Rama Setu: Heritage

Valmiki ramayana, Sarga 21, Yuddhakandam Describes Ramas victory over the ocean; he releases the arrow which makes a volcano erupt, resulting in a tsunami. This episode is validated by the heatflow and geotectonic maps of Bharatam in the Rama Setu region.

S. Kalyanaraman, Ph.D., Sarasvati Research Centre, Former Sr. Exec., Asian Development Bank, kalyan97@gmail.com
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A volcanic canyon west of Rama Setu, 1 m to 3000 m slope

Location map. Inset: bathymetry map of the Gulf of Mannar (reproduced from Murty et al., 1994)
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http://www.Setusamudram.in/htmdo

Seismic activity
Indian plate dynamically moves northwards @6 cm. per year resulting in plate tectonics (e.g Bhuj earthquake, Aceh quake). The Indian Ocean in this region is riddled with earthquake fault-lines

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Tsunami effect: 2,60,000 lives lost

Destruction of Aceh island, damage in beaches north of Chennai and Nagapattinam Sea-bed has risen by about 200 m. in some regions 2/3 of the aquatic life and corals devastated in the Biosphere Reserve/Marine National Parks

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Tsuanmi of Dec. 26, 2004

Result of plate tectonics in Sunda plate

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Tectonic setting of the Bay of Bengal

The potential for giant tsunamigenic earthquakes in the northern Bay of Bengal
Phil R. Cummins Nature 449, 75-78(6 September 2007) doi:10.1038/nature06088

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Project location

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Bore-hole locations on Rama Setu

Collapsed canyons forming a ridge Destruction of fragile coral islands by sediments Likely reactivation of sub-sea heatflows No tsunamiprotection walls (as in Japan)

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Tsunami funneling effect in a channel

The Sethusamudram canal similar to Alberni canal. In the March 28, 1964, Alaska earthquake tsunami, outside of Alaska the largest tsunami amplitude was at the head of the Alberni canal well inland and not at the open coast as everyone expected. Due to (a phenomenon known as) quarter wave resonance. (Prof. Tad Murthy)
http://www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htm

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Nightmare ship salvage operation if Setusamudram is aligned as a midocean channel passage

Suez canal uses special bollards every 200 ft. to salvage a grounded vessel Such bollards are possible only if a land-based canal is used.
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Geological, archaeological evidence: Dept. of Earth Sciences (March 2007)

Rameswaram: Mesolithic microlithic tools indicating the human habitation and activity 8000 to 9000 years B.P Talaimannar: Bone and fossils of human and animal form, human habitation -- late Pleistocene (about 13,000 B.P) Human activity on both sides of Rama Setu
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Ramas hotspot
Heatflow in Rama Setu 100 to 180 milliwatt per sq. m. comparable to Himalayan hotsprings Will dredging in the area activate these heat zones?.
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Thorium/titanium placer deposits due to churning action of ocean currents, with Rama Setu acting like a sieve or centrifuge

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Thorium deposits in Kerala (Aluva, Chavara), Tamilnadu (Manavalakurichi) that support nuclear power source for India will be desiccated if Rama Setu is damaged. If another tsunami strikes, the placer deposits will be submerged in the ocean.

Importance of Thorium for Bharat

The currently known Indian thorium reserves (3.6 lakh tonnes) amount to 358,000 GWe-yr of electrical energy Thorium reserves can generate 400,000 MW electricity per year for the next 389 years. Indias vast thorium deposits permit design and operation of U-233 fuelled breeder reactors. (Th-232 + neutron yields Uranium 233)
http://www.barc.ernet.in/webpages/about/anu1.htm

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1.US Navy operational directive, 23 June 2005 2. Inauguration of SSCP 2 July 2005.
United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1958), Convention of the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone recognizes HISTORIC Waters Sirimavo Bandaranaike and India (Indira Gandhi) June 1974: declaration Gulf of Mannar as Historic waters This claim is not recognized by the United States. U.S. conducted operational assertions in 1993 and 1994, 1999 in Gulf (or tadi eduttavan tandal kaaran) treating these as international waters. Geopolitics: USA naval bases : Diego garcia, Trincomalee, Straits of Malacca China 15 naval bases: Gwadar, Haumtota, Sitwe 07/01/08

Traditions
Setutirtha snaanam as sacred. Mahatittha in Sri Lanka. No ploughs are used in Ramanathapuram district : peoples belief that the earth is sacred since Sri Rama made three sivalinga using this earth Any fisherman extracting stone together with algae does prayascittam Skanda Purana (III.1.2.1-114), Vishnu Purana (IV.4.40-49), Agni Purana (V-XI), Brahma Purana (138.1-40) refer to the construction of Rama Setu. Skanda Purana (VI.101.1-44) describes the installation of three Shiva linga at the end, middle and beginning of Rama Setu and making the same bridge submerged and thereby creating Setu-Teertham. This is also related in Kurma Purana (21.10-61). Garuda Purana (1.81.1-22) lists sacred places including Setubandh and Rameswar. Narada Purana (Uttara Bhag 76.1-20) extols the greatness of Rama-Setu.
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setu in all bharatiya languages means man-made bund

English word bund comes from Bharatiya word: bandha Vedavyasa refers to Nalasetu nalasetur iti khyto yo 'dypi prathito bhuvi rmasyj puraskrtya dhryate girisannibhaah MBh. 3.267.45 .... which even today, popular on earth as Nala's bridge, mountainlike, is sustained out of respect for [Lord] Rama's command. (Nala was son of Viswakarma) Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa (sarga 13): "Behold, Sita, My Sethu of mountains dividing this frothy ocean is like the milky way dividing the sky into two parts" Kaavya in Prakrit by Setubandha Kavya by the King Damodara Sen (5th Century).
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Evidence from Sangam literature

venve_r- kavuniyar tonmudu ko_d.imuzhangirum pauvam iranku mun turaivelpo_r iraaman arumar-aikku avittapal veezh aalam po_lao_viyavintanr-aal iv azhunkaloore (Akanaanoor-u paadal 70) Before Sri Rama embarked upon his journey to Sri Lanka, he sat below a big banyan tree on the banks of the sacred Setu (tiruvan.aikkarai) and was engrossed in conversation with his friends. The birds on the banyan tree were chirping. Sri Rama stopped the chirping by his 07/01/08 command. 18

Malabar Bowen map (1747) drawn by Netherlands shows Ramarcoil I (that is, Rama temple).

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Islamic expansion and changing Western views of South Asia, 7th-12th centuries (Al-Birunis record) http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=070 Schwartzberg Atlas, v.
, p. 33.

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Ancient Setu (Aryachakravarti) coins of Jaffna, 13th century Parantaka Chola copper plate (10th cent.)
Setupati coinage, The copper plates indicate that Aparajitavarman went to Setutirtha. (Nagaswamy R.
1979. Thiruttani and Velanjeri Copper Plates. State Dept. Of Archaeology, Tamilnadu. Madras. See: LHernault F. 1978. LIconographie de Subrahmanya au Tamilnad, Institut Franc ais d Indologie. Pondichery, p.111, ph. 63.)

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Rama Setu in sculptures (9th and 10th centuries CE)

Stone steles from the Ramayana wall carvings at Prambanan Temple, Java, Indonesia (built during the ninth and tenth centuries Common Era). Classical Javanese dance performances of the Ramayana are held seasonally at Prambanan temple. A 2006 earthquake in Central Java, however, caused considerable damage to the World Heritage Site. Devi Sita talking to Sri Hanuman Vaanara Sena carrying stones, in their arms and on their heads, to build Rama Setu, followed by Sri Rama, carrying a sword. Fish and other sea creatures handling stones from Rama's bridge to Lanka, during the construction of Nala Setu (Rama Setu). Source:
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Kilakkarai and other places produce sankha, a cultural symbol venerated in Bharatiya traditions (West Bengal Dev. Corpn. In Kilakarai has an annual turnover of Rs. 100 crores to procure sankha from Rama Setu coastal zone)

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Save marine wealth: Vegetarian sea-cow, green turtle

The only place in the world where dugong lives. Dugong is a sea-cow which eats only sea-grass. There are over 3,600 unique aquatic species in the Gulf of Mannar Bioreserve national parks.
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Project does NOT make nautical/economic sense

According to Capt. Balakrishnan, the saving in time from Kolkata to Tuthukudi (Tuticorin) for a ship will be only 1.5 hrs. Crossing channel at 6 nautical miles paying pilotage charges (approx. Rs. 5 lakhs per passage)? Even many small ships with only 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnes may prefer to navigate around Srilanka instead of using the channel.
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Rama Setu: ancient monument of international importance, whether manmade or natural; even a stone or a cave or a river is a monument under the 1958 Act. From Setu to Himachalam defines the sovereign Bharatam according to the Suvey of India logo since 1767.
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Why save Rama Setu ?

To remember Sri Rama. The only surviving monument related to Sri Rama who walked from Ayodhya to Srilanka This social, cultural memory is sacred Sri Rama vigrahavaan dharmah (the very embodiment of dharma) Sri Rama is the role model for bharatiya values based on dharma and for integrity of the rashtram
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