Ram Setu (Set of 3 Books)

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Rama His Historicity, Mandir and Setu (Evidence of Literature, Archaeology and other Sciences)

The Legend of Ram Setu and Rameshwaram

The Journey from Ayodhya to Ram Setu

The recent controversy about the Rama Setu has offered an opportunity to certain individuals to question even the historicity of Rama. Their approach is quite ingenious. If the very existence of Rama as a real-life person is denied, the question of there having been a Setu associated with him automatically does not arise. In this context, one cannot help quoting the learned Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who recently raised two very interesting questions, namely "Who is this Rama?" and "From which engineering college did he graduate?"

This booklet seeks to present archaeological facts, nothing but hard facts, in regard to the three more or less allied topics, viz.: (i) 'Was Rama a figment of the imagination of a poet called Valmiki, or is there any evidence to suggest that he may have been a historical figure?" (ii) 'Was there a temple in the Janma-Bhumi area at Ayodhya, prior to the construction of the Babari Masjid?"; and (iii) 'What are the "credentials" of Rama Setu'?

A world-renowned archaeologist, Professor B.B. Lal was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. His excavations cover a very wide range. At Kalibangan, Rajasthan, he unearthed a prosperous city of the Harappan Civilization. The excavations at Hastinapura have established that there was a kernel of truth in the Mahabharata, even though the epic is full of interpolations. The excavations at Ayodhya have shown that the Ramayana too has a basis in history. In 1961 he conducted excavations in Egypt as well.

Amongst his latest books are: the Earliest Civilization of South Asia; India 1947-97: New Light on the Indus Civilization; The Sarasvati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture; Excavations at Kalibangan: The Early Harappans (under joint-authorship); and The Homeland of the Aryans: Evidence of Rigvedic Flora and Fauna and Archaeology.
The President of India has honoured him with Padma Bhusana.

This booklet seeks to present archaeological facts, nothing but hard facts, in regard to the three topics which have become, as it were, the 'talk of the day', viz.: (i) 'Was Rama a figment of the imagination of a poet called Valmiki, or is there any evidence to suggest that he may have been a historical figure?'; (ii) 'Was there a temple in the Janma-Bhumi area at Ayodhya, prior to the construction of the Babari Masjid?'; and (iii) 'What are the "credentials" of the Rama Setu'?

Of late I have been busy finalizing my next book, How Deep are the Roots of Indian Civilization? Archaeology Answers. But in the midst of this schedule, for more than a month now I have also been attending to calls from television channels, print media and a number of eminent individuals asking for my views on the above-mentioned topics. In fact, the Sahara Samaya channel, not finding me in Delhi, got hold of me at Fursatganj (Raibareli) where my wife and I were spending some quiet insisted on interviewing me over the telephone on September 15 and aired the same for its listeners. The NDTV, I was told, wanted me to participate in a debate on the Rama Setu issue around the same time, but could not get me since I was away. However, a very senior editor of the India Today had a long telephonic conversation with me on the subject and published some of my views in its Special Issue dated October 1, 2007 Since the telephone still keeps on ringing, I thought it was better for me to write out a small booklet on the above, mentioned issues so that all those who are interested in knowing the archaeological and allied evidence are not deprived of it.

With these few words, I have the pleasure of placing this booklet in the hands of inquisitive readers, hoping that they would find it of some interest.

In my opinion, it is high time that the general public of India must be given an opportunity to develop an impartial and enlightened view on such an important national issue dealing with the sensitivity of a large number of people belonging to not one but many sects and religions. Ram and Ram Seru have already become explosive political issue because of illogical utterances by some regional and national leaders. As expected, the Govt. of India (GOI) is maintaining utmost secrecy and evasiveness and is taking a luxurious cognizance in this issue and has simply instituted a Commission of Enquiry but its working has already been questioned. A retired senior Geologist was not able to present his viewpoints before the Commission, as projection facilities were not provided to him for his power point presentation. My endeavour shall be to examine the viewpoints expressed at several forums and supplement with facts based on the published material, to help in disseminating a dispassionate view on the issue.

With single-hearted devotion, I began the pious task and sacred duty of writing this book, in the year of grace. 1924 By His Grace, I am able to offer the completed work to Him and His devotees in 1929. It is six years since I devoted and dedicated myself, body and soul, in one life-long consecration to the service of Sri Ramanatha. Were life piled on life, I would not ask for more, than to lay it all at His sacred feet; and hence, this immortality, called a book, I lay humbly at His feet, as an augmentation and continuation of that service, unceasing, perpetual, everlasting!
My service in this work, is two-fold; to serve the Lord and to serve his devotees. I seek to serve the devotees by providing them with accurate information regarding the route to be followed, sights to be seen, baths to be taken; I have tried to set forth in detail all that is necessary to make the pilgrimage pleasant and fruitful. To the more thoughtful reader, I have offered information of a historic and sastraic character and propounded problems for the mind inclined to philosophic speculation. My service to the Lord Himself, is by setting down details of worship, list of vahanams and jewels, to remind myself and my colleagues and subordinates of the duty we have to discharge, correct in every particular, as true servants and devotees of Sri Ramanatha. I humbly trust the book will prove in after times, a valuable record and a useful book of reference. I cannot serve the Lord better than by making his service easy to others and proclaiming His greatness in this little book of mine.
In the writing of this book, my obligations are three-fold:
(1) For the collection and collation of texts for inclusion in this work, I am thankful to the learned Pandit Ranganatha Achariar of Kothandaramaswami Temple.
2) For helping in putting into shape and form, the notes I had patiently accumulated for a long time, I am deeply indebted to Mr. D. A. Narasimham, M.A., L.T., Lecturer in English, Government College, Kumbakonam.
(3) For various improvements, I am highly grateful to Mr. T. B. Krishnaswami Mudaliar, M.A., B.L., District Educational Officer, Ramnad.
Fourthly and finally, I owe the early and sumptuous publi- cation of this work to the kind generosity and munificence of the present Sethupathi to whom with his gracious permission this volume is dedicated.
The Setuyatra is fruitless without a sight of the Sethupathi, and my efforts would have been in vain but for his kind patronage.

I have perused with considerable interest The Setu and Rameswaram by Mr. N. Vanamamalai Pillai, Treasurer of the Rameswaram Devasthanam. The book is full of very interesting information about the temple of Rameswaram and the holy Setu and its hereditary guardians-the Sethupatis of Ramnad.
To the devout Hindus there are no holier places than Rameswaram and Setu blessed by the sacred associations with Sri Rama. The never ending streams of pilgrims from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin testify to the long force of Hindu piety. To the ancient and royal family of the Sethupatis of Ramnad has from time immemorial been given the proud privilege of being wardens of the Setu and protectors of the pilgrims that visit the Sacred places cluster round the Setu and Rameswaram.
A book like the present dealing with the well known places. of pilgrimage and the history of the Sethupatis cannot but be useful and interesting. It gives a brief but adequate account of the various places of pilgrimage, with useful information about all that a pilgrim needs to make the visit a success, and an account of the various Sethupatis who have made their mark in history. The piety of the author has made his labours a work of love and deserves the warm thanks of the public while the help afforded by the present enlightened Raja has made the publication of so useful a work possible.
In an age when the bitterness and strife about small things are obscuring the larger issues of life a book like the present will afford restful reading.

K. N. Singh was born in a small village of Uttar Pradesh in 1937. After completing Intermediate Science from Wesley School in Azamgarh, he proceeded to pursue his Master's Degree in Geology at Banaras Hindu University. In 1961 he became a Lecturer in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University. He left teaching in 1964 to pursue the career of a professional Geologist in the Geological Survey of India. Major part of his service was dedicated as a Petrologist, engaged in research investigations, providing petrological support to ongoing projects of Northern Region, GSI. He also assisted guidance to the research scholars enrolled for Ph.D. He has attended several national and international Seminars. He has been instrumental in organizing several Geological exhibitions. He played a pivotal role in organizing exhibition at International Engineering Geology Conference in Delhi. He has contributed several research papers and edited Departmental publications retired as the Director of Petrology Division in 1995.

He has been writing articles in the Daily Gulf Times of Bahrain and Dubai. He has written a took Geoscientific Perspective of Samudramanthan. He has contributed articles in literary Journal Rhetorica of the Department of English and Modern European Languages, University of Lucknow.

'Setu' (bridge) is for 'Hetu' (purpose) and that is to connect and to overcome hurdles. They are made over rivers, sea, roads and railway tracks so that people can cross without fear. Bridges, of all kinds, have traditionally represented our desire to know and connect with what's on the other side. They symbolize our hopes to traverse vast and sometimes impossible distances across time and space. Metaphorically, our journey here is like walking on a bridge (setu). Bridges are symbols of our desire to cross to the other side - whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Bridges provide otherwise be impassable passages over obstacles that might like the marsh or a river. They lead to new places. The first bridges were believed to be made by nature -as simple as a log fallen across a stream. The first bridges made by humans were probably spans of wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement. A major breakthrough in bridge technology came with the erection of the Iron Bridge in Shropshire, England in 1779. It used cast iron for the first time as arches to cross the river Severm.