologists. Ram Sin was the longest reigning monarch of Mesopotamia who ruled for 60 years. The mention of the father in the inscriptions of both Warad Sin and Ram Sin is noteworthy and may point to a palace intrigue. Joan Oates is not aware of the Ramayana but writes with great insight (p. 61) that Warad sin was manoeuvred to the throne by his father. In Mesopotamia, a prince normally became king only after the death of his father. Lakshmana, mentioned the Bible as Lakhamar, ruled as a great king.

“Ur was a city in the region of Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, in what is modern-day Iraq. According to biblical tradition, the city is named after the man who founded the first settlement there, Ur, though this has been disputed. The city’s other biblical link is to the patriarch Abraham who left Ur to settle in the land of Canaan. This claim has also been contested by scholars who believe that Abraham’s home was further north in Mesopotamia in a place called Ura, near the city of Harran, and that the writers of the biblical narrative in the Book of Genesis confused the two. Whatever its biblical connections may have been, Ur was a significant port city on the Persian Gulf which began, most likely, as a small village in the Ubaid Period of Mesopotamian history (5000-4100 BCE) and was an established city by 3800 BCE continually inhabited until 450 BCE.”

Citation,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur

https://kalyan97.wordpress.com/2007/10/08/988/

http://www.ancient.eu/ur/

 

6 responses to “Lord Rama’s Chapel In UR Iraq”

  1. Dear Ramanan, Good article. However, the dates don’t tally with the Mahabharata which ended with Sri Krishna and started the Kaliyuga. According to our Panchang which marks the start of Kaliyuga with the disappearance of Krishna, we are 5000-odd years down. Ramayana was in Thretha Yuga which means it had to have been tens of thousands of years before Mahabharata (which incidentally also recounts the story of Ramayana). I would theorise that the dynasty you have cited here had similar names honouring that of Sri Rama.

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    • Agree that there difficulties eih these dates.The problem is the concept of Time we have.In Hindusim Time is cyclic, not linear.Based on ths these events are happening now, had happened and will happen.Slighly confusing! Not so, if we understand the Concept of Sanatana Dharma. I have posts on this , Time non Linear.Rama’s death preceds Krishna’s 250 years.There is also an article on the issue of Dating even through Astronomy.Thank you for your insightful comment.Regds

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  2. […] “Ur was a city in the region of Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, in what is modern-day Iraq. According to biblical tradition, the city is named after the man who founded the first settlement there, Ur, though this has been disputed. The city’s other biblical link is to the patriarch Abraham who left Ur to settle in the land of Canaan. This claim has also been contested by scholars who believe that Abraham’s home was further north in Mesopotamia in a place called Ura, near the city of Harran, and that the writers of the biblical narrative in the Book of Genesis confused the two. Whatever its biblical connections may have been, Ur was a significant port city on the Persian Gulf which began, most likely, as a small village in the Ubaid Period of Mesopotamian history (5000-4100 BCE) and was an established city by 3800 BCE continually inhabited until 450 BCE.” https://ramanisblog.in/2015/01/25/lord-ramas-chapel-in-ur-iraq/ […]

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