Dating Ramayan
It has been believed that there is no evidence to determine the dates of events
in the Ramayanic era. However, Sage Valmiki, the author of "Valmiki Ramayana"
has recorded the dates of events in detail, by describing the positions of
stars and planets. To make sense out of these astrological/astronomical
recordings of Shri Valmiki by research & scientific analysis has not been a
trivial task, and not many have attempted to do so. But what provided the
workable foundation to date important landmarks in Ramayana is the fact that
the ancient Indians had a prefect method of time measurement. They recorded
the 'tithis', days according to the nakshatra on which the moon prevailed, the
months, the seasons and even the different Solstices. By therefore, noting a
particular arrangement of the astronomical bodies, which occurs once in many
thousand years, the dates of the events can be calculated. The correct
astronomical records go to show that Valmiki has chronicled an account of a
true story and also, that an advanced time measurement system was known to the
Hindus (Indians) at least 9000 years ago.
It should be noted that the Mahabharat has recorded a number of facts about
Ramayan (and not otherwise). The precedence of the Ramayanic era to that of the
Mahabharat can therefore be inferred. An attempt to fix the dates of the
events in the Mahabharat era, mainly based on internal astronomical records has
also been made by following the astronomical method.
Genealogical links available from the Mahabharat and Puranas, Yuga calculations
and some archaeological findings also provide clues to the dating of the
Ramayanic era. Also, literary references to the characters from the Ramayanic
Era provide limits after which the Ramayan could not have occurred. For
example, Guru Valmiki (the author of Ramayana) is referred to in the Taittiriya
Brahmana (dated to 4600 B.C) and therefore, Ramayana must have been before the
Brahmana was composed. However, archaeological and literary methods can only
provide approximate datelines and for determining the precise time of the
Ramayanic events, astronomical calculations alone are considered useful. On
the basis of these calculations, the dates of Ramayanic era have been worked
out as follows:
Rama's Birth Date
4 December, 7323 BC
Rama - Seeta Married
7 April 7307 BC
Rama Exiled
29 November 7306 BC
Hanuman Enters Lanka
1 September 7292 BC
Hanuman Meets Seeta
2 September 7292 BC
Seetu ( Bridge) Built
26 - 30 October 7292 BC
War Begins
3 November 7292 BC
Kumbhakarna is Killed
7 November 7292 BC
Ravana is Killed by Rama
15 November 7292 BC
Rama Returns to Ayodhya
6 December 7272 BC
(Ref: Dr. P. V. Vartak,
Vastava Ramayan in Marathi,
Vedvidnyana Mandal, Pune)
