 |
||
|
||
| Advertise with us! |
|
|
To all outward appearance, Dr Ramautar Sharma is like any other
office-going Indian - but for his interest in Rama, of Ayodhya fame. It was
this interest that inspired Sharma's unique attempt to retrace the
legendary hero's journey across the Indian subcontinent.
Says the 48-year-old adventurer. "Fifteen years back I became interested in
reading about Lord Rama's sojourns in the forests during his exile. That
motivated me. Also, certain samantwadi writers have penned nonsense about
him. I wanted to discover the truth."
That led to more than three years of extensive reading and travelling to
Kanpur, Lucknow, Calcutta and several other cities. But all that work came
to naught. The route taken by Rama was not clear, reveals Sharma.
The list of experts consulted included Dr Devendra Swaroop Gupta, a retired
director from the field of archaeology, B S Narayana Murthy, former editor
of Rashtra Dharm and Swami Satchitadanandji Maharaj who looks after the
Sri Rama Granthalaya at Ayodhya.
Certain historians approached by Sharma asked him to first prove that Rama
had existed before attempting to discover his path through the Indian
peninsula. Though it is accepted by some that a king named Rama did a lot
to spread Aryan culture in the southern parts of the subcontinent, the
entire epic belongs to that twilight area called proto-history where
pre-history gives way to its evidence-dependent successor.
What other preparations did Sharma make? "I did not get prepared.
Everything was uncertain. I had made a map but it wasn't of much utility.
People I met along the way told me how to go."
Ramautar Sharma is Assistant Director (Official Languages) in the Income
Tax Department, New Delhi. He was granted a special leave of one year for
his work. After several short trips, the major journey started on January
24 this year.
The quest took the northerner through the scenic area of Chitrakoot, the
forbidding forest of Dandak and numerous places such as the Bastar district
and Lonar in Maharashtra before finally terminating at the holy city of
Rameswaram. Sharma returned directly from Rameswaram to the Capital on
February 26.
When asked why he did not go across to Sri Lanka, the scholar from Uttar
Pradesh provided an interesting reply. According to Sharma, Ravana's Lanka
was not situated in modern Sri Lanka. He believes it was much further away,
probably in Africa.
"The Ramayana states Lanka to be yojanas distant by sea, that is about 800
miles. The rakshas sanskriti (culture of the rakshasas), does not match
that of the Sri Lanka people. Rakshasas are described as dark, tall and
with dangling lips, features more common among Africans. There are
references to a lot of gold. Where is gold in Sri Lanka? In South Africa
one many still rind it."
But isn't there a possibility of exaggeration? Sharma agrees, "Havana's
ten heads may not have been a physical entity. Our four vedas and six
shastras make ten. So a person with ten heads may be some one proficient
in these works."
Tracing the route of a person from that faraway age was a real problem at
times. "When I reached Jalalpur, I was depressed, hungry and lost. That's
when one came across a: strange, legless sant who asked me, 'So, you have
finally come.' It was as if he knew me. 'Yes, I have come,' I said."
Sharma wanted to enquire about the position of two rivers Vedsuti and
Shandika. The stranger not only provided him with the new names of and
directions to the Ancient waters but also told him about two more, the
Bakulahi and the Sakarni. The last is only a nala now.
There was a danger of encountering wild animals in the jungles and dacoits
struck thrice at Banda near Chitrakoot. On the third occasion, "My camera,
tape recorder and clothes were taken."
Though he started alone from Delhi, Sharma generally used the services of a
guide and an interpreter. "There was a language problem especially in the
jungles, people there don't use our tongue. The interpreters were
generally local teachers."
A fine collection of pictures taken with a Kodak Hotshot, was one of the
gains. "I've never photographed anything before but several of my snaps
were very good, and that is rather surprising. At Chedukarai in
Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, I took a photograph which clearly shows what
was beneath nine to ten feet of water."
Barring exceptions, people generally appreciate "his endeavour. His
departmental colleagues have met him and enquired about the unique
expedition. Was it not difficult for the city-bred man to travel in
jungles and drink the untreated river water? "No, due to the fresh air and
exercise my digestion actually improved. But at times I had to negotiate
unknown mountains alone. Some intellectuals I consulted in the towns
misguided me."
Sharma journeyed by day and camped during the nights. Now, Sharma wishes
to delve deeper into his subject of interest. "I have noted several areas
for possible research. What was the status of science during that age?
Rakshas sanskriti and dev sanskriti have to be interpreted. The route I
took may be developed in the form of a religious tour."
The discovery of ancient chattrams in Tamil Nadu, which had provision for
food and shelter seemed to suggest that a pilgrimage route might have
existed in the hazy past. Rama spent ten years in Dandak Van (area of
present Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka). He also kept coming
back to places he had visited before. Therefore, some pointers to his
residence may be found in and around that region, but no route.
"Northerners believe that the temple at Rameswaram was built before the
journey across the ocean. But the locals there are of the opinion that it
was constructed after his victory," says Sharma. Apparently, Rama even
travelled down south to Wadi in Karnataka after his coronation. That
journey was in the form of a pilgrimage.
Sharma is of the opinion that science will eventually explain many parts of
our epics. A case in point is the crater at Lonar. The Ramayana mentions
a certain lavanasur who was killed by Rama and the rakshasa's head was
flung five yojanas away. "Scientists from abroad have recently stated that
there was a natural explosion in the area ages ago and a head of a mountain
broke off," reveals our traveller. The place was probably called Lavanpur
and gradually the name got corrupted to Lonar.
In his long journey, Ramautar Sharma's notable achievement was his
interaction with the people of India, knowing them, getting acquainted with
their views. Will Rama's journey be ultimately traced in its fullness?
Only time can tell.
|
||
|
||
| Advertise with us! |
|
|