Is the ram-sethu an existing man made structure?

Is the ram-sethu (submerged bridge between India-Srilanka) an existing man made structure?

NASA had before spotted and said man-made structures of earth. Men made ones have different diagonals from naturally formed one, which can be neatly shot with the eyes of satellite cameras. The same organization has earlier released satellite pictures of ram-sethu along confirming the most possibility of the structure to be a man made one.

Geologist Dr Badrinarayanan former director of the Geological Survey of India, GOI in his recent interview to a popular Indian news portal has confirmed the same over the existence of ram-sethu.

In his interview for a question, �Is it a man-made structure or natural formation?� he has affirmed as below.

Whatever that is called Ram-sethu today is originally a bridge that connects India and Sri Lanka, it is not just a sand dune.

About 18,000 years ago, we had Ice age when the sea level was lower by 130 meters than what it is now. Due to de-glaciations, the sea level rose.

Again around 7,300 years back, there was major flooding and the sea level rose to 4 meters more than what it is today. Several researchers throughout the world have verified this.

We (Geological Survey of India) had carry out the surveys for locating a canal project by the project authorities in 2004-05.

We reached the site and found the northern side of ram-sethu is the rough Palk Bay, which is prone to periodic cyclonic storms, and the eastern side is the calm Gulf of Mannar, which is unpolluted and pristine.

Corals grew in the tranquil Gulf of Mannar but not in the turbulent Palk Bay as they grow only in tranquil waters. There are about 21 islands full of corals in the eastern Gulf of Mannar side but not even a single coral on the northern Palk Bay side.

We started our study from northern side to international waters. We did around 10 boreholes alongside the ram-sethu alignment. Four of the boreholes were along the islands (where sands go on shifting) and six in the waters.

Everywhere, after top 6 meters, we found marine sands on top and below there were a mixed assemblage of corals (rocklike wastes), calcareous (calcium) sand stones, and boulder like materials. Surprisingly below that up to 4-5 meters, again we found loose sand and after that, hard formations were there.

It clearly shows the structure is not natural. To explain, corals are found only on rocks and such hard surfaces. Here, below the corals and boulders, we are getting loose sand, which means the formation is not natural.

And inside the boreholes, on top of the loose sand, which was formed when the sea level was low, our divers found boulders (round shaped mass rocks). Boulders normally occur on land and they are a typical riverine character.

The boulders were brought there from somewhere, as they are not a marine local formation. We feel somebody dumped the boulders to use it as a causeway. The boulders on top of the loose sand are transported to that place.

To add, 7,300 years ago, sea level was approximately 4 meters higher than what it is today. In Southern Coastline of India in places like Rameswaram, Pamban, Tuticorin, etc, we see old corals on the land, and they are not raised by any geological process. It happened because sea level was higher and at the time they were formed. We did dating on them and found that they are 7,300 years old.

From 7,300 onwards the sea level has changed its height at least twice. That is why we are getting two sets of corals at two levels.

All the aerial pictures show that ram-sethu is 2 to 3 meters wide. On the eastern Gulf of Mannar side, it is high. So, anyone could take advantage of the raised portion and must have dumped these boulders so that he could cross the bridge from other side.

The shape of the boulders and the type of material clearly indicate that this is a man-made structure. Also we saw similar rocks on Rameswaram islands and also in Pamban. There are indications of quarrying also there.

All these things lead us to believe that 2 to 2.5 metres of packed rubble or material appears to be a modern day causeway. Obviously, it was dumped to use it to cross the sea. Moreover, they are compact and light to easily carry away by men.

It is also quite obvious that the boulders were used to cross over as in all the boreholes we made in the entire stretch of ram-sethu we saw the same material. It appears like a rock-filled structure.

If it is a geological phenomenon, you will find the oldest formation below and the newer ones on top. I would rather call it an anthropogenic (pertaining to the effect of human beings on the natural world) causeway rather than a bridge.

Together, world-renowned tsunami expert Dr Kalyanaraman, who researches on this subject, lists cartography, textual, and epigraphic evidences to show that a bridge called Rama-Sethu existed in his talk to the same portal.

He cites two things from the NASA. The first item is of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of NASA aboard the space shuttle Endeavour launched in February 2000. It says, "Sri Lanka is separated from India by the 50 km-wide Palk Strait and there is a series of stepping-stone coral islets (ram-sethu) that almost form a land bridge between the two countries."

The second item is a photograph taken by the Gemini mission of the 1960s that shows the clearly visible outline of ram-sethu."

Kalyanaraman clarifies that "Sethu in Tamil language means "manmade bund" and this bund is called Sethuband. Asiatic Society, 1799, refers to the bridge that it is broken at three places. It also says "people call it a bridge."

The Sethupatis of Ramanathapuram, Coastal South India are called so because they were expected to protect the Sethu.

He further adds two other evidences, "The Madras Presidency Administration Report 1903 refers to the bridge as a glossary entry: It really joined Ceylon to India until 1480, when a break was made through rocks during a storm. A subsequent storm enlarged this and foot traffic then slowed down.�

"The next is a book written by Alexander Hamilton in 1744, A New Account of the East Indies which describes his visit to 'Zeloan' by walking on the bridge."

"In the Tamil Aganaanooru Sangam literature text also, there is a reference to Sethu and there are hundreds of references to Rama," Kalyanaraman added.

All these were put together by Schwartzberg and the University of Chicago as Schwartzberg Atlas that have around 100 maps showing Sethu (in bracket, it is written Adam's Bridge) clearly and the maps are dated back to the seventh and the twelfth centuries.  (Does those maps still exist and where?)

In 1788, Joseph Parks, a Botanical explorer from Australia marks the structure as Rama's Bridge. But the same was marked as Adam's Bridge in the 1804 Survey of India map.

Kalyanaraman also speaks about thousands of copper, gold and silver coins with the word Sethu on them that have been recovered in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. They were issued roughly between twelfth to fifteenth century.

�King Paranthaka Chola of the tenth century copper plates and the copper plates indicate that Aparajitavarman went to Sethutirtha.�

"Southern India king, Krishnadevaraya's epigraph mentions that his territory extended from Sethu to Vijayanagaram."

Another important reason cited by Kalyanaraman why a canal should not be built in the region is because Sankha or Turbinella pyrum is found only in the region and not found anywhere else in the world. Divers go into the shallow depths of water and pick up sankha. No Bengali or Oriya marriage is complete without the Sankha bangle.

When the Survey of India was first set up in 1767, the logo run as  "From Sethu (not kumari as today) to Himalayas." So, Sethu was looked upon as a boundary of India even then, said Kalyanaraman.

So historically once lot of things happened with ram-sethu bridge which also confirms that such a structure fully existed. It is a world heritage being oldest man made bridge and should be preserved. Moreover, preserving and having comprehensive researches over it could open many undiscovered past of mankind.

Links: