The structure has a mythological connect as a large number of Hindus believe that it was a bridge built by Lord Rama and his disciples to cross the ocean.
After numerous debates on the origin of Ram Setu – a limestone bridge that runs from south India to the northern coast of Sri Lanka – the Centre is again planning to conduct a study on whether it was natural or a man-made structure.
The structure has a mythological connect as a large number of Hindus believe that it was a bridge built by Lord Rama and his disciples to cross the ocean.
The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), a body under the HRD Ministry, is going to conduct a detailed study to find out its origins. ICHR Chairman Y Sudershan Rao confirmed the development. He said that the pilot project will start in October, before which they will train the researchers for two months on how to undertake the study.
Ram Setu runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in south India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. ICHR researchers will collect material evidence from the area to study the origin of the bridge.
As per Encyclopaedia Britannica, geological evidence suggests that in the Ice Age, the stretch used to be a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
Hindutva organisations propagate the theory of calling it a man-made structure by saying that it was built by Lord Rama. The website of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a Hindu right-wing organisation, that demands Hindu rasthra, says: "Lord Rama and his vaanar sena had built it 17 lakh 25 thousands years ago".
Based on images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Sri Lankan authorities had contended that Ram Setu is a man-made bridge of limestones. NASA, however, distanced itself from the controversy.
ICHR is planning to set up a committee of researchers from across the country. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will also be a part of the study, which will be headed by its former chief Alok Tripathi.
"The researchers will have to be trained in what material evidence should be collected from the spot. Divers will also have to be trained as they would need to go undersea for exploration," said an ICHR official. ICHR will have to obtain permission from Unesco and other agencies before the study.
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