Created by Jijith Nadumuri at 04 Jul 2018 17:50 and updated at 04 Jul 2018 17:53
A New Dating of Mahabharata War - by Krishna Ramamoorthy
Introduction: Significance of Mahabharata dating
Several Scholars have attempted to date the epic. The dating of the epic is very vital to understanding the Hindu history since it occupies a significant position in the Hindu literature.
The Mahabharata is sometimes called as the sheet anchor of the Hindu history. The Hindu literature of Puranas refer to the events anterior to Mahabharata in the past tense and the event posterior to Mahabharata in future tense. The Puranas also refer to onset of the new age of Kali with the Mahabharata implying its historical significance for the Hindu history.
The Mahabharata also occupies an important position in the Vedic Samhitas. The oldest Vedic Samhita-Rig Veda was compiled just before the events of Mahabharata unfolds. In the Rig Veda the oldest contemporaneous Bharatha king mentioned is Divodasa. The Rig Veda follows a series of successive contemporaneous Bharatha Kings Pratardana, Sudas, Somaka, Sahadeva, Ashvamedha etc. all the way up to Kuru Sharavana, Devapi and Santanu in Book 10. The Rig Veda ending with Santanu is followed by the thrilling sequel in the Mahabharata.
Similar to Rig Vedic Samhita, Mahabharata also occupies a significant position with respect to Yajur Vedic and Atharvana Vedic Samhita. The last Bharata king mentioned in the Yajur Veda is the King Dhritarashtra. The last Bharata king mentioned in Atharvana Veda is Parikshit. The Mahabharata thus has a close affinity with the Vedic Samhita literature.
In view of the significance of Mahabharata literature, the dating of Mahabharata assumes significance. Unfortunately the only dateable archeological evidence ever found mentioning Hindu gods in pre Buddha era is the Mitanni evidence. The Mitanni evidence is dated to 1500-1300B.C.
This paper attempts to date Mahabharata based on the astronomical evidence from the literature. The date arrived in the paper is 1504B.C. This date matches with the Mitanni evidence. It also corresponds well with Shrikant Talegiri's conclusion that Mitanni civilization corresponds to Late Rig Vedic and not Pre Rig Vedic culture.
Link to the original Article
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uf4L1NSb1dkpbuAgaIV42LWEE9TSUdOb/view
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