Planetarium Software and the Aryan Debate

[Knight Ryder]

Professor B N N Achar wrote sometime ago about his Planetarium Software and how he used the software to deduce the approximate date of Mahabharata.

This software, designed by him, can project the view of the sky at any time and at any place in the world.. He then used the information with respect to equinoxes described in the Mahabharata to calculate the date of the epic war in 3067 BC, with help of his software.

You can read his paper length over here: http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/pdf/en/indology/narahari01.pdf

Though I have not been able to search for any criticism of his paper, it would be interesting to read.

[The_Spartan]

Has these been peer reviewed/verified by other astronomers using other software and arrived at similar dates?

The paper gives a rough date of the battle of kurukshetra at around

One can give a rough estimate of the time interval required for the repetition of the astronomical configurations given in the epic. The Saros cycle (18 tropical years and 11 days, or 223 synodic months, or 19 eclipse years) for the repetition of eclipses and the Meto

nic cycle (19 tropical years, or 235 synodic months) for the repetition of a given phase on a given date are well known. It follows therefore, that an event like am ̃v ̃sya at Jyeÿ÷ha nakÿatrawould repeat after 19 years. But a total solar eclipse at Jyeÿ÷ha nakÿatrawould

repeat after about 340 years! Combine that with þani at rohiõi, it would take something like 10000± 3000 years (allowing a generous margin of error) to repeat. This explains why the planetary configurations described in the epic and found on the date of 3067 BCE proposed here could not be found on any of the other dates proposed by scholars.

From other places around the world, from archaeological records, we do have rough idea of the major events /milestones that occure4d in the same timeline.

Cuneiform script is believed to have to been developed in the 31st century, the same time line when the Battle of Kurukshetra is claimed to have occurred , as per the above paper. But there are no archaeological evidences in form of tablets, rock carvings or any inscriptions of the script of ancient India from the same time frame.

During the same time frame, it is considered that the Indus valley Civilization had links with ancient Mesopotamia. but there are no records in either civilization about any such event. (IVC script is not yet deciphered yet, but at least from sumeria are there any records?)

Edited September 7, 2013 by The_Spartan

[questionmark]

Has these been peer reviewed/verified by other astronomers using other software and arrived at similar dates?

The paper gives a rough date of the battle of kurukshetra at around

From other places around the world, from archaeological records, we do have rough idea of the major events /milestones that occure4d in the same timeline.

Cuneiform script is believed to have to been developed in the 31st century, the same time line when the Battle of Kurukshetra is claimed to have occurred , as per the above paper. But there are no archaeological evidences in form of tablets, rock carvings or any inscriptions of the script of ancient India from the same time frame.

During the same time frame, it is considered that the Indus valley Civilization had links with ancient Mesopotamia. but there are no records in either civilization about any such event. (IVC script is not yet deciphered yet, but at least from sumeria are there any records?)

We know that there were trading connections, which do not amount to direct connections by the fact that trading seals from both civilizations have been found in the archeological record of both civilization. For further information (from 3000 BC on) see Gosh&Sterns Indus Valley pre-modern travel.

[Knight Ryder]

Has these been peer reviewed/verified by other astronomers using other software and arrived at similar dates?

The paper gives a rough date of the battle of kurukshetra at around

From other places around the world, from archaeological records, we do have rough idea of the major events /milestones that occure4d in the same timeline.

Cuneiform script is believed to have to been developed in the 31st century, the same time line when the Battle of Kurukshetra is claimed to have occurred , as per the above paper. But there are no archaeological evidences in form of tablets, rock carvings or any inscriptions of the script of ancient India from the same time frame.

During the same time frame, it is considered that the Indus valley Civilization had links with ancient Mesopotamia. but there are no records in either civilization about any such event. (IVC script is not yet deciphered yet, but at least from sumeria are there any records?)

Dear friend, today we buy a lot of stuff that is made in China, does that mean that while writing our autobiography at the age of 70, we will also write about the fight that some one named Mr Xu had with Mr Li approximately 40 years ago?

Just because Mesopotamia was doing trade with IVC does not mean that they would write about tribal wars fought in IVC.

Secondly, regarding tablets, rock carvings & inscriptions. Here is what Archaeological Society of India has to say:

Epigraphical Studies in India - Sanskrit and Dravidian

Antiquity of writing in India, The early scripts and

Pioneers of Indian Epigraphy

Antiquity of writing in India

The earliest known system of writing is found on the seals and sealings used by the people of Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization dating to about circa 2600 – 1900 B.C. However, this script is not yet deciphered and hence the contents of these inscriptions are unknown.For the period between the fall of the Harappan Civilization and advent of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka (3rd century B.C.), nothing is known about the system of writing, but for the references to writing in ancient literatures like Vedas, Puranas, Brahmanas and Upanishads. Further, the knowledge of Brahmi script at least among the elites over a considerable period of time prior to the appearance of Asokan edicts cannot be denied as when these edicts were engraved everywhere, there were meant to be read, understood and conveyed to everybody.

The early scripts

Asokan edicts (3rd century B.C.) are the earliest decipherable inscriptions, so far available in India. Brahmi script is the precursor to all the later period scripts written in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Dravidian languages found in different parts of India today.Another ancient script, which was predominantly used in the north-west of India is Kharoshthi. Kharoshthi is a modification of Aramaic scrip and it is written from right to left. It was used to write the Prakrit inscriptions of Asokan rock edicts found at Mansehra and Shahbazgarhi (both in Pakistan now) in the north-western part of the Asokan empire. After Asoka, the use of Kharoshthi script spread to Mathura region and was prevalent in the ancient province of Gandhara up to 2nd century A.D.

Pioneers of Indian Epigraphy

A host of scholars like William Jones, C. Lassen and others made successive efforts for the decipherment of Brahmi script. It was James Princep in the year 1837 who unravelled the mystery of Brahmi script. However, the credit of preparing a complete and scientific table of the Brahmi characters goes to Buhler. Similarly the efforts of C. Masson, C. Lassen, A. Cunningham and others are laudable in the decipherment of Kharoshthi script. Further, the great contributions made by A.C. Burnell, George Buhler, Kielhorn, Heinrich Luders, R.G. Bhandrkar and other in the field of epigraphy are noteworthy.