The story of Shri Rams’ life was first narrated by Maharishi Valmiki in the Ramayana, which was written after Shri Ram was crowned as the king ofAyodhya. Maharishi Valmiki was a great astronomer as he has made sequential astronomical references on important dates related to the life ofShri Ram indicating the location of planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and the other stars (nakshatras).
Similar position of planets and nakshatras is not repeated in thousands of years.
By entering the precise details of the planetary configuration of the important events in the life of Shri Ram as given in the Valmiki Ramayana in the software named “Planetarium” corresponding exact dates of these events according to the English calendar can be known.
Mr Pushkar Bhatnagar, of the Indian Revenue Service, had acquired this software from the US. It is used to predict the solar/lunar eclipses and distance and location of other planets from earth. He entered the relevant details about the planetary positions narrated by Maharishi Valmiki and obtained very interesting and convincing results, which almost determine the important dates starting from the birth of Shri Ram to the date of his coming back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. ( This in formation has been blogged by me ‘Lord Rama’s Birth Date/Route taken by Lord Rama to Sri Lanka)
Shri Ram was born in Ayodhya. This fact can be ascertained from several books written by Indian and foreign authors before and after the birth of Christ – ValmikiRamayan, Tulsi Ramayan, Kalidasas’ Raghuvansam, Baudh and Jain literature,
These books have narrated in great detail the location, rich architecture and beauty of Ayodhya which had many palaces and temples built all over the kingdom. Ayodhya was located on the banks of the Saryu river withGanga and Panchal Pradesh on one side and Mithila on the other side.
Normally 7,000 years is a very long period during which earthquakes, storms, floods and foreign invasions change the course of rivers, destroy the towns/buildings and alter the territories. Therefore, the task of unearthing the facts is monumental.
The present Ayodhya has shrunk in size and the rivers have changed their course about 40 km north/south. Shri Ram went out of Ayodhya in his childhood (13th year as per Valmiki Ramayana) with Rishi Vishwamitra who lived inTapovan (Sidhhashram). From there he went to Mithila, King Janaks’ kingdom. Here, he married Sita after breaking Shiv Dhanusha.
Researchers have gone along the route adopted by Shri Ram as narrated in the Valmiki Ramayan and found 23 places which have memorials that commemorate the events related to the life of Shri Ram. These include :
Shringi Ashram,
Ramghat,
Tadka Van,
Sidhhashram,
Gautamashram,
Janakpur (now in Nepal),
Sita Kund, etc.
Date of exile of Shri Ram: It is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayans’ Ayodhya Kand (2/4/18) that Dashrathawanted to make Shri Ram the king because Sun, Mars and Rahu had surrounded his nakshatra and normally under such planetary configuration the king dies or becomes a victim of conspiracies.
Dashrathas’ zodiac sign was Pisces and his Nakshatra was Rewati.
This planetary configuration was prevailing on the January 5, 5089 BC, and it was on this day that Shri Ram left Ayodhya for 14 years of exile.
Thus, he was 25 years old at that time (5114-5089).
There are several shlokas in Valmiki Ramayana which indicate that Shri Rama.
was 25-years-old when he left Ayodhya for exile. Valmiki Ramayan refers to the solar eclipse at the time of war with Khardushan in later half of 13thyear of Shri Rams’ exile. It is also mentioned it was amavasya day and Mars was in the middle. When this data was entered, the software indicated that there was a solar eclipse on October 7, 5077 BC, (amavasyaday) which could be seen from Panchvati.
The planetary configuration was also the same – Mars was in the middle,
On one side were Venus and Mercury and on the other side were Sun and Saturn.
On the basis of planetary configurations described in various other chapters, the date on which Ravana was killed works out to be December 4, 5076 BC, and Shri Ram completed 14 years of exile on January 2, 5075 BC, and that day was also Navami of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month. Thus Shri Ram had come back to Ayodhya at the age of 39 (5114-5075).
A colleague, Dr Ram Avtar, researched on places visited by Shri Ram during his exile, and sequentially moved to the places stated as visited byShri Ram in the Valmiki Ramayan, starting from Ayodhya he went right to Rameshwaram.
He found 195 places which still have the memorials connected to the events narrated in the Ramayana relating to the life of Shri Ram and SitaThese include Tamsa Tal (Mandah), Shringverpur (Singraur), BhardwajAshram (situated near Allahabad), Atri Ashram, Markandaya Ashram (Markundi), Chitrakoot, Pamakuti (on banks of Godavari), Panchvati, Sita Sarovar, Ram Kund in Trimbakeshwar near Nasik, Shabari Ashram,Kishkindha (village Annagorai), Dhanushkoti and Rameshwar temple.
In Valmiki Ramayan it is mentioned that Shri Rams’ army constructed a bridge over the sea between Rameshwaram and Lanka.
After crossing this bridge, Shri Rams’ army had defeated Ravana.
NASA put pictures on the Internet of a man-made bridge, the ruins of which are lying submerged in Palk Strait between Rameshwaram and SriLanka.
Recently the Sri Lankan Government had expressed the desire to develop Sita Vatika as a tourist spot. Sri Lankans believe this was Ashok Vatika Where Ravana had kept Sita as a prisoner (in 5076 BC).
Indian history has recorded that Shri Ram belonged to the Suryavansh and he was the 64th ruler of this dynasty. The names and other relevant particulars of previous 63 kings are listed in Ayodhya ka Etihaas written about 80 years ago by Rai Bahadur Sita Ram. Professor Subhash Kak of Louisiana University, in his book, The Astronomical Code of the Rig Veda, has also listed 63 ancestors of Shri Ram who ruled over Ayodhya.
Sri Rams’ ancestors have been traced out as: Shri Ram, King Dasaratha King Aja, King Raghu, King Dilip and so on. From Kashmir to Kanyakumariand from Bengal to Gujarat, everywhere people believe in the reality of Shri Rams’ existence, particularly in the tribal areas of Himachal,Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the North-East.
Most of the festivals celebrated in these areas revolve around the events in the life of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna. The events and places related to the life of Shri Ram and Sita are true cultural and social heritage of every Indian irrespective of caste and creed. Therefore, it is common heritage.
After all, Shri Ram belonged to the period when Prophet Mohammed or Jesus Christ were not born and Muslim or Christian faiths were unknown to the world.
The words Hindu (resident of Hindustan) and Indian (resident of India) were synonymous. India was also known as Bharat (land of knowledge) and Aryavarta (where Aryans live) and Hindustan (land of “Hindus” – derived from word Indus). During Ram Rajya, the evils of caste system based on birth were non-existent. In fact, Maharishi Valmiki is stated to be of Shudra class (scheduled caste), still Sita lived with him as his adopted daughter after she was banished from Ayodhya.
Luv and Kush grew in his ashram as his disciples. We need to be proud of the fact that Valmiki was perhaps the first great astronomer and that his study of planetary configurations has stood the test of times. Even the latest computer softwares have corroborated his astronomical calculations, which proves that he did not commit any error.
Shabri is stated to be belonging to the Bhil tribe. Shri Rams’ army, which succeeded in defeating Ravana, was formed by various tribas from Central and South India.
Taking into account these details the Birth date of Lord Rama is January 10 in the year 5114 BC.
http://www.hindu-blog.com/2007/09/book-on-when-was-lord-ram-born.html
Related:
http://ramanisblog.in/2012/10/13/last-days-of-rama-date-of-death/
