The ―Ramayana Trail‖

of the Tourist Board

False Archaeology:

Threatens Sovereignty

Susantha Goonatilake

"Ramayana Trail"

The Archaeology Department has strict

rules and laws against the destruction of

archaeological sites; however there are no

laws for the opposite - creation of bogus

sites and artefacts.

The so-called "Ramayana Trail" of the Sri

Lanka Tourism Development Authority is

an invention of sites.

A series of fictional archaeological

sites

The tourism authorities have a committee titled the "Ramayana Trail Executive‖, chaired by one Mr. Kiriella, an unknown among academics.

The link of the Tourist Board ―ramayana research" gives the fiction. And a series of videos on the internet titled ―Following the Trail of Ramayana in Sri Lanka‖ adds a further series of fictional sites.

The RASSL had an internal

workshop

The Royal Asiatic Society RASSL had an

internal workshop of experts which found

that the sites were fiction.

We invited Tourist Authority ―experts‖ but

they did not come

"Ramayana Trail― "experts"

We could not find any prior formal academic

background in Sanskrit, archaeology,

history, Sinhalese, Pali studies and related

subjects, essential to researching a historical

"Ramayana Trail― for their prime "expert"

Kiriella,

His other expert Subash Chawla is the

owner of a shop in the Pettah

Ravana discovers missiles and

bombs including nuclear bombs

Kiriella says that Ravana was the first to

discover missiles and bombs including

nuclear bombs.

He claims that there are cave inscriptions of

Ravana and of his dynasty in Sri Lanka

which have been explored by the Ministry of

Tourism's Ramayana Trail Executive

Committee.

Kiriella claims

Kiriella claims that Ravana "ruled over

seven continents from Lanka.

―They were modern South America,

Southern Europe; Himalaya including the

Hindukush mountain range and continents

up to Madagascar.‖

Two caves alongside in Vessagiriya

Their experts say ―There is historical

evidence inscribed on rocks that the

indigenous populace in Sri Lanka used a

developed alphabet since 17,500 BCE."

They further inform us that there are indeed

―two caves alongside in Vessagiriya,

Anuradhapura is in accordance with

Ramayana".

They say ….

Inscriptions at ―Man and Horse‖ celebrated

sculpture confirm Ramayana.

Three inscriptions at "Wegiriya, Molagoda,

and Rahalagala confirm Ramayana

Kiriella says in Sigiriya, there is "an

inscription [which] confirms that Seetha was

held in captivity" there.

―Expert" on inscriptions

- a lorry driver

The "expert" on inscriptions seems to be

one Jayarathne Pathiraarchchi.

We have been informed that he is a lorry

driver –

Dr Malini Dias former Archaeology

Department epigraphist had inormed

Pathiraarchchi that his interpretations are

wrong.

Seetha Amman Kovil

Kiriella says the Seetha Amman Kovil

located 7 kms from Nuwara Eliya is further

evidence

It was however built by Tamil estate

laborers who came to the country only in the

19th century

Excavated by "Shiran (sic)

Deraniyagala"

Kiriella asserts that Ravana Ella Cave was

excavated by "Shiran (sic) Deraniyagala"

and the latter found pre-historic relics,

implying that these were related to the

Ramayana myth.

Kiriella declares a natural formation, the

giant monolith Lakegala, as an abode of

Ravana.

Kiriella and NASA photographs

Kiriella claims that NASA photographs give

evidence to the existence of a bridge

between Sri Lanka and India.

The experts go on to claim that the

Americans have "even tested a prototype of

the Pushpaka, and succeeded ", Pushpaka

being the alleged flying machine of Ravana.

The ―experts‖ even "discover" Air-

Ship-Port

The experts even "discover" ―Wariyapola‖

as the ―Air-Ship-Port‖ (Waa=air) with

Ussangoda a place for landing aircraft.

Further truly earthshaking "evidence" is

found in the tourist board websites.

Sri Lanka government approves

Ravana as part of their history

Other commentators have taken this Hindu

fundamentalist fiction

Thus an Indian Hindu fundamentalist

article says ―Sri Lanka government approves

Ravana a part of their history in an article,

―Ravan's coffin available - Pushpak Viman"

Coffin of Ravana

Hindu extremists scold Indian

authorities

The coffin of Ravana is "expected to be

available in a coffin in an inaccessible cave".

The "aeroplane" Pushpak Viman is

available and that "five airports used by

Ravana".

After listing further findings by our Sri

Lanka "experts", these Hindus scold the

less enlightened Indian authorities and

experts for considering the Ramayana as

myth.

India‘s leading Universities:

Ramayana not history

India‘s leading Universities Jawaharlal

Nehru University JNU and Delhi University

do not consider Ramayana as history

―The Battle Over Ramayana in Delhi

University History Course‖ (document)

Judgments by Indian authorities

These judgments by Indian authorities and

academics on the Ramayana being

nonfactual but a good story, were

subsequent to the demolition in the early

1990s of the Babri mosque in India claiming

it to be the birthplace of Rama.

Indian authorities have dismissed that there

was a bridge between India and Sri Lanka.

Hindu Extremists protest proposed

dismantling of mythological Ram

Setu.

Shiv Sena and VHP protest against

Indian Government‘s decision to

destroy Ram Setu

Hindu extremists &

the mythical god Rama

After submitting an affidavit to the Supreme

Court investigating the development of the

Sethusamundram Canal, the Archaeological

Survey of India came face-to-face with

Hindu extremists the Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP) lobby over the existence of the

mythical god Lord Rama

Hindu hardliners defeated over Ram

Setu report: Alleged proof of bridge

Space photos no proof

of Ram Sethu: NASA

US space agency NASA says pictures taken

by its astronauts do not prove the existence

of a manmade Ram Sethu bridge as

mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana

The archaeological survey and

the report to the Supreme Court

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

found no evidence for the existence of Lord

Ram and his army of monkeys.

The ASI report submitted to the Indian

Supreme Court stated that the Ramayana

could not ―prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the events depicted [in the Ramayana]‖.

Nothing more than sedimentation

As for the existence of the bridge, the survey

found that it consisted of nothing more than

sedimentation which has built up in the Palk

Strait.

According the the Ramayana, the Ram Setu

is over a million years old but geological

evidence suggests its age is closer to 5000

years.

Ayodhya and the VHP

Hindu fundamentalists are no strangers to

archaeology in India. In 1992, a group of

hard-line Hindu nationalists from the

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were

responsible for the destruction of the Babri

Mosque in Ayodhya in Northern India.

Hundreds of people were killed in resultant

violence and revenge attacks.

India‘s judicial and scientific

authorities

India‘s judicial and scientific authorities

have rejected the historicity of Ramayana.

India‘s tourism authorities do not promote

any alleged Ramayana sites, but sponsors a

Buddhist Circuit to attract its Asian tourists.

Sri Lanka sponsors this fictional and

ultimately anti-national venture

Kiriella in his Ramayana & Historical Rawana

―The government of India appointed a

committee of 14 historians to identify the

realism (sic) of Ramayana. However they

could not find any historical evidence in

India other than legendary sites‖.

―But archaeological evidences are available

in Sri Lanka to prove Ramayana‖

A most dangerous exercise

Tourism Ministry officials are engaging in a

most dangerous exercise which could

prepare the grounds for our next war.

It is reminiscent of how the word ―Tigers‖

as rejecting non violent means for Tamils

actually appeared in 1961 within a group of

Sri Lankan Tamil bureaucrats who called

their group Pulip Padai ―Army of Tigers‖.

Power of ideology still sustains

LTTE struggle:

[TamilNet, 30 June 2010]The idea of separate state for Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka is kept alive by the 'power of ideology' although Colombo managed to win the war on LTTE with a 'single-minded' approach.

Although it is a softer doctrine, it is capable of gathering momentum over a period of time.

Catholic Priests blessing LTTE map

Trincomallee

Pongu Thamil

Catholic priests

Supported

LTTE

Tourism Ministry working right into

dreams of annexation of Lanka

among Indian extremists

It is a potentially far more disastrous scheme

that Tourism Ministry officials have now

launched - working right into dreams of

annexation among some Indian extremists.

The Liberian Commission

On 6 December 1992, the Liberian

Commission was set up by the Government

of India to probe the circumstances that led

to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

The report blamed high-ranking members of

the then BJP Indian government and Hindu

nationalists for the destruction of the

mosque.

Destruction of Babri Mosque

in Ayodhya by BJP

Destruction of Babri Mosque

in Ayodhya by BJP

News headlines:

BJP on Sri Lanka sovereignty

―BJP for sanctions against Sri Lanka‖

―Lift ban on the LTTE: BJP‖

―LTTE prays for BJP victory in India‖

―India should stop war, instruct Colombo to

talk to Tigers - BJP Tamil Nadu ―

―Hindu Conference condemns Sri Lankan

forces ―

The new Agni Puja?

Are Tourism authorities preparing for a

future burning of Sri Lanka

Listen to other presentations

Think and discuss

Thank you!

Notes on academic discussions

Royal Asiatic Society is a learned society as

such we deal primarily with expert

knowledge

Discussants from the audience , apart from

clarifications, will be asked to identify

themselves mentioning their area of

expertise including qualifications.

a section of Tamils has believed and sustained a Dravidian

theory about ‗Lemuria‘ — a land mass connecting the Deccan plateau and the

island of Ceylon, with intervening straits connecting it with Madagascar,

Australia and Antarctica — which is believed to have sunk into the Indian

Ocean in stages over 3,500 years ago. They believe that the Sangam period

of Tamil history originated in this Lemuria continent some 12,000 years

ago, and that the first human beings were ‗Black Lemurian Tamils‘

(originating 40,000 years ago) who shared ancestry with the aborigines of

Australia.In 2004, geologist SC Jayakaran debunked Lemuria

as a flight of fancy. Jayakaran (who has published in Nature) used

cartographic and satellite imaging to disprove the very idea of Lemuria.

Tehelkha

© 2010 Sethu Samudram - Nothing Religious about it

Sethu Samudram - Nothing Religious about it - We have not heard of Ramar Paalam until now - Rameswaram FishermenHomeHistory

We have not heard of Ramar Paalam until now - Rameswaram Fishermen

"We have not heard of Ramar Paalam until now when the BJP talked about it.

We have always known the islands as theedai or thittu,‘‘ says Ramalakshmi

who lives with her husband Selvaraj, and their three children, as have

generations before them in Rameswaram

‗‗Our men have been fishing in these parts for years. No one talked about

a Ramar bridge before. This is the first time we are hearing about it,‘‘

she says.

After raking up the Ram issue, the saffron brigade made several visits to

Rameswaram, trying to mobilise support against the Sethusamudram project.

© 2010 Sethu Samudram - Nothing Religious about it