Ramayana: Encyclopedia II - Ramayana

Ramayana - Timeline

The Ramayan is ascribed to a single author, Vālmiki. Its exact date of creation is unknown, and is estimated to lie between the 4th and 2nd century B.C.E. "The Cultural Heritage of India", Vol. IV, "The Religions", The Rāmakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture, says: "The first and the last Books of the Rāmāyana are later additions. The bulk, consisting of Books II--VI, represents Rāma as an ideal hero. In Books I and VII, however Rāma is made an avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, and the epic poem is transformed into a Vaishnav text. The reference to the Greeks, Parthians, and Sakas show that these Books cannot be earlier than the second century B.C.E..."

However, as per the traditional astronomical back-projection by Vedic system, the event of the war between Rāma and Rāvana is supposed to have happened 880,147 years ago, as of April 09, 2005. This is an important observation made in invariably all astronomical almanacs published in India. These almanacs, called Pancang are intended to be used as calendars, ready-reckoner for muhurt, and astrological predictions, and thus subtlely organize and control the life and events in Indian society - especially the Hindu community. Modern scholars even in India are usually sceptic about this claim. Yet several modern researchers as well as traditional practitioners of the Hindu system of time-charts and cosmology subscribe to this. This view has never been accepted by mainstream modern historians in India.