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New Delhi:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has asserted in the Supreme
Court that there is no evidence to prove that Ramar Sethu/Adam’s Bridge
is man made.
It is a natural
formation made up of shoals/sand bars, which are possessed of their particular
shape and form due to wave action and sedimentation over several millennia.
In its
affidavit filed in the Sethusamudram case on Wednesday, the ASI said,
“The petitioners [Subramanian Swamy and others] while seeking relief
[not to damage Ramar Sethu] have primarily relied upon the contents
of the Valmiki Ramayana, the Ramcharitmanas by Tulasidas and other mythological
texts, which admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature,
but which cannot be said to be [a] historical record to incontrovertibly
prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the events
depicted therein.”
Acting
on Dr. Swamy’s application, the court on August 31 restrained the
Centre and the Sethusamudram Corporation from causing any damage to
Adam’s Bridge. In its affidavit, the Centre said Adam’s Bridge was
not man made.
The ASI,
in its reply, said: “The ASI is aware of and duly respects the deep
religious import bestowed upon these texts by the Hindu community across
the globe; it is also submitted that the study of human history, which
is the primary object of the ASI, like other sciences and fields of
study must be carried out in a scientific manner, using available technological
aids, and its findings must be based on tangible material evidence.”
The ASI
said, “The petitioners have relied upon a series of maps of medieval
and pre-Independence India, which admittedly do refer to the formation
known as Adam’s Bridge. However, a mere named reference cannot conclusively
prove the fact that the formation is actually a man-made structure.
The existence of human remains, whether in the form of bones, etc, or
in the form of other artifacts, is primary to prove archaeologically
the existence and veracity of a historical fact. No such human remains
have been discovered at the site of the formation known as Adam’s
Bridge.”
The ASI
said the study conducted by the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad,
conclusively established that Adam’s Bridge was not a man-made structure
and that it actually comprised 103 small patch reefs lying in a linear
pattern with reef crest, sand cays and intermittent deep channels.
“NASA
images misread”
“The
petitioners have relied upon imagery of Adam’s Bridge supplied by
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA, captured by
several NASA space capsules and space shuttles. The petitioners have
misread and misinterpreted these images to contend that the naturally
occurring formations shown in these images are man made and more specifically
constructed by Lord Rama,” the ASI said.
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