Posted on 09/13/2007 11:24:55 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Thousands of furious Hindus took to the streets after the Indian Government claimed that the epic that forms the cornerstone of their religious beliefs was a work of fiction.
Police used teargas to disperse crowds in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, where protesters accused the Government of blasphemy.
The row erupted when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), an arm of the Culture Ministry, told the country’s highest court that there was no evidence to support the existence of the characters in the Ramayana, a revered ancient text. Nor was there any historical record that Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most popular heroes, was a real person or that any of the events in the epic took place.
The highly controversial claim formed part of statements submitted to the court in support of a plan to dredge a channel between India and Sri Lanka that would allow cargo ships a faster route around the tip of the sub-continent, cutting 36 hours off a typical passage.
Many Hindus oppose the £250 million scheme because the proposed shipping lane would demolish a submerged stretch of limestone shoals that Hindus believe was constructed by Lord Ram to rescue his kidnapped wife, Sita. They want the Ram Setu to be declared an ancient protected monument. The controversy over the fate of Ram Setu – Adam’s Bridge as it is known to nonbelievers – has dragged on for years, but is reaching a climax.
The court has allowed dredging work to continue but will consider at a hearing today whether the bridge can be touched. C. Dorjee, the monuments director of the ASI, said in the 400-page affidavit: “The issue has to be approached in a scientific manner . . . [it] cannot be viewed solely relying on the contents of a mythological text.”
The “blasphemous” statements were seized on by the opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose supporters blockaded roads. It accused the Congress-led Government of “assaulting” Hindu sentiments.
“The Government has set in motion the process of questioning religious beliefs. We will launch a nationwide movement if it does not withdraw immediately this blasphemous submission questioning the very existence of Lord Ram,” Rajnath Singh, the BJP president, said.
Historians and scientists have long disputed the legitimacy of Ram Setu and have questioned the authenticity of the Ramayana, considered to be set 1.7 million years ago, and its original author, Valmiki. Geologists consider the bridge to be only 5,000 to 7,000 years old.
“Belief has to be separated from historical facts,” T. K. Venkatasubramaniam, professor of history at Delhi University, said. “Ram Setu has gotten into the culture and psyche. Even in the 21st century it is very difficult to come out of that belief.”
Keeping the faith
— The construction of a bridge from Goolwa to Hindmarsh Island in the Murray River estuary, South Australia, was halted in 1994 after a local tribe of Aborigines claimed that the island was sacred to them for reasons that they refused to reveal. A year later other Aborigines went public with accusations that the objections of the tribe were a hoax, and the construction of the bridge was reauthorised by the Government.
— In northern Arizona this year a consortium of Native American tribes successfully blocked the expansion of a ski resort that lay well outside their tribal borders. They claimed that the use of wastewater in snow making machines would desecrate peaks that they hold sacred
Oh, and what's up with that lipstick and Statue of Liberty outfit?
It seems to me that an underwater feature like that would be extremely significant to the marine environment and wildlife.
Technically speaking,the statements were made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),an organisation under the Indian government.The Indian government can be pretty stupid at times-but don’t think they’d do anything as suicidal as this-intentionally.
Well agree on that,but I think the affidavit was framed to give explanations on the Supreme Court’s questions on the validity of Ram Sethu & if that would be grounds to stop the project.Ofcourse,like all Government departments,the ASI made a mess out of itself.My gut feeling is that the same issue may still have arisen if the NDA were in power-they were the ones who gave the initial green signal to the Project in 2003.
Well holding up traffic is a time honoured tradition of all political parties in India-the Secular,the Nationalist & the Anti-Nationalist!!
That being said,imagine what would have been the case if the ASI had said that Muhammad is a myth.
The BJP are sincere towards religions whenever the air of elections is in the air!!
That reminds me so much of Indiana Jones and the temple of doom. I seriously was expecting him to be holding up a still beating human heart.
BMFLR
the photo tells me all i need to know
Just because the GOP is cynical in its use of religion doesn't mean every party has to be.
for some reason I feel like watching “Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom” again. :D
Note: this topic is from 09/13/2007. Thanks bruinbirdman.
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Note: this topic is from 09/13/2007. Thanks bruinbirdman.
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