Quite a number of efforts have been made by various scholars to determine the dates of the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Vedas. Various methods have been used, using historical references in the Puranas, language conditions, archaeological findings etc. A few have used astronomical methods to determine the time of the Mahabharata. It is possible to determine the date of an astronomical reference by considering the movements of the planets including the Sun and the Moon in the various constellations of the sky, the movement of the Earth with its axis inclined to the ecliptic and the precession and nutation of this axis as well as the seasonal changes referred to in the text.
Dr. P. V. Vartak from Pune carefully studied the astronomical references in these texts and corroborated the same with historical and archeological evidences. All in all, it is possible to state that the dates as derived by Dr. P.V. Vartak are more accurate than the various other dates propounded by other scholars who have been carried away by the statements made by Western scholars who have been prejudiced against the richness of the Indian Civilization in the past and have always tried to attribute much later dates and consequently to denigrate the glorious past of India.
Dr. Vartak concludes that Ramayan must have occurred 9600 years ago, which is 7600 B.C.E. approximately and that the earliest portions of Rig Veda were composed in 23720 B.C.E. This may prove to be a break-through in deciding the chronology of the events in the history of Bharat (and probably the World). Dr. Vartak has also derived the date of Mahabharata war which has also been published as a book.
Address for Communication:
Dr. P.V. Vartak, 521, Saniwar Peth, Pune
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