One of the epics of India, the Ramayana, contains a
chapter which tells of a remarkable journey through the centre of the earth.
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| Ancient Hanuman coin |
During the battle against Ravana, the King of Lanka,
Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman, two of the main protagonists of the tale,
are captured by Mahiravana, the step-brother of the evil king. Guardian of a
tunnel to Patala-loka (Patala – below the feet; and loka – abode or kingdom.)
Mahiravana carried the brothers down into the bowels of the earth for a
distance of 90,000 yoganas (a yogana equals approximately 12 kilometers or
seven and a half miles.)
According to the legend, the tunnel went in a direct
line, starting at the tip of peninsular India, through the center of the earth,
and re-emerged at the other side, which would place it somewhere in South or
Central America, possibly in the land of the Aztecs or the Inca. Indeed, in the
epic, the land where they ended up is described as covered with gold. In the
end, Hanuman rescues the brothers, they return to India, and continue their
battle against Ravana.
This tale is just one of many that inspires writers to hypothesize
about civilizational connections between India and ancient America.
For example, ancient Mexican Aztec doctrine of the
World's Ages—the universe being destroyed four consecutive times—is reminiscent
of the Indian Yugas. The Yuga system postulates that the time is divided into
four repeating ages that differ in terms of spiritual qualities. Even the
reputed colors of these mythical four ages, white, yellow, red and black are
identical with and in the same order as one of the two versions of the Indian
Yugas.
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| The Decimal system |
Another interesting similarity is the
use of zero. The Mayas of Yucatan were the first people, besides the Indians,
to use a zero sign and represent number values by the position of basic
symbols. The similarity between the Indian zero and the Mayan zero is indeed
striking. The decimal system and the use of zero was reputedly invented (and used
first) by the Indian mathematician Brahmagupta. In 773, zero reached Baghdad where it
became part of the Arabic number system, and later on, introduced to Europe
by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci (c. 1170–1250), who
grew up in North Africa.
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| Mayan numerals - 1 to 19 |
So far as the logical principle is
concerned, the Indian and Mayan mathematical system and representation of zero
are identical, but its expression is not. While the Indian system of notation is
decimal (based on ten), the Mayan is on based on units of twenty. Consequently,
their 100 stood for 400, while 1000 stood for 8000. Disputes about the common
origin of these two numeric systems continue amongst scholars, in the absence
of conclusive evidence. As chronological evidence stands today, the Mayan zero
appears to be anterior by several centuries to its Hindu counterpart.
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| Mayan Numerals 20 to 29 |
Many other similarities exist, such as mythologies,
rituals such as the use of fire, and even in temple architecture.
Did a
connection between India and America exist in the past? No one knows, but it
does make for interesting discussion!
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