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Proving the Historicity of Raam
Since thousands of years, not just in India but also all over the world, one of the greatest men who influenced and touched the hearts of millions – both common men and elite alike -- with his strength of character is Raam. His time was that of great kings and world empires. This was the era when the whole world understood one language and speech, as mentioned in the holy book, the Bible (Genesis 11.1). Then neither was the world divided into Hindu, Muslims, Christians, Jews etc, nor broken up on the basis of modern day caste barriers. Then there were only two divisions in human society – Aarya and An-Aarya (Asurs, Raakshas). Those who were not strong of character and men of words were An-Aarya. All mankind had only one culture.

Raam in Other Literary Works
The most authentic and original source of knowledge about Raam is the Vaalmeeki Raamaayan. This noble work of literature credits Vaalmeeki as the first poet of the world. The story of Raam did not remain confined to the pages of Vaalmeeki Ramayana, but it also finds a mention in various other scriptures of history and ancient literature.
--In Vyaas' Mahaabhaarata at four places -- Raamopaakhyaan, Aaranyak Parv, Drone Parv and Dasharath Kathaanak;
--In Buddhist literature it finds mention in three Jaatak parables, viz, Dasharath Jaatak, Anamak Jaatak and Dasharath Kathaanak;
--in Jain literature many manuscripts were written on Raam, like Padam Charitra (in Praakrit language) by Vimal Suri; in Padam Puraan (Sanskrit) by Ravisen Acharya; Padam Charitra (Apbhransh) and Charitra Puraan (Sanskrit) by Swambhu; and Uttar Puraan (Sanskrit) by Gunbhadra. As per Jain tradition the original name of Raam was 'Padam'. The story of Raam was also written in various other Indian regional languages.

There are at least 11 versions of Raamayan in Hindi, 8 in Marathi, 25 in Banglaa, 12 in Tamil, 5 in Telugu and 6 in Oriyaa. Apart from these, more versions of the Raamaayan have been written in Sanskrit, Gujaraatee, Malayaalam, Kannad, Assamese, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, etc. The Hindi Raamcharit Manas authored by Tulasee Daas has achieved a very prominent place in Northern India. More than 400 great poets and saints like Kaalidaas (Raghuvansh), Bhaas, Bhattee, Praversen, Bhavabhooti (Uttar Raam Charit), Kshemendra, Raajshekhar, Kumaardaas, Vishwanaath, Somdev, Gunadutt, Naarad, Lomesh, Guru Govind Singh, the Samarth Guru Raamdaas, Maithilee Sharan Gupt, Keshavdaas and Saint Tukdoji etc, have written poems, prose and literature on Raam and other characters of the Raamaayan

Even in other countries we can find versions of Raamaayan, like the Tibetan Raamaayan, Turkistan's Khotani Raamaayan, Indonesia's Kakbin Raamaayan, Jaavaa's Seratram, Sairiraam, Raamkeling, Patani Raamkathaa; Indo-China's Raamkerti (Raamkeerti), Khamer Raamaayan; Burmaa's Raamyagan of Yuto; Thailand's Raamkiyen etc all narrate the story of Raam in a picturesque way. Scholars also believe that Homer's Illiad and the Dionysia of poet Nonus of Rome have surprising similarities with our Raamaayan. In the world literature, no other historical person has been narrated with so much devotion on such a grand, magnified and detailed scale by so many poets and authors of varied countries.

Temples and Terracotta
All over the world, not just hundreds but thousands of temples of Raam, Lakshman, Seetaa, Hanuman, etc are being constructed since time immemorial. The walls of the 9th century Shiv Temple Parambanan (Parambhram) of Jaavaa and the 11th century Angkorwat Temple of Cambodia are pictorially engraved with the scenes of Raamaayan and Mahaabhaarat. Hundreds of terracotta based on the Raamaayan have been found from Sirma, Haat, Nacharkheda of Hisaar; Jind, and Santhai (Yamunaa Nagar) of Hariyaanaa; Koushaambee (Allaahaabaad), Aahichhatra (Bareilly), and Katinghar (Etah) of Uttar Pradesh and Bhadra (Shri Gangaa Nagar) of Raajasthaan. They depict the major events of Raam's exile, mainly Raam, Seetaa and Lakshman's Panchvatee Gaman; Maareech Mrig (golden deer); the dialog of Trishiraa with Khar Dooshan; the execution of 14 demons by Raam; Seetaa-haran by Raavan; Sugreev sighting Seetaa throwing down her ornaments from Pushpak Vimaan (Raavan's plane); Sugreev welcoming Raam to his abode; Sugreev-Baali combat; Raam's assassination of Baali; Hanumaan burning Ashok Vaatikaa; Trishiraa Raakshas' killing; Indrajeet, the son of Raavan, going to war, etc. Some of the terracotta have the verses of Vaalmeeki Raamaayan written in the script of pre-Gupta age. They can be seen in the archaeological museum of Gurukul Jhajjar (Hariyaanaa). Apart from these, hundreds of terracotta can be seen in different museums of India as well as in the British Museum of London.

Kushaan emperor Kanishk had an engraving of the wind-god Hanumaan on his regime's seal. Emperor Akbar had also similarly depicted Raam-Seetaa on one of his golden guineas. Scenes from Raamaayan have been sketched in the Safdarjang Madaarasa of Delhi. Central India's Dhar and Ratlaam principalities had engraved Hanumaan on their seals. Brass guineas introduced by the Sant regime also had the etchings of Raam and his three brothers, as well as Seetaa and Hanumaan.The biggest travesty of facts is that even after so many literary and archaeological evidence, Lord Raam is not universally accepted as a historical personality.

The Times of Raam
According to ancient Indian chronology and Pauraanic tradition Raam was born in the 24th Tretaa Yug (Great Age). Apart from the Vaalmeeki Raamaayan and other versions of Raam's biography, there are four important references to Raam, Raavan, etc in ancient scriptures .
1. Treta yuge chaturvinshe ravane tapseh shakshyat | Ram dashrtathi prapiye sagane shakyamiyeewan || (Vayu Puran 70.88)
2. Sandho tu samanupraptre tretayaam dwaparisya cha | Ramo daasrathirbhutva bhavishami jagatpati || (MBH 348.19)
3. Chaturvinsh he yuge chapi vishwaamitra pure sare | Loke ram iti khyate tejsah bhaskaropam || (Harivansh 22.104)
4. Chaturvins he yuge vats tretayaam raghuvanshaje | Ramo naam bhavishyami chaturvhayu sanatane || (Brahmaand Puraan 2.2.36.30)

On the basis of the given literary references and evidences it can be inferred that Raam, Raavan, Vishwaamitra etc lived in the 24th Tretaa Yug. According to the MBH, Raam lived in the transition phase between Tretaa and Dwaapar Yug. It however does not mention the order of the Tretaa.

It will help to know that Sat Yug, Tretaa, Dwaapar and Kali Yug have a continuous cycle, like the cycle of the months in a year or the days in a week. As Monday is followed by Tuesday and January is followed by February, Sat Yug is followed by Treta and this cycle continues endlessly. Of these 4 Yug, Kali Yug has the shortest span of 4,32,000 years, Dwaapar Yug is double the years of Kali Yug at 8,64,000 years, Tretaa is triple the years of Kali yug at 12,96,000 years and Sat Yug is four-times the years of Kali Yug at 17,28,000 years. Thus one unit of four Yug is called Chaturyug, having a total of 43,20,000 years.

The Present Kali Yug is of the 28th Chaturyug
And so far 5,108 years of Kali Yug have lapsed. If we accept that Raam indeed lived during the last phase of the 24th Tretaa Yug then it can be easily calculated that he lived 18,149,108 years ago, but if we accept that he lived in the Tretaa of the present 28th cycle of Chatur Yug then he lived 869,108 years ago.

It's just impossible that after so many years any buildings, dwellings, statues, seals, coins, cloths, bones or weapons can exist of that period. There also cannot be any physical records or evidences of every person who walked this earth so long ago. Even if someone has passed away five generations ago without leaving his progeny behind, we have no natural or physical evidence to prove his life. Even if he had a house, without documentary evidence or word-of-mouth we cannot prove that it belonged to him. Even in modern times, the existence of the ruling presidents and prime ministers of today cannot be proved 1,000 years hence without any literary proof. Their story can be passed verbally from one generation to the next but no physical evidence of their existence will be available. [History of India is proof of this - People say that Taj mahal was not built by Shaah Jahaan; or not many things are clearly known from 5th and 6th century to 15th century till Mugals came here]

In the last few years, some highly motivated computer-literate group of people have designed a software called 'Planetarium Gold Software' which is generally used by scientists to measure the distance and locations of planets from earth and to predict lunar and solar eclipses. The Vaalmeeki Raamayan (Baal Kaand 18.8.9) mentions (the planetary positions vis-à-vis zodiac constellations) at the time of Ram's birth as 'the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, asterism Punarvasu was in the ascendant and (as many as) five planets (viz, the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus) happened to be exalted (appeared in the zodiacal signs of Mesh or Aries, Makar or Capricorn, Tulaa or Libra, Kark or Cancer, and Meen or Pisces respectively) and Jupiter in conjunction with the Moon appeared in the zodiacal sign of Kark'.

Raam Was 39 Years Old When He Killed Raavan
The same details were entered in the Planetarium Gold software to determine the important dates in the life of Lord Raam vis-à-vis the present planetary positions and zodiac constellations and calculated that Raam was born on January 10, 5114 BC, which means to say 7,122 years ago. While they deserved all appreciation and thanks for this new approach, their ignorance of astronomical calculations and in the absence of any literary proof, their result cannot be relied upon. According to astronomy, the positions of zodiac constellations come back to their original place after a cycle of approximately 26,000 years. For this reason, the exact same planetary position repeats itself every 26,000 years. So, Ram could have been born in any of the repetitive cycles in planetary positions. Even if we believe Raam to be born in the Tretaa of the present 28th Chaturyug, as mentioned earlier, the position of constellations have completed 33 cycles and if, according to literary evidence, we believe Raam to be born in the Tretaa of 24th Chaturyug, then the position of the constellations have completed 698 cycles.

It is also not wrong to state that an email message was sent by NASA officials in July 2007 to N K Raghupati, chairman of the Setu Samudram Ship Canal Project, stating therein that the remains of the bridge do not appear to be connected to any human activity. Why NASA differed from its original stand is unknown. Even if Adam's Bridge is a natural geological formation, it could have been beautifully used by Raam to construct a temporary bridge for his army to cross over to Sri Lanka. No scientific test has yet been carried out to measure the ascending or descending contours of Adam's Bridge. Moreover, after millions of years since its construction, no human activity can be linked to this or any other structure.

False Propagation by Foreign Scholars
Most foreign scholars and Indologists believe that Indians taught and learnt their lessons verbally, without the aid of any written material. Indians did not even know how to write. They were not inclined towards maintaining any historical records, nor did they have any notion of placement of events in its proper sequence in time. They believed that the Aaryans came from abroad, defeated the original inhabitants of India, the Dravidians, and settled here. The Harappan civilization was destroyed by invading Aryans. The human history they know is only 5,000 years old. The ancestor of man was an ape or a chimpanzee. In brief it can be stated that all the above assertions of foreign scholars are unscientific, illogical, untrue and pure false propaganda. It has been revealed across the world today that scholars like Max Muller, HH Wilson, AA MacDonell, Rudolph Roth, Albrecht Weber, Ralph TH Griffith, M Winternitz, Monier-Williams, all had the same basic objective which is expressed in Max Muller's words which he wrote in a letter to his wife: "This edition of mine and the translation of the Ved will, hereafter, tell to a great extent on the fate of India. It is the root of their religion and to show them what the root is, I feel sure is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last three thousand years.' (Life and Letters of F Max Muller, Vol I, Chapter XV, Page 34).

Similarly, Monier-Williams wrote in the preface of his Sanskrit-English dictionary: 'I must draw attention to the fact that I am only the second occupant of the Boden Chair and that its founder Colonel Boden stated most explicitly in his will (dated August 15, 1811 AD) that the special object of his munificent bequest was to promote the translation of scriptures into English so as to enable his countrymen to proceed in the conversion of the natives of India to the Christian religion'. Prof Goltuster had revealed that Roy, Weber, Whitling, Fuhan, and other scholars were determined because of some mysterious reason to ruin the prime glory of India in any way possible.

More recently, in July 2007, a book titled "Invading the Sacred: An analysis of Hinduism studies in America" edited by Krishna Ramaswamy, Antonio de Nicolas and Aditi Banerjee was released in Mumbai The book states, "Unlike in India, the academic study of religion is an important undertaking for intellectuals in America and a few hundred scholars study Hinduism and other Indian religions. Many of them have continued to perpetuate myths and biases about Indian culture and religion through misinterpretation and mistranslations. These are in line with the colonial and missionary caricature of India.' The book is the product of a multi-year research project that uncovered shoddy and biased scholarship driven by certain power cartels, its authors said.

Let us also know the fact that McCaulay did not know even one Indian language but he commented on all Eastern wisdom, James Mill never visited India but he wrote on Indian history. None of the foreign Indologists like Max Muller, Winternitz and Griffith had any knowledge of Vaidik grammar, astronomy, meter (Chhand) etc but they all translated Ved and assumed the status of authorities.

As per Vaidik time computation and tradition, the age of creation is 4.32 billion years, and the Sankalp Mantra 'Om tatsat adhay bharamano dwitye parardhe shwetvaraah kalpe saptmein Vaivasvat manvantare ashtah-vinshatitame kaliyuge kali prathme charne ...... gatabde'. They have kept intact the history of the time of creation and the advent of the man on the Earth till today. Man arrived on the Earth exactly 1,972,949,108 years ago (approximately two billion years ago). Some Vaidic scholars also believe that man was created on the Earth only in the 7th Manvantar (of Vaivaswat Manu). The Sun, planets, stars, Earth, sea, vegetation, flora and fauna were created in the earlier six Manmantar in a very scientific manner. [Even] If we accept this theory, then man was born about 120,533,108 years ago. At least this much is certain, that the history of mankind is indeed very long.

Indians always knew the art of writing. The Rig Ved (10.71.4) says speech has two forms -- one which can be heard (Shravya) and one which can be seen (Drishya). Script was in vogue since ancient times in India. Bhoj Patra and Taapatra (papyrus) were abundantly available in nature before man walked the earth. Like paper, even these forms of recording scripts was not permanent. Manuscripts were copied onto new papyrus if they got damaged due to climatic conditions. How else would we find thousands of ancient manuscripts in India? How else would we remember the Ved, epics, scriptures, and other astronomical subjects?

Yes, there were definitely a few people who felt pride in memorizing one or more of the Ved. If we believe that at that point in time the intellect and memory of the people were very sharp and elephantine compared to the modern man, then this logic also goes against the evolutionary principles of Darwin. The truth is that Indians knew how to write -- and wrote a lot! No other country in the world has such a rich and vast literary treasure. What other proof can be asked for to say that the Indians could write?

Darwin's unnatural and unscientific theory is now also being rejected by many scientists and scholars world-wide. Because of their religious faith some Western scholars who earlier believed that the age of the earth was approximately 6,000 years, now agree that the earth is aged between 3.96 and 4.3 billion years. If earth is so old then how can man inhabited it after such a gigantic time gap?

American Scholar Darwin's Theory Wrong
Michael Cremo's recent books - "Forbidden Archaeology and Devolution of Man", based on scientific discoveries prove that the Darwin theory has hardly any truth and that the man came on Earth at least two billion years ago. Cremo and his co-author Richard Thompson have quoted a lot of archeological evidences which undoubtedly prove that scientists in the last 150 years have collected so many facts which disprove many fundamental theories in history, linguistics and science. Many scientific journals had also published these discoveries but the mental block created by the evolution theory of Darwin and the limit of 5,000 years of human history did not pay due attention to the new discoveries. These scientific discoveries and facts prove that the history of mankind is billions of years old.

Ignorance in Faith
The foreign scholars and their Indian followers who have spread the mythological canard that Raam and Raamaayan are historically untrue, figments of imagination and only a fable are no more responsible than some of our Indian poets and writers. The preachers and exponents of Raam Kathaa and the directors and actors of Raam Leelaa have inadvertently and ignorantly further contributed to the doubts about the genuineness of Raam. Devoid of true faith and unaware of the true glory of God, we have turned Raam into God and God-incarnate.

Vaalmeeki knew Raam to be a Human, a Noble Man, the best of His era and in His time wrote Raamaayan as both were contemporary. He has also shown Raam to possess human traits and emotions, just like any ordinary person. We, in our blind faith, have accentuated the question marks on the historicity of Raam and Raamaayan by treating Raamaayan like a fable and depicting its noble characters as birds and animals.

Our foolish beliefs did not end here. We spin strange new stories which ultimately maligned the noble character of Raam. Raam never disowned Seetaa or exiled Her to the forest in a pregnant state. Vaalmeeki never wrote this. We got the Seer Shambook executed by Raam, calling him a Shoodra. Vaalmeeki never mentioned this. No intellectual scholar or Tapaswee could be a Shoodra, at least in Vaidik times. But through interpolations and additions in the modern day Raamaayan, we have made Maryaadaa Purushottam Raam into a person inflicting injuries and harassment on women and low-borns. Vaalmeeki's Raam was the bravest among the brave, the noblest among the noble, but not God.

Analysis and Conclusions
1. Can our saints and seers, who have from birth till death spoke the truth, acted with truth and preached only the truth, become the liars today and their writings unbelievable and false, whereas the foreign scholars and their native modern followers are truthful? Were our ancient visionaries and authors like Rishi Vaalmeeki, Muni Vyaas, Kaalidaas, Bhaas, Bhavabhooti, Ashwaghosh, Samarth Guru Raamdaas, Guru Govind Singh, Swami Dayaanand, Swami Vivekaanand, the leading lights of Buddhist and Jain traditions, etc were liars, selfish and believed in the imaginary, whereas today's professors and scholars of our colleges and universities, writing about history and culture are more learned, committed to truth and missionaries of humanism?

2. Man first wrote true stories and history, and later learnt how to write fiction. India never had a tradition of writing about imaginary characters, as our country was never short of real-life heroes.

3. Are our history, Puraan, Smriti and Upanishadik parables fables and fairy tales, and Western legends and mythologies all true?

4. Has any community in the world ever celebrated the birth or death anniversaries of any fictitious person? If this is true, then how can the birth anniversary of Raam, Raam Navamee, be celebrated since thousands of years, year after year, in many countries of the world?

5. Has any fictitious character been written about repeatedly even by 10 to 20 writers? The story of Raam has been told and retold since time immemorial by thousands of seers, poets, writers and authors in different languages and in different countries of the world.

6. Even if by default we accept that Raam and Raamaayan are the imagination of a poet, then at least we accept that the poet was real and lived on this Earth, and was not imaginary. No one has ever doubted that Vaalmeeki lived. His life has been chronicled in detail in Skand Puraan, Bhavishya Puraan and Adhyaatm Raamaayan. When Vaalmeeki meets Raam for the first time, he says, as given in Vaalmeeki Raamaayan (7.96.19):
Prachetso ahem dasmey putroh raghavnandany | Ne ismarahmeanritam vakyamimo tu tav putroko ||
Vaalmeeki proudly says to Raam, "I am the 10th son of Prachetaa, and I never remember speaking even one untrue sentence". How can such a missionary and follower of truth could have written an imaginary story of Raam?

7. Has anyone given a detailed description of generation after generation of a fictitious, imaginary person? Kaalidaas has described 19 generations of Raghu Vansh, Raam's ancestors and descendants, in his book Raghu Vansh. Shabdakalpdrum has mentioned the 11 names of Ram's lineage as Baahuk, Sarg, Anshuman, Asamanjas, Dileep, Bhageerath, Aja, Dasharath, Raamchandra, Kush and Luv and has mentioned these kings were the world rulers in that era. Even after all this if we don't accept Raam as a historical figure it is beyond the realm of wisdom.

8. Has anyone ever questioned the character of any writer when the hero and writer were contemporary? Rishi Vaalmeeki was a contemporary of Raam and has used the present tense in the Ramayana, not the past and future tense. Then how can we question the historicity of Ram and other characters of the Raamaayan?

9. Even in modern times if we want to know the age of any person, we first look for his/her school or college certificates or his horoscope. If someone has no papers or documents to know his age then he is subjected to an ossification medical test. But when the question is of any ancient historical person, why do we ignore the writings and literary evidences and instead search for archeological evidences in buildings, statues, seals and bones found buried in earth?

10. When the foreign Indologists and historians and their blind Indian followers want to search for history in the divine revelation the Ved, they quote the Rig Ved (10.60.4.4) where there is a mention of Ikshwaaaku, the ancestor of Raam and the founder of Ayodhyaa. The Atharv Veda mentions Ayodhyaa as having nine gates. The Atharv Ved (18.3.16) mentions the name of Vishwaamitra, Vashishth the preceptor of Raam, and Bhardwaaj. But when it comes to Raam and Raamaayan, they claim it is all mythological and fictitious. Is it not hypocritical?

11. Even today, some of the Asian countries believe in Raam, Raavan, Lakshman, Seetaa and Hanumaan. Sri Lankaa believes in the Raamaayan and therefore till date has proudly shown the coronation of Vibheeshan in its parliament; Ashok Vaatika has been converted into a famous tourist attraction and not only that, the Sri Lankan government is still paying pension to the descendents of Raavan. Thailand has a place Ayodhyaa, and the king there is still called Raam, even though a Buddhist. The most important event took place in the history of Indonesia. In November 1949, the Dutch government agreed to give independence and sovereignty to the Indonesian Islands, except Erian (New Guinea). The Indonesian public launched an agitation, asking also for the inclusion of New Guinea, but the Dutch government asked for any irrefutable proof to prove that New Guinea was an integral part of Indonesia.

Then the people of Indonesia, who have a tradition of reciting the Vaalmeeki Raamaayan quoted the following verse 'Yatna vanto yava dweepam ........  shishiro naam parvat' (Kishkindhaa Khand, Sarg 40, Verse 30-31), which meant that 'Sugreev had advised the leaders in his army to visit the Eastern frontiers, in search of Seetaa, to go to Yava Dweep (Jaavaa) -- the conglomeration of seven kingdoms, and from there to visit Swarn Deep (Sumaatraa) and after Sumatra to visit Shishir mountain (New Guinea) inhabited by gods and demons, which kisses the sky with its summit'. After reading this ancient irrefutable evidence, the Dutch handed over New Guinea also to Indonesia. New history was created in Indonesia just because of the Raamaayan.

In conclusion, it would not be wrong to say that not believing in the historicity of Raam and Raamaayan would be obstinacy and an act of scholastic arrogance. Whether someone has faith or not, history is history. We might not have faith in Ayodhyaa, Sarayoo, Gangaa, Sri Lankaa, Raam, Seetaa, Hanumaan, but how can we doubt their historical existence? I would like to recall the words of Swaamee Vivekaanand to Indian writers of history and every scholar of our soil: "When a man has begun to be ashamed of his ancestors and his past, the end has come." The birth anniversary of Raam, Raam Navmaee, may awaken in us a true faith, which is devoid of ignorance and myopia. And let us inculcate the richness of character and righteousness of Ram in our midst.

The date of the passing away of Lord Parashuraam is in 6177 BCE (starting of the Kollam era). This shows that Raam met Parashuraam before that. So Lord Ram lived before 6177 BCE. Any doubt?

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