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Monday, May 04, 2015

Using science to date an ancient battle

image: painting of Krishna and Arjun on the chariot, Mahabharata, 18th-19th century, India
Krishna and Arjun on the chariot, Mahabharata, 18th-19th century, India, Wikipedia
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Delving into ancient tales for proof of actual events can be tricky to say the least. But the work of Dr. Naraha Achar used such intriguing methods that I must respect in his results. The basis for this post is a video about finding evidence of a sunken city called Dwaraka (Dvārakā) in ancient India. You can find Dr. Achar's research explained from times 14:30 to 19:40 of this long, sometimes rambling video. Approach with caution: there are suggestions of a conspiracy to cover up archaeological findings and intimations of alien technology.
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Dr. Achar's research is based on a long, complex Sanskrit epic of ancient India called the Mahabharata. B. N. Narahari Achar is professor emeritus at the Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Memphis. There are several opinions on when the Kurukshetra War, the main event described in the Mahabharata, occurred.

Subhash Kak, professor emeritus at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Louisiana State University, addresses some of these opinions and how complex the Mahabharata is. Check out this paper by him. In his paper he mentions Dr. Acher's research, saying
Recently, the historian of astronomy Narahari Achar has in unpublished work argued for the date of 3067 BC with an error of a few decades. Achar’s work does not depend on the classical siddhantic ideas which increases its persuasiveness. (Note.9)
Author Stephen Knapp also mentions Dr. Achar's work in his Time Line of Lord Krishna article; but I tend to give his writing a wide berth because of this opening line--"As devotees and followers of the Vedic path..."

Some interesting reading can be found under the topic of Archaeoastronomy. To get an idea of how deep and varied human beliefs are, take a look at Wikipedia's Lists of Deities.

I came across this quote from J.R.R. Tolkien the other day:
All that is gold does not glitter,
not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by the frost.

-- Marge

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