Adam's bridge

[Mogwa]

Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions


Another example of how the most ancient texts may provide accurate historical information once they are stripped of theology and dogma.
The bridge is certainly there and it is an artificial construction. The points of contention are when and by whom it was built. Those with strong Hindu related religious refer to it as "Rama's Bridge", while westerner's have dubbed it "Adam's Bridge."
I see two possible explanations for the bridge's existence. One would agree with theories regarding the cyclic destructions and rebirths of human civilizations, while the other concept proposes that humans are not the masters of this planet.
Hindu mythic histories claim the bridge was built by Rama, a non human divine being, by employing thousands of primitive monkey like creatures as laborers. Could that work force have been a species of our ancient ancestors? And where did the entity Rama come from? What was he, if he existed at all?
My own tentative conclusion after years of study is that we share this world with at least one other, far older and technologically advanced life form. I don't know if they are indigenous to Earth, colonists or hostile invaders, but our best interests and welfare are of little consequence to them.

 

[pixelsmith]

Date:17/03/2007 URL: "It's not a man-made structure"

Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin

"It's not a man-made structure"

R. Vimal Kumar

Adam's Bridge, "only a geological phenomenon"

Tuticorin: Adam's Bridge is not a man made structure rather it's a geological phenomenon, according to N. Ramanujam, Head, Post Graduate Department of Geology and Research Centre, V.O. Chidambaram College, here.

He was reacting to both political and apolitical statements made by different sections , relating Adam's Bridge to the epic "Ramayana."

Speaking to The Hindu here on Friday, he said that Adam's Bridge is only a chain of shoals between the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, created by sedimentation owing to long shore currents.

Explaining the bridge's geological history, he said both the Palk Strait and the GoM were once part of the Cauvery basin, which was formed during the separation of India and Antarctica about 70 million years ago during the `Gondwana period.'

They were combined till a ridge was formed in the region owing to thinning of earth's crust. The development of this ridge augmented the coral growth in the region.

"The coral cover acted as a `sand trapper' leading to the formation of Rameswaram Island," Dr. Ramanujam said.

The long shore currents on the southern side of island created a discontinuous shoreline eastward from Dhanuskodi to Talaimannar, which's the Adam's Bridge.

He dispelled the fears of a few environmentalists and non-governmental organisations that destruction of Adam's Bridge to facilitate the implementation of Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) would create geological imbalance in the region.

"Considering that Adam's Bridge is just sedimentary deposits, its removal will not create any geological imbalance," he said.

Dr. Ramanujam ruled out any impact of the SSCP on the fragile eco-system in the GoM.

"Since the dredging was mainly carried out in Palk Strait, which was far away from the valued environmental assets in the GoM biosphere's buffer zone, coral reef eco system will not be affected," he said.

© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu

 

[Mogwa]

What you have quoted is one opinion, and there are many who disagree with that evaluation, including members of the Geological Survey of India and the Indian National Institute of Ocean Technology, along with Dr. S.U.Deraniyagala, the Director-General of Sri Lanka's State Archaeology ministry.
They maintain that much of the base material is of natural origin that provided a foundation for artificial expansion. I believe the facts argue against the structure being a purely geological formation.

 

[Raevenskye]

have there been any human artifacts found in/on it?

 

[Mogwa]

have there been any human artifacts found in/on it?

The bridge was in constant use until a period sometime between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when portions of it were submerged, so there would be all sorts of human artifacts in the area. But None of them can conclusively prove the structure is artificial.

Pixelsmith's source raised valid points to contradict the construction theory, and I don't want to categorically state that couldn't be the correct explanation. Those who do subscribe to the opposing view raise issues relating to currents, geology, dating, ancient maps, histories, and admittedly questionable religious texts.

The sphinx was carved from bedrock whose natural shape already resembled that of a reclining lion. The sculptors only had the dress the stone to achieve the results they wanted. When you compare the figure's disproportionately small head to its body, you can clearly see how the creators were forced to do the best they could with what was available.

The sunken ruins of Yonaguni may also be an example of ancient masons modifying natural formations to save time and labor when creating structures. The tides in the area form unique patterns allowing for the gradual erosion of the stones into right angled intersecting planes that only needed finishing to make suitable rectangular platforms. While some experts claim that fact alone is sufficient evidence to explain away the idea of a lost "temple complex," I know of no natural tidal processes capable of carving recognizable bas reliefs. Only intelligent beings can do that.

The "bridge" may well be completely natural. I have no certain way of knowing beyond all doubt. The problem is that humanity suffers from a very serious case of amnesia. Most of our past has been erased. All we know of our heritage is what we can deduce from the confusing, often contradictory clues we come across. Why?

 

[Raevenskye]

I see....the constant use thing would make it really difficult to tell. I've never heard of this bridge before, and I'm fascinated.
I studied Archaeology and worked as a field asst on a lot of projects (a lot of historical, and SE prehistorical), and I think the "why" is why we do fieldwork...hoping that science might explain some of these things. It seems to be an ever-present human quest to know where we came from and why, as far back as we can possibly go. That's certainly true for me, personally, being a misplaced Cherokee. My steps on the path of my heritage are baby steps...the bonds irrevocably broken. This goes beyoind curiosity...it's a quest.
If people did make and use that bridge, they might not have thought it important enough to document, or had poor means to do so. Plenty has been lost to "I just didn't think about it".