Not Sri Lanka, but Sonepur in Orissa is the Lanka of Ramayana: Archaeologists

The site of the excavation: Searching for an ancient kingdomThe story is as old as India. Thousands of years ago, Lord Vishnu took birth on earth as Rama, prince of Ayodhya, to put an end to Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. Ravana carried off Sita, Rama's beautiful wife, to his kingdom, and, in the course of the search, Lord Hanuman made a great leap across the seas. His superhuman bound carried him from the southernmost tip of India into the land of Lanka, now known as Sri Lanka. Rama stormed the country, and, after a big battle, rescued his wife. This inspiring story was immortalised in theRamayana, one of the great epics of all time.But is the Lanka of the epic the Sri Lanka of today? Some archaeologists beg to disagree. Dr H.D. Sankalia, professor emeritus at Pune University, Dr N.K. Sahu, vice-chancellor of Sambalpur University, Orissa and Dr S.C. Behera, head of the department of history, Sambalpur University, are convinced that the mythic Lanka and India's southern neighbour are two different places. The team is working on the theory that Ravana's ancient kingdom could be located somewhere in central India, most probably in western Orissa. "There is prima facie evidence to prove this," asserts Behera. Sahu (left) and Behera: New theoryThe archaeologists are concentrating on Sonepur, which lies along the banks of the Tel, a torrential river which in 1975 had washed away a temple with tantric diagrams near Baidyanath, a temple constructed by Daripada, a raja of Sonepur who abdicated his throne to become a tantric.Before coming to Sonepur, however, initial digs had been carried out by a two-member team comprising Dr Ashok Marathe and R.Y. Dundappa, a photographer, who combed a wide area of central India, including Bastar in Madhya Pradesh, to finally strike gold in Sonepur.Significant Find: The scientists unearthed a fort running for nearly two kms along the bank of the river. Said Sahu: "We dug six trenches and found two independent and hollow pillars, each 27 feet high. These might have been used for sacrifices, and in one we discovered die skeleton of a baby and in the other the skeleton of a horse." The scientists also discovered 12 pitchers dating back to the 6th or the 7th century B.C., which were arranged in three layers. One of the sacrificial pillarsAll the pitchers were sealed, and when the seals were broken, the head of a horse was found in one. Another jar contained water, and, says Sahu, "Nearby in a deeper place we found the fossilised lower jaw of a male: this is direct evidence of an early man." In fact, western Orissa highlands are rich in pre-historic antiquities, and it is generally held that man originated here.The diggers also found iron arrow heads, chisels, agate beads, and plenty of charcoal, which has been sent to Lucknow for radio-carbon dating. Pottery of the Chalcolithic period was also found. "It is premature." says Behera "to reach any conclusion, but undoubtedly there is a strong possibility of a great civilisation dating back to the 3rd and the 4th century B.C. existing here." Sahu said that the area excavated was in fact the real 'Ashurgarh' (land of demons) though there is another 'Ashurgarh' in Kalahandi in Orissa which was excavated in 1973. There too archaeologists unearthed evidence of a flourishing community existing between the 3rd and the 6th century B.C.Literary Clues: Besides the evidence wrested from the earth, the scientists assert that there is a lot of literary evidence to prove that Lanka and the modern Sri Lanka are different. In early literature, Ravana's country was called Tamraparm or Singhala and not Lanka. As an example, Sahu referred to the Bal-Ramayana where, on the occasion of the 'Sita-swayamvar the raja of Lanka and the raja of Singhala were present: the raja of Lanka was Ravana. Arms unearthed at SonepurThese two kings are mentioned separately in theMarkande Purana, as also in theKathasarii Sagar. In theMahabharata, Sahdeo conquers Lanka and Singhala separately. Jaisee inBadmavada Kavya has given a graphic description of two routes going to Lanka and Singhala respectively. The astronomer Varahamihira refers to Singhala and Lanka as two different places. Sahu asserts that "there is no literature which shows these two places as one. If Lanka is not Singhala, then where is it?" Sonepur, answer the archaeologists.A stone inscription dating back to 1703 A.D. found in Bastar revealed that the Dandakaranya forest in the Ramayana was near the kingdom of Raja Bhanjdeo and that the territory of Lankeshwara - Ravana, by another name - was close to Dandakaranya. Also, Rama's forest sojourn began in Chitrakut, and all through the routes from Chitrakut to Bastar Rama's folk tales are very popular among the tribals. "Thus Lanka must be close by," Sahu argues.Pitchers found at the site (left) and a Hanuman carved in the earth: Prima facie evidenceOne of the copper plates found at Sonepur refers to Someshwar Deva, a prince calling himself the lord of Pashchim Lanka (western Lanka). Sahu further asserts that, according to Balmiki, the ancient sage and narrator, Lanka is close to the Mahendra Giri hill which is in the Ganjam district of Orissa. Other places mentioned in the epic are Subhlanka, which could be Subalgiri in Orissa, and Bilanka, which could be Binika near Sonepur.Tribal Tradition: The archaeologists have more evidence. They point out that in the Sonepur area, Hanuman is "disrespected" and his effigy burnt as a mark of contempt. This happens on Pushaamavasya day, when 'Lanka-podi' is performed in Sonepur during which the monkey-god's image is burnt, crushed, and thrown into the river as a mark of Ravana's antipathy to Hanuman. This is contrary to traditions elsewhere in the country.Historians further argue that while in Sri Lanka there is no folk tale or legend about the epic events, the Binjhal tribe in Sambhalpur have several such tales about the mythic Lanka. Women of the Orang tribe sing folk songs about Ravana. The Gonds, both in Orissa and in Madhya Pradesh, claim that they are descendants of Ravana. A mud effigy of Hanuman: These tribesmen also perform Meghnad Yatra annually and Bonda girls in the Koraput district of Orissa have their heads clean, claiming that they have been cursed by Sita. If this were not enough, Behera advances one more point to drive home his theory: "TheRamayana mentions the sal tree which flourishes in Orissa, whereas one does not find any such tree in Sri Lanka."The present series of excavations have been stopped for lack of money. But the scientists are determined to locate the mythical Lanka once and for all, and plan to resume the digs later this year. Meanwhile, despite these efforts, the triangular island of Sri Lanka still reigns supreme in the minds of believers as the hallowed place where a man worsted a demon. The spades investigating Sonepur will have to throw up a lot of dirt before they succeed in demolishing that belief.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 22, 2013 09:54 IST--- ENDS ---

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Not Sri Lanka, but Sonepur in Orissa is the Lanka of Ramayana: Archaeologists

Is the Lanka of Ramayana the Sri Lanka of today? Some archaeologists beg to disagree.

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