Tuesday 26 November 2013

THE RAMAYANA - A CLUE TO THE LOST CITY OF 'CIUDAD BLANCA' OF HONDURAS ?

On one of his flights over the jungles of Mosquitia in Honduras in the 1920s, Charles Lindberg, the first solo aviator to have crossed the Atlantic, caught a glimpse of what he thought was the 'Lost City of the Monkey God' where, legend says that local indigenous people worshipped huge 'Monkey Sculptures'. 

Working on this lead given by Charles Lindberg, Theodore Morde - an American adventurer, combed the jungles of Mosquitia in Honduras in search of the 'Lost City of the Monkey God'. Later in 1940 Theodore Morde claimed that he had finally found the lost city. Morde was to return to the site with his team to announce the exact location of the site but he was killed in a car accident. The legend of the Monkey God city has been known to the world since at least the times of the Spanish invaders in the 1500s. The Spanish named the site 'Ciudad Blanca' or 'White City' and they believed that it was the location of treasures of gold hidden since ancient times.

An artists's representation of the legend of
'Monkey God Worship'
at Ciudad Blanca in Mosquitia, Hondurus

Recently researchers from the University of Houston and the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping flew over the Mosquitia region and revealed that there indeed is evidence of a plaza dotted with ancient pyramids now reclaimed by the jungle on the east end of Honduras. The archaeological site is located somewhere close to the Sikre and Twas rivers but its exact location is held in secret by the Honduras Army.

In the La Mosquitia area submerged in the waters of the Sikre and Twas river are inscribed stones from an ancient times. Perhaps the vanaras frequented these stones in Ramayanic times

On the western end of Honduras is the city of Copan - the site of the ancient Howler Monkey God statue. 

Ancient 'Monkey God' Sculpture, Copan, Hondurus.
Because of his stance and the mace
in his hand, he has been equated with
Sri Hanuman of Ramayana

Local legends of Hondurus does not add much more information to the partly forgotten story about monkey worship in Ciudad Blanca in Mosquitia or about the Howler Monkey God statue of Copan.

But the Hindu epic Ramayana, truly an epic in a bigger way than has ever been acknowledged, sheds some light. In the Kishkinda Kanda of the Ramayana, we find that Sugreeva is crowned as the commander-in-chief of the 'vanaras' (monkey commandos).

Not too long after his crowning, the Ramayana states, Sugreeva instructs the vanaras, stationed around the world, to assemble and organize themselves to carry out the job at hand, which is the search of Sita, the abducted wife of the God-King Sri Rama. For those who are driven by logic (and not swayed by the medieval interpretation of Ramayana) the facts stare us in the face.

To cross check the the facts refer to Kishkinda Kanda or Book- 4 of the Valmiki Ramayana. Chapter 37, verses 1-9, which describe the recruitment of 'vanaras'  from within Jambhudvipa (India) and from around the world:

1. "Convoke the Vanaras available on the summits of these five mountains, namely Mt. Mahendra, Mt. Himalaya, Mt. Vindhya, and Mt. Kailash and those that are on the whitish peak of Mt. Mandara.". (Verse 4-37-2). This refers to recruitment of the vanaras from the Indian region.

2. "As well as those that are on the mountains where the ocean ends, there by seashore, 'Udaya Adri', namely 'Sunrise-Mountain,' which mountains will always be dazzling with the tinge of youthful sun. And them that are on the mountains which shine in the ochry hue of evening clouds, 'Asta Adri, namely 'Sunset-Mountain' and which mountains are situated at the Palace of Sun". (Verse 4-37-3). This refers to the recruitment of the vanaras, not from Jambudweepa, but from other parts of the world, more specifically  from the Andes, or some other range of South America.

That the Udaya Adri is indeed one of the peaks of the Andes is clear because the Ramayana also mentions the 'Paracas Trident of the Andes'. Click here to read more about the Ramayana link to the 'Paracas Trident of Peru'.

Paracs Trident of Peru is mentioned in
Kishkinda Kanda of the Ramayana, Chapter 40 Verse 53

Here is the verse from the Ramayana that mentions the Paracs Trident of Peru:  "A golden pylon resembling a palm tree with three branches as its heads is established on the peak of that mountain as the insignia of that great-souled Ananta, and it will be lustrous with a golden podium. [4-40-53]."

Tracing the path of the sun after it has risen from Udaya Adri (Andes), the author Sage Valmiki says, that the sun becomes visible in Jambhudvipa (India), only to then go across where the Indus falls into the sea at Karachi, beyond the mountain ranges (Zagros of Iran/Iraq) where it sets at 'Asta Adri' (Sunset Mountain). It then passes over Mt. Meru (North Pole) only to once again rise from Udaya Adri (Andes of South America).

There are many ancient sites in South America who's
 history remain unexplained. Many of these seem to have close Vedic - Hindu ties in terms of the similarity of temple architecture, the Sanskrit like names of these sites such as Kori-Kanchan or Tivanaku, or the Havan Kund like 'fire worship structures' such as the one at Paraiso that have survived  to tell part of the story. In time science and archaeology may help to piece the rest of the puzzle.

Update: The Lost City or Ciudad Blanca, a legendary archaeological site located in the depths of the jungles of Mosquitia, seems to have been discovered by Honduran and American scientists through a satellite scan. According to reports by experts in archeology of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), the existence of Lost City or Ciudad Blanca is real but the authorities have preferred to keep the location anonymous to prevent looting by international traffickers in antiquities. 


The location of the Lost City of the Monkey Gods
has been kept anonymous by the Honduras authorities.

Monday 18 November 2013

SYRIA - THE RAMAYANA CONNECTION ?

The Biblical name of 'Syria' was 'Aram; and the language of the Bible is known as 'Aramiac'.

In the year 2009, 50 km north of Damascus in Syria, was discovered evidence of an ancient
civilization in an uninhabitable part of Syria. There are massive stonehenge like stones here, which archaeologists say, are about about 8000-10000 years old.However, the archaeologists have no clue what those structures might be. They call it the 'Syrian Stonehenge' and are perplexed at what this site might have been used for. The history of the region sheds absolutely no light on this mystery.

The ancient Indian epic Ramayana gives a few clues though. The Ramayana mentions a number of structures or manors built by 'Vishwakarma' - the celestial architect, massive in size, some shaped like a mountain, others circular in shape, spread around the world. One example is the structure by the name 'Chakravan'. In Kishkinda Kanda of the Ramayana, the 'vanara' commando leader, Sugreeva, provides a route-map to each of the four 'vanara' brigades travelling in four different directions in search of Sita, the abducted wife of God-King Sri Rama. Read an earlier blog on the details of the sojourn of the 'vanaras' travelling West and to 'Chakravan' here.

That the 'vanaras' are headed beyond present day Indian borders to what we call the 'Middle East' is evident from the description of the sea (Arabian), mountain peaks (of the Zagros range of Iran/Iraq) and the tall 'palm' trees that the 'vanaras' encounter en-route. Other clues include the fact that Sugreev tells the 'vanaras' to go west, pass the point where the Indus falls into the sea (which is in present day Karachi), and then move forward up unto the 'fourth quarter of the sea' (Arabian) till they pass many mountains (Zagros) and see Chakravan, a circular built by the celestial architect Vishwakarma. 


Crossing that they are told they will pass Mt. Varaha. Onward they will come across Mt. Meghvanta, moving forward they will see a mountain range of many peaks of which one is the majestic Mt. Meru. Then they are instructed to move to their final destination - Astagiri (which translates as 'Sunset Hill').

On Mt. Astagiri they are told they will find a huge and majestic multi-storied manor, also built by the celestial architect 'Vishwakarma' - this is a second example of a massive structure built by the celestial architect mentioned in the Ramayana in the Kishkinda Kanda. Says the Ramayana, "On the pinnacle of Mt. Astagiri, or the Mt. Dusk, there is a supreme and heavenly manor-house compacted with multi-storied buildings, which in shine will be similar to Sun and which is arranged by Vishvakarma, the Divine Architect. " [4-42-44]

The gigantic structures built by the celestials, west of India, which Sugreeva' says elsewhere in the epic are visible from the skies, must have left some traces, signs and ruins. In Eurasia, recent excavations at stonehenge like sites include Goebkli Tepe and Nevali Cori in Turkey, Arkaim in Russia, Balbek in Lebanon and the sites of Urkesh and the 'Syrian Stonehenge' near Damascus. Syria is the western most country to the east of the Mediterranean Sea.

Where is Mt. Astagiri of the Ramayana? 'Astagiri' translates as 'Sunset Mouintain' and is the western most point that Sage Valmiki says he is aware about. Beyond that limit he writes, "...we have no knowledge of those sunless and boundless realms available far and beyond." [4-42-51]

Is the Syrian Stonehenge, the majestic, multi-storied manor built by celestial architect Vishwakarma for Varuna (God of the Sea and Ocean) mentioned in the Ramayana the Syrian stonehenge? The Syrian Stonehenge is located close to the Mediterranean Sea, on a mountain. The majestic multi storied structure of the Ramayana too was located on a mountain at the furthermost point beyond which as per Valmiki (the author of Ramayana) no culture had yet evolved.

The massive stonehenge like structures at this Syrian excavation site could not have been constructed without some kind of advanced technology and hence their construction may be attributed to celestial or divine architects. Though the ruins of a partially-destructed monastery built much later during the Roman times still stand, architects have found that it is built over the much more ancient multi-layered megalithic structure of which they have no historical record.


An aerial view of the Syrian Stonehenge
excavation site 50 km from Damascus.


A monastery was built during the Roman times
over the far more ancient Syrian Stonehenge.

A monastery was built during the Roman times over the far more ancient Syrian Stonehenge. The Hindu Epic Ramayana mentions 'a supreme and heavenly manor-house compacted with multi-storied buildings, which in shine is similar to Suna and which was designed by Vishvakarma, the Divine Architect'.



Another view of the site of the Syrian Stonehenge.
A monastery built by the Romans stands on this ancient site.

The Ramayana also states that in a region, west of India, after crossing many mountain peaks, on 'Mt. Asta-giri' where the sun sets, is Lord Varuna's (Vedic Sea-God's) multi-storied manor.


Was Valmiki describing this Syrian structure to
the 'vanara'  when he wrote 
about the multi-level manor
built by the celestial architect Vishwakarma? 

This contention is not far-fetched at all if you were to check out some place names even today in Syria. The ancient name of Syria's largest port city Latakia was Ramitha. A certain part of the city (at co-ordinates 35°35'15"N 35°44'10"E is still known as Ramitha. The city of Ramitha is identified as the same as 'Ramoth'. The name Ramoth is mentioned 33 times in the Bible as stated here.

There is another fairly large town in Syria by the name Ram. Another village by the name 'Kafr Ram' in central Syria, is the site of a well known little pond which bears the name 'Rehmat er Ram'. Then there is Lake Ram on Mt. Hermon.



Lake Ram, Near Mt. Hermon, Syria. The name of the mountain
may itself have been derived from the name 'Rama'. Mt. Hermon
was also known as 'Senir' which is said to be derived from the
words Syria or Assyria, ultimately from Sanskrit 'Sura and 'Asura'.

That Syria and Assyria are names derived from the Sanskrit 'Sura' (सुर) and 'Asura (असुर) is an idea which has found support of quite a few well known scholars. Also, Edward Pollocke in his book 'India in Greece' attributed the name Syria to the Sanskrit 'Surya' (सूर्य) meaning 'sun'. He wrote, "The term Syria is derived from the Indian tribes that, under the appellation of Surya, or the Sun, gives its enduring name to the province of Suriya, now Syria".
______________________________________
** Here are the verses about the 'Multistorey Manor on a Hill' in the Valmiki Ramayana. (Kishkinda Kand Section 42, Verse 44). Courtesy: www.valmikiramayana.net

शृंगे तस्य महत् दिव्यम् भवनम् सूर्य संनिभम् |
प्रासाद गण संबाधम् विहितम् विश्वकर्मणा || ४-४२-४

tasya shRinge = on its, pinnacle, [Mt. Astagiri's pinnacle];
praasaada gaNa sambaadham = building with many stories, or multi-storey, compacted with terraces; 

suurya sannibham = similarto Sun in shine;
mahat = a supreme; divyam = a heavenly;
bhavanam = manor-house; vishvakarmaNaa vihitam = by Vishvakarma, arranged - is there.

"On the pinnacle of Mt. Astagiri, or the Mt. Dusk, there is a supreme and heavenly manor-house compacted with multi-storied buildings, which in shine will be similar to Sun and which is arranged by Vishvakarma, the Divine Architect. [4-42-44]

शोभितम् तरुभिः चित्रैः नाना पक्षि समाकुलैः |
निकेतम् पाश हस्तस्य वरुणस्य महात्मनः || ४-४२-४५


citraiH = with amazing ones;
naanaa pakSi sam aakulaiH = with diverse, birds, well [musically,] twittering;

tarubhiH shobhitam = with trees, brightened with; mahaa aatmanaH = great-souled one; paasha hastasya = tether, in hand [wielder of];

varuNasya niketam = Sea-God Varuna's, villa - is there.
"That villa is brightened by amazing trees, on which diverse birds will be twittering musically, belongs to the great-souled Varuna, the Rain-god, who wields a tether. [4-42-45].

Suggested Links:
1. Syria's Mysterious Stonehenge
2. The Surya Asurya Split

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