The remnants of an ancient, mysterious bridge known as Adam's Bridge, Rama's Bridge, or Ram Setu were discovered by images taken by the NASA Shuttle. The bridge starts from Pamban Island off the coast of Tamil Nadu in India and stretches 18 miles to Mannar Island which is located on the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
While some consider it to be a natural formation, others are convinced it is manmade.
Legend has it that it was built under the supervision of Lord Rama, a major deity in Hinduism, 1,700,000 years ago as this excerpt explains: "According to the Indian ancient epic the Ramayana, the worshipped hero, Hanuman was honest, loyal, and dedicated to Rama. He led his great army of monkeys and bears to build the bridge from India to the island of Lanka. Lord Rama could in this way cross the waters and rescue his abducted wife. At this point, it gets very interesting because this bridge is actually described in ancient Hindu scriptures."
The discovery not only is a great find for archaeologists but also helps shed light on the link between ancient history and Indian mythology.
According to reports, the bridge consists of a chain of natural limestone shoals leading some to refer to it as made with 'floating stones': "This recently-discovered bridge has been found to be made of a chain of limestone shoals. Its unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The bridge currently named as Adam’s Bridge (most popularly known as Ram Setu) is about 18 miles (30 km) long."
It is believed that the bridge was used by travelers until 1480 AD when a cyclone occurred and put an end to that. The water separating the two islands ranges from 3 feet to 30 feet making it impossible for big ships to traverse the shallow waters of Pamban Channel.
It is not only a great find for archaeologists but also helps shed light on the link between ancient history and Indian mythology.
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