Thus a shift of 10 nakshatras has occured since the Ramayanic Era. At present, the Winter Solstice takes place at Moola. So the Winter Solstice was at Vaishakha with the Sun at Ashwini. So it seems that Vaishakha Masa coincided with Shishira. He was coronated in the same month and one month later, proceeded to Ashokavan with Seeta (Uttar 41/18) when the Shishira Rutu terminated. Rama started forest-exile in Chaitra and ended it in Chaitra.
It is therefore concluded that Ashwin Full Moon coincided with Summer Solstice, that year being 7400 B.C. Naturally, months of Ashwin and Kartika formed the rainy season. Thus Bhadrapada was the month of pre-monsoon, that is before 21st June or Summer Solstice. Kish.28/14 describes the on-coming rainy season. Kish.28/17 tells that there was alternate sun-shine and shadowing by the clouds. Further description “ Heated by the Sun and showered by new waters, the earth is expelling vapours” (Kish.26/7) points to Bhadrapada as premonsoon. Kishkindha 28/2 clearly shows that the rainy season began in Bhadrapada Masa. In shloka 14, refers to Shravan as “ Varshika Poorva Masa“. Kishkindha 26-13 describes the commencement of the rainy season. This astral configuration can be calculated to have occured around 7400 B.C. The Summer Solstice fell on Ashwin Full Moon, so the Sun was diagonally opposite at Swati nakshatra. These descriptions point to the fact that their new year started on the Summer Solstice when heat and rain simultaneously exist. Ayodhya 77 mentions that the flags were defaced and damaged due to heat and showers. Ramayan shows that the flag was being hoisted to celebrate the new year on Ashwin Paurnima (Kishkindha 16/37, Ayodhya 74/36). Sharvan was at this juncture at about 7500 B.C, which is therefore the probable period when Vishwamitra existed and also that of the Ramayanic Era.įormerly, the year initiated with the Varsha-Rutu (season) and therefore was termed “ Varsha“. Vishwamitra modified this and started measuring from the nakshatra at the Autumnal Equinox. According to the old tradition, the first place was assigned to the nakshatra prevelant on the Vernal Equinox. Mahabharat states that Sage Vishwamitra started counting nakshatras from Shravana (Aadiparva A.71 and Ashwamedha A.44) and a new reference to time measurement thus initiated. However, archaeological and literary methods can only provide approximate datelines and for determining the precise time of the Ramayanic events, astronomical calculations may alone be useful. For example, Guru Valmiki (the author of Ramayana) is refered to in the Taittiriya Brahmana (dated to 4600 B.C) and therefore Ramayana must have before the Brahmana was composed. Also, literary references to the characters from the Ramayanic Era provide limits after which the Ramayan could not have occured. Genealogical links available from the Mahabharat and Puranas, Yuga calculations and some archaelogical findings also provide clues to the dating of the Ramayanic era. The Mahabharat Era has already been dated by Dr. An attempt to fix the dates of the events in the Mahabharat era, mainly based on internal astronomical records. The precedence of the Ramayanic era to that of the Mahabharat can therefore be inferred. Vartak’s celebrated book “ Vastav Ramayan” for further reading.īefore coming to the astronomical method, it should be noted that the Mahabharat has recorded a number of facts about Ramayan (and not otherwise). The correct astronomical records goes to show that Valmiki’s has chronicled an account of a true story and also, that the an advanced time measurement system was known to the Hindus (Indians) atleast 9000 years ago. Vartak has thus attempted to calculate the dates of important incidents that occured during the Ramayanic Era. By therefore noting a particular arrangement of the astronomical bodies, which occur once in many thousand years, the dates of the events can be calculated. They recorded the ‘ tithis‘, days according to the nakshatra on which the moon prevailed, the months, the seasons and even the different Solstices. It should be noted that the ancient Indians had a prefect method of time measurement. To decipher the astronomical encodings has not been a trivial task, and not many have attempted to do so. However, Sage Valmiki has recorded the dates if events in detail, albeit by describing the positions of stars and planets. Some historians of the past even refuse to acknowledge that Rama and other characters from the Ramayana even existed. It has been believed that there is no evidence to determine the dates of events in the Ramayanic era. Astronomical Dating of the Ramayan By Dr.P.V.Vartak