Hidden Horizons – Unearthing 10,000 Years of Indian Culture

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India has the most extensive and continuous record of all ancient civilizations; much more than Egypt, Sumeria of Mesopotamia. Hidden Horizons reveals some of the evidence that establishes India’s true identity as a nation of great antiquity.

Hidden Horizons- Unearthing 10,000 Years of Indian Culture explores the recent research in archaeology, geology, ecology, linguistics, science, marine archaeology and other relevant fields which throw light on the real history of India.

Scholars worldwide agree that this new evidence dispels all the old myths and opens the horizons for a new era of understanding – an era which restores India’s true place in world history as a nation with a rich ancient tradition and a civilization that has existed for over 10,000 years.

Swaminarayan Akshardham, opened in November 2005, is a tribute to the universal ideals of Indian Culture. Dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and created in only five years by HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj, every inch of this 100-acre complex provides a deep insight into the mind and soul of India. The breathtaking monument and inspiring exhibitions stir the hearts of all who visit, regardless of age or background.

In particular, the Sanskruti Vihar exhibition portrays 10,000 years of Indian Culture through a fascinating 14-minute boat ride. Its 3-D dioramas display India’s culture from Vedic times, and India’s unique contributions in agriculture, astronomy, aviation, Ayurveda, education and many other areas of human development.

Inspired and created by I-IDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Swaminarayan Akshardham fulfils the much—cherished wish of his guru, HDH Yogiji Maharaj. Located on the banks of the sacred River Yamuna in New Delhi, Swaminarayan Akshardham is a unique monument to 10,000 years of Indian culture, history, traditions and values.

Spread throughout 100 acres, the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex is a breathtaking combination of ancient art and architecture, and modern science and technology. In addition to the majestic main monument, three well—researched and outstanding exhibition halls provide a glimpse into the vast and rich heritage of India.

This present book, Hidden Horizon — unearthing 10,000 years of Indian Culture, is specifically written to complement the ‘Sanskruti Vihar’ exhibition, which is an enlightening 14—minute boat journey through 10,000 years of Indian history and culture.

The book provides details of now widely accepted archaeological, geological, linguistic, genetic and other evidence which proves that the Aryan Invasion Theory is totally false and that India’s heritage is indigenous, dating back to at least the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago. This account of India’s true history will revive the pride of Indians everywhere for their motherland.

Today’s youth are generally unaware of India’s true history and the widespread damage caused by the currently taught, now disproved theories. This book will serve to correct current misunderstandings and will initiate a sea change in the social, cultural, political and spiritual outlook of all patriotic Indians.

We are deeply grateful to Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri) and Dr. Navaratna S. Rajaram for writing this outstanding overview of India’s true place in world civilization.

Finally, we feel sure that all who read this book with an open mind will certainly appreciate and accept the clear-cut evidence presented here that reclaims and confirms India’s true place in world history as a nation of great antiquity.

The idea for this book dawned after a special meeting between the two authors and seven Swamis of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. At the request of Sadhu Brahmaviharidas the meeting naturally took place at the new Swaminarayan Akshardham in Delhi, as we were in Delhi for a conference. The Cultural Complex was then not quite yet finished (March 2005), and yet inspiring beyond imagination. The Swamis also honoured us with a tour of this new and spectacular monument. Nothing could have prepared us for the exhilarating experience we felt on that day.

As part of this tour, the Swamis showed us their “Ten I Minute down the Sarasvati River" display, one of their important cultural presentations on ancient India Culture, and a great production in its own right. They sought our help with the display and its information. In the ensuing dialogue the idea arose of a short book on ancient India written specifically to accompany the display. At the same time, we concluded that the book should also have a universal value as a concise, complete and well—illustrated volume that would be useful at all Hindu religious centres and, on a broader level, for the general public.

Both authors have written extensively on ancient India, in various books and articles widely published in the Indian press and in other countries, particularly the USA. The present volume allows us to summarize and update the material we have previously presented. We have also individually written on different aspects of Indian culture and Vedic sciences, not simply as specialists on history. Our perspective is of those who respect the Vedic tradition and can look at ancient India from its broader perspective.

We must emphasize that the ancient history of India still requires revision in light of both recent scientific information and a more accurate study of India’s own venerable literature. Many of the commonly accepted and textbook accounts of ancient India have now been contradicted by new evidence in several fields. Whether one entirely agrees with the alternative views we have put forth or not, these old accounts can no longer be accepted without question.

To treat the revision of historical books as a kind of tampering with scriptures, as some scholars in India today are suggesting, makes no sense at all. History is man— made; it must be updated like all knowledge. All over the world, the dates for the beginning of civilization and for human populations are being pushed back in time. India cannot be exempted from such a revision. The historical accounts of fifty years ago cannot be made the last word any more than the science of fifty years ago.

On the scientific side, recent geological finds like the many urban sites along the now dry Sarasvati River, together with a greater understanding of natural history and genetics — like the dispersal of human populations from Greater India eight to ten thousand years ago ‘— have important ramifications relative to the history and cultural development of India.

On the literary side, the recognition that the Vedas contain important spiritual, scientific and historical knowledge contradicts older European views of them as primitive and unsophisticated. Such data must be considered carefully and cannot be ignored. In this regard, we have tried to make the book engaging, examining the most difficult and disputed issues, so as to arrive at a deeper truth.

We have also aimed at a book that honours the cultural heritage of India and seeks to present that as part of the history. A great culture cannot arise from a historical vacuum or from mere borrowings from invading nomads, as many current accounts of ancient India suggest. India’s culture is itself a proof of a great history.

We have tried to make the book relevant and alive for the modern reader, especially the youth. The book seeks to inspire as well as to inform, to turn the history of India into a cultural experience rather than a technical presentation only. The book is something like a 200-page ride down the Sarasvati River. Through a culture of ten thousand years, numerous sages, and the development of one of the world’s greatest civilizations, it can only provide a few snapshots and summaries that address the main points.

For those who want more information on these subjects, we urge the reader to look into our other books and those given in the bibliography. (We also provide references and informative endnotes running throughout the text.) The history of India is one of the worlds great cultural and spiritual adventures, which all people should study and can learn a great deal from.

We see the great Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi as a living manifestation of the spirit of Sanatan Dharma...a spirit that renews and regenerates itself in age upon every age, millennium after millennium. Just as the Angkor Wat, a wonder of the world built a thousand years ago was one such manifestation, we see the Swaminarayan Akshardham today as the monument for the new millennium. This is the spirit that we have tried to capture in the book. We will be gratified if the readers can feel the grandeur and the wonder which the authors have felt in writing the book.

We thank in particular the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and it’s humble, sagely leader HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj for allowing us this opportunity. Our hope is that our work does justice to the great civilization of India and helps renew and revitalize it for coming generations.