The land bridge named as Adam's Bridge is a narrow ridge of sand and rocks, mostly dry, which connects Mannar Island (Sri Lanka) with Pamban Island (India) about 18 ½ miles West-North-Westward. At high tide it is covered by c.4 ft (1.2 m) of water. ...The status of the bridge is still a mystery as the legends trace the bridge to have more than a million years of existence and related to the epic Ramayana. ....The Srilankan Archeology Department also confirms the possible duration of the bridge's existence to be around one to two million years. ............However the natural or man-made status of the bridge is unknown.

 S.U.Deraniyagala, the Director-General of Archaeology, Sri Lanka and the author of "Early Man and the Rise of Civilisation in Sri Lanka: the Archaeological Evidence" says that "the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent have yielded evidence for humans having lived there around two million years ago.

....Although the earliest known dates for hominids in peninsular India are ca. 600,000 years before the present (BP), it is very likely that future research will indicate an age comparable to that of the Himalayan foothills, since there do not appear to have been any physical barriers to prevent humans from being present in southern India contemporaneously with their occurrence in the northern part of the sub-continent. .....Meanwhile, it is apparent that Sri Lanka was, more often than not, linked to southern India by a land bridge during this period.

....It is estimated that the sea level would have dropped sufficiently for creating such a connection on at least 17 occasions within the last 700,000 years. ........This phenomenon would have been caused by the rise and fall of the sea level due to cold/warm fluctuations in the global climate. ......The last separation from India would have occurred at about 7,000 BP. .......It is therefore possible that humans were present in Sri Lanka from at least as early as one million years ago. "

.......According to the legend of Ramayana, the land bridge was constructed by large numbers of monkey like beings under the supervision of Rama, who according to Hindus is a personalized almighty incarnation..

.... The purpose of the construction was to reach Srilanka (across the sea) from the Indian mainland to rescue Rama's wife from the demon king Ravana....

.... Ramayana, according to the Hindu time calendar, is supposed to have taken place in Tredha Yuga (The ancient scriptures in Hinduism discuss about events in terms of Yugas (Time phases of evolution) numerically four namely Sathya (17,28,000 years), Tredha (12,96,000 years), Dwapara (8,64,000 years) and Kali (4,32,000 years)).

.......The current phase according to the calendar is Kali, out of which 5000 years are supposed to have passed by. This means that Ramayana, to have relevance with the bridge, should have taken place between 8,69,000 to 21,65,000 years back (between the time period 0.869 - 2.165 million years)."

We are students of Indian Institute of Technology Madras interested in analyzing issues of archeological relevance. We have just entered this area and hope you (the reader), if interested, can help us serve this purpose.

S.Balasubramaniyan * (Department of Chemical Engineering)

Ajay Anand (Department of Mechanical Engineering)

Ullash Kumar (Department of Physics)

Rashmi Sinha (Consultant - Human Computer Interaction, Oakland, California U.S.A) for her support in the compilation of the article.

 * To whom queries concerning the article should be addressed (bala341@yahoo.com)

In "Kings of Kashmira" by Kahlana Pandita, I find that the authors of the original history of Kashmir in a Sanskrit story are using this story of the former bridge from India to Shri Lankha in a creative way in regards to King Meghaváhana.

Appendix D, Page vi, vii "The stories that are related of King Meghavahana are as follows -- It is reated that on an expedition which the king led against others, he meditated when the soldiers were sleeping under the Palm trees, how he could conquer the island before him. [Here is inserted a story of human sacrifice that we have interpreted elsewere -- but this island conquest story continues again on the middle of the next page]

A divine personage introduced himself to the king as Varuna. [Other passages show this to be another name for Lord Shiva, who has 108 official names and many other aliases!] He said that the umbrella which stood over the king's head was captured by the king's father-in-law named Rauma [this is the deliberately mispelled "Rama" of "Ramayana" myth, with the intention of supplying me - and now you, with a story connection to the "Adam's Bridge" between India and Shri Lankha] from his city in former times ["former times" is here vastly under-reported, an estimated 1 million years ago!] 'Without the umbrella,' said Varuna, 'our subjects are subjected to endless dangers. Therefore, before taking back this umbrella, I have tested your kindness, and this magical show [involving the human sacrifice] was my own creation.' The king then delivered the umbrella to Varuna, and also offered prayers to him, and said that even the kalpa tree was not equal to good beings. For the tree gave blessings when asked, while the good gave blessings unasked. If you had not asked the umbrella for the benefit of your subjects, but had taken it for your own use, your act would not have been righteous. Charitable men do not favor their dependants by halves, a tree gives shade as well as fruits. Urged by my dependants, I ask for some favor. With your favor I have conquered the whole earth, now advise me how I can cross the ocean to the island.'

Then replied Varuna [Lord Shiva] that 'if you wish to cross the sea, I will make the water hard.' The king acknowledged the favor when the god disappeared with the umbrella. On the next day; the king crossed the hardened sea with his astonished army."

The main history makes it clear that Ceylon was the Island that King Meghavahana wanted to cross over to. Page 37 "The prince led an expedition to compel other kings to desist from killing animals; and carried his arms to the sea, and even to Ceylon, making the subdued kings promise not to kill animals." [It is here that Kahlana refers us to Appendix D and the "walking on the hardened sea" story.]

Sue Olsson's photo of the Phalgam obelisk not only shows Lord Shiva with his reclaimed "umbrella", but shows him riding in his space-craft [Vimana] with his son Ganesh [elephant head].... And below Lord Shiva sits Meghaváhana [Jesus Christ], with a Lamb on his lap, and the animals he is protecting from being butchered and eaten around his throne. [Picture below.]

What Jesus Christ found on top of "Adam's Peak" in Shri Lankha.