A Bajrang Dal activist at a Lucknow protest on Wednesday against the proposed demolition of Ram Setu. (PTI)
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The Hindu
Sep 13, 2007
No evidence to prove Ramar Sethu is man made: ASI
J. Venkatesan
New Delhi: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has asserted in the Supreme Court that there is no evidence to prove that Ramar Sethu/Adam’s Bridge is man made.
It is a natural formation made up of shoals/sand bars, which are possessed of their particular shape and form due to wave action and sedimentation over several millennia.
In its affidavit filed in the Sethusamudram case on Wednesday, the ASI said, “The petitioners [Subramanian Swamy and others] while seeking relief [not to damage Ramar Sethu] have primarily relied upon the contents of the Valmiki Ramayana, the Ramcharitmanas by Tulasidas and other mythological texts, which admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but which cannot be said to be [a] historical record to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the events depicted therein.”
Acting on Dr. Swamy’s application, the court on August 31 restrained the Centre and the Sethusamudram Corporation from causing any damage to Adam’s Bridge. In its affidavit, the Centre said Adam’s Bridge was not man made.
The ASI, in its reply, said: “The ASI is aware of and duly respects the deep religious import bestowed upon these texts by the Hindu community across the globe; it is also submitted that the study of human history, which is the primary object of the ASI, like other sciences and fields of study must be carried out in a scientific manner, using available technological aids, and its findings must be based on tangible material evidence.”
The ASI said, “The petitioners have relied upon a series of maps of medieval and pre-Independence India, which admittedly do refer to the formation known as Adam’s Bridge. However, a mere named reference cannot conclusively prove the fact that the formation is actually a man-made structure. The existence of human remains, whether in the form of bones, etc, or in the form of other artefacts, is primary to prove archaeologically the existence and veracity of a historical fact. No such human remains have been discovered at the site of the formation known as Adam’s Bridge.”
The ASI said the study conducted by the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, conclusively established that Adam’s Bridge was not a man-made structure and that it actually comprised 103 small patch reefs lying in a linear pattern with reef crest, sand cays and intermittent deep channels.
“NASA images misread”
“The petitioners have relied upon imagery of Adam’s Bridge supplied by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA, captured by several NASA space capsules and space shuttles. The petitioners have misread and misinterpreted these images to contend that the naturally occurring formations shown in these images are man made and more specifically constructed by Lord Rama,” the ASI said.
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The Telegraph
13 Sept 2007
BJP spies poll plank in Ram’s bridge
Party to unmask ‘secular’ govt
SANJAY K. JHA
New Delhi, Sept. 12: The BJP leadership, so far cautious about the Ram Setu movement spearheaded by the Sangh parivar, today lapped it up after the Centre’s affidavit cast doubts on Ram’s existence.
The party, which had initially doubted the bridge’s electoral value, now feels that the government’s position in the Supreme Court has the potential of triggering a larger public discourse about religious beliefs.
A senior leader said the party would shed its hesitancy and present the case as another example of the anti-Hindu mindset of the so-called secular parties.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government’s affidavit, which said there was no evidence to prove the existence of the Ram Setu, was a crude attempt to insult Hindu cultural heritage and beliefs.
He described it as “a classic example of patent appeasement politics” and asked the Prime Minister if such an affidavit could be filed about any other religion.
Prasad said the affidavit filed by the culture ministry questioned the importance of Valmiki’s Ramayana, Tulasidas’s Ramcharitmanas and Ram himself and recalled that the Congress-led government has elements who altered the Constitution to please the minority community in the Shah Bano case.
BJP leaders are already comparing the Ram Setu issue with that of the Babri Masjid. Sources said the party, which adopted a resolution on the Ram Setu at its last national executive three months ago, may now include it in its election manifesto.
The BJP’s fellow Sangh affiliate VHP, which had organised a nation-wide “chakka jam” in protest against the proposed blasting of the Ram Setu, gave a new twist to the controversy.
The outfit’s international president, Praveen Togadia, said the government’s affidavit suggests Ram did not visit Rameshwaram at all, which means he did not avenge Sita’s abduction.
Togadia asked the Congress to erase the words “Hey Ram!” from Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi if it thought Ram did not exist and announced an agitation from September 27 in which rallies will be taken out in every village and town.
The VHP leader said it was a fight of the Hindus against the government.
Togadia also linked the issue with the civilian nuclear agreement with America, alleging that the move was aimed at facilitating thorium supply to the US.
Although the VHP programme failed to receive popular support, its supporters did manage to create trouble for office-goers in the morning.
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The Times of India
Ram Setu: BJP accuses govt of blasphemy
13 Sep 2007, 0103 hrs IST,TNN
New Delhi: Opposition BJP blasted the Congress-led UPA government on Wednesday, accusing it of "blasphemy" for telling the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana.
Taking up its Hindutva mantle, the party came out sharply against the government for hurting Hindu sentiments on the issue and Leader of Opposition L K Advani communicated to PMO that the affidavit was damaging.
The issue has acquired potency at a time when the BJP has slid into poll mode and is looking for issues. The Ram Setu issue meshes well with its Hindutva plank and can be used to accuse Congress of practising appeasement politics. Coming at a time when a debate is raging on the Sachar panel report, the party would be only too happy to grab the "insult" to Hinduism to argue its case against differential treatment for communities by the Congress government.
BJP has been protesting against the destruction of Adam’s bridge aka Ram Setu for the Sethusamudram project. It has, however, claimed that that it was not against the project itself, but was asking for a realignment of the construction so that there was no damage to Ram Setu. Attacking the government, party spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad asked for an explanation from the PM and asked whether a similar stand would have been taken in case of an icon of some other faith.
He condemned the government for its affidavit over Lord Rama and the Ramayana as a "classic example of politics of appeasement". "It’s an insult to our cultural heritage and Hindu sentiments," he added.
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Hindustan Times
September 13, 2007
Ramayana no basis for Ram Setu debate: ASI
PTI
Protest over Sethusamudram project
Activists block railway tracks in Patna to protest against the proposed demolition of Ram Setu.
Bhadra Sinha, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 12, 2007
First Published: 19:54 IST(12/9/2007)
Last Updated: 03:06 IST(13/9/2007)
The Archaeological Survey of India on Wednesday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that there is no historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters of the Ramayana. Denying the Ram Setu or Adams Bridge is a man-made structure, it said Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas cannot be taken as a historical record to “prove the existence of the characters or occurrence of events” depicted in it. "The issue has to be approached in a scientific manner. With due deference to the petitioners, it cannot be viewed solely relying on the contents of a mythological text, " says C Dorjee, Director (monuments), ASI
The affidavit was in response to three petitions, transferred from the Madras High Court to the apex court, challenging the government's decision to construct the Sethusamudram Canal by dredging a portion of the Ram Setu. As expected, it drew angry reactions from the BJP and VHP. Leader of Opposition LK Advani sought to speak with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh even as the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “It is a crude attempt at insulting our culture, civilisational heritage and Hindu sentiments; it is a case of appeasement politics.” Advani later spoke to Sanjaya Baru, media adviser to the PM, to convey his anguish.
All three petitions have based their claim that the bridge should be declared an “ancient protected monument’, since it has historical importance, on the Ramcharitmanas. The Supreme Court had on August 31 restrained the Centre from damaging the Ram Setu while permitting it to continue with the dredging. A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan will hear the petitions on September 14.
C Dorjee, director (monuments), ASI, stated in the affidavit: “The ASI is a science and technology department. The issue has to be approached and examined in a scientific manner. While due deference may be given to the feelings of the petitioners, the issue cannot be viewed solely relying on the contents of a mythological text.”
According to the ASI, the bridge is a natural formation made of shoals and sand bars. “They have formed due to several millennia of wave action and sedimentation,” reads the affidavit. Dorjee further stated that the petitioners had misread and misinterpreted the images released by NASA. “NASA has clarified that images of the area were being captured for several years and no scientific discovery has been made so far in respect of the origins of the formation known as Adams Bridge.”
The BJP spokesperson said, “So far we thought it was only Transport Minister TR Baalu who wanted to demolish the Ram Setu. But it is now clear the government is behind the conspiracy to denigrate Hindu beliefs and facts. We are not against the Sethusamudram project but we want a realignment to protect the Ram Setu.”
Threatening to intensify its agitation against the project, the VHP’s Pravin Togadia said: “If the government refuses to give up the project, it will suffer losses in the polls in Gujarat and other states, and also in the event of a mid-term Lok Sabha poll.”
With inputs from Shekhar Iyer and HS Bartwal
