Used Excavators

Posts Tagged ‘City’

In 1867 the British explorer Captain Charles Warren discovered an ancient underground water tunnel just outside the walls of the old city and just 500 feet from the Western Wall. Upon recognizing this to be remarkably similar to the underground water tunnel or “gutter” described in the Bible (2nd Book of Samuel Ch. 5) as used by King David’s forces in the capture of Jerusalem, Captain Warren began archeological excavations that would later confirm that he had in fact just discovered “Biblical Jerusalem”.

Captain Warren’s discovery launched a long line of excavations in the city and whet the appetite of numerous treasure hunters who came to the area seeking out the secrets and treasures of the “Bible”.

The City of David Today
Following the Six Day War Jerusalem was united and the boundary erased. However, a Jewish presence was missing from the City of David. Towards the end of the seventies, archaeological excavations in the City of David began, and continued for several seasons, under the directorship of Professor Yigal Shiloh discoveries and greatly expanded our current understanding of the City of David. Throughout the years, additional excavations have taken place which enriched our knowledge about the City of David. In 1991 the first Jewish residents began to return to live in the City of David and today the area is a thriving Jewish community. The purpose of the “City of David Visitors Center” is to bring as many people as possible to visit the area and to experience the place… where it all began.

You may ready for about Jerusalem @ http://jerusalempedia.com

Any tour to Italy in search of art and culture must take in the unforgettable and ancient ruins of Pompeii, only a few hours from Italy’s capital city Rome. Follow in the footsteps of the British gentility on Grand Tour with a trip to the Gulf of Naples where you can find a culture that was captured forever in the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.

Pompeii, once a popular tourist destination for the ancient Romans, is now one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, devastating the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, these ancient cities were buried, preserved and lost under thick layers of ash. This natural event that devastated the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum now offer tourists the opportunity to see how people lived, and died, two thousand years ago.

Pompeii is now an outdoor museum and an excavation site that provides an exciting archaeological journey into Roman life in the 1st century. The Roman settlement, once lost under almost 60 feet of ash and pumice, was rediscovered in 1748. Since then numerous excavations have unearthed many rare discoveries including well-preserved frescoes showing what everyday life was like for its doomed inhabitants.

Even if you’re not interested in history the Pompeii site is a fascinating find. Providing a time capsule of Roman life and architecture, the excavated town includes cobbles streets, grand houses, villas, baths and a brothel. The baths contain stuccoed vaults with preserved images of nymphs and cupids while the Forum shows where the civic, commercial, political and religious heart of the town was located.

From the ruling class down to slaves, no one in the city was spared after Vesuvius erupted. As ash and soot covered the city, people and animals were frozen in time. Giuseppe Fiorelli, the director of one of Pompeii’s many excavations instructed workers to pour liquid plaster into cavities left in the ashes by decomposed bodies. These plaster casts show incredible detail of the people of Pompeii in their last moments.

If you wish to visit Pompeii, then it often proves a good idea to take one of the many tours offered once you arrive from your flights to Rome. From Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci (Fiumicino) airport, take either a taxi or the train to Rome’s Termini Station and then the Eurostar to Naples.

The Circumvesuviana is one of Naples’ suburban rail services which runs around the base of Mount Vesuvius and connects its nearby cities. The ancient site of Pompeii is just 100 metres from the Pompei Scavi train which can be found half-way along the Circumvesuviana line.

The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.

Sometimes a pipe is in such bad condition that modern sewer pipe lining is not possible. Examples would be when extensive sections of the pipe are partially collapsed which is common for Orangeburg pipe, or large sections of pipe are missing which is common for cast iron pipe, or a customer is unfamiliar with pipe re-lining, which is the more modern method used in trenchless pipe rehabilitation. In such cases pipe bursting technology is used.

The pipe bursting technology involves pulling a cone-shaped “head”, with a new high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe attached, through an existing pipeline. As the head moves through, it breaks the old pipe and pushes the pieces back into the surrounding soil. The head also expands the bore diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the new pipe it is pulling in. This reduces friction, but it also makes it possible to replace an existing pipeline with one of a larger diameter. Of course very powerful winches and strong cables have to be used for this type of sewer pipe rehabilitation.

A bursting head with no other attachment is called a static head, and it depends entirely upon the power of a winch to pull it through an existing pipeline. In some cases, a bursting head is equipped with a cutting blade or an internal pneumatic hammer. The cutting blade concentrates all the pulling force into one area, making the initial opening of the pipe easier. In hard, dry soils, or when heavy pipe fittings are encountered, the driving force of a hammer aids penetration.

As the HDPE pipe is pulled into the old sewer pipe that requires replacement, new sections of HDPE pipe are fused together using a plastic welding technology. This makes a seamless pipe that will prevent root intrusion, water infiltration and exfiltration.

There are some limitations to using the pipe bursting process:

The first is the line has to be in good enough condition for the cable to be pulled through the line.

Pipe Bursting will not fix a sag, or, belly. The bursting head and new pipe follows the path of the old pipe.

Rocks, ledge and some other conditions may jam the bursting head preventing it from passing and still require excavation to complete the job.

Some bend configurations may not allow pipe bursting as the bursting head may exit the pipe and get stuck requiring excavation.

Each installation starts with excavation of a small pit (about two feet by three feet) at the property line and another where the service line enters the house. Vacuum excavation is used to open the pits because many utilities are clustered near the property lines. The soil is cut with a water jet, then vacuumed out by a Vactor truck with a 6-inch tube. Usually, the pits can be excavated in less than an hour.

City code in Sarasota requires that a cleanout be installed every 75 feet in new service laterals. For laterals over 75 feet long, pits are sometimes dug for the extra cleanouts, and the new pipe is pulled from one pit to the next. At other times, the entire length of the new line is pulled first and the cleanouts are installed later. We used small, modular equipment manufactured by Tric Tools, Inc. (www.trictrenchless.com) to install the new lateral lines. Normally, the pulling equipment is set up in the pit at the property line because it is deeper, and therefore offers more head wall surface to pull against. The Tric hydraulic puller can produce a pulling force of 60,000 pounds. The white, 4-inch SDR 17 HDPE (high density polyethylene) pipe is supplied on 800-foot reels. The color enhances video inspections, and the length greatly reduces the need for onsite pipe fusion.

When the pits are ready, a cable is strung through the existing service line from the property line to the house. There, the cable is attached to a 4-inch bursting head, which has a special blade to help crack or cut the old pipe. In turn, the bursting head is fused to the new pipe. In the pulling pit, the cable runs through a resistance plate and metal frame before it attaches to the hydraulic puller. A diesel-powered Vermeer high pressure pump supplies hydraulic power to the puller. Once the pull begins, the new HDPE pipe is pulled into place at 5 to 10 feet per minute, depending upon the power of the hydraulic pump.

Mohenjo-daro

Mohenjo-daro was a city of the Indus Valley Civilization, 20 km from Larkana and some 80 km southwest of modern Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and better preserved than Harappa. However, due to rain the upper part of tomb is now destroyed despite steps to further save this world historical place.

Ancient city on the bank of the Indus River, in present-day southern Pakistan

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

This city would have dominated the major trade routes and agricultural potential of the southern Indus plain, from around 2600-1900 BCE.
Mohenjo-Daro is located in District Larkana at a distance of about 28 km from Larakana and 107 km from sukkur.
Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of Modern Pakistan in the Sind Province, on the right bank of the Indus River. It was built between four and five thousand years ago, and lasted until 3,700 BP. It was part of the Harrapan Civilization, and the city had at least 35,000 residents. Mohenjo-Daro means “mound of the dead”.

The city was approximately one square mile in size. In 1922-1927 large scale excavations at Mohenjo-daro were carried out by R. D. Banarjee and continued by M. S. Vats and K. N. Dikshit under the direction of Sir John Marshall. E. J. H. MacKay carried out further excavations from 1927 to1931. Sir Mortimer Wheeler made small excavations in1950.

As a result of this extensive work almost one-third of the area of the old city was exposed, revealing for the first time the remains of one of the most ancient civilizations in the Indus Valley. Typical of most large and planned cities, Mohenjo-daro had planned city streets and buildings. The settlement was thought to house roughly 5,000 people, and had houses, a granary, baths, assembly halls and towers.

Mohenjo-Daro – largest city of the Indus Civilization

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

Mohenjo-Daro – It was built around 2600 BC, and was abandoned around 1700 BC, probably due to a change of course of the river which supported the civilization.

Mohenjo-Daro – The high western mound is generally referred to as the “citadel” mound, but it is subdivided into several sectors.
The city was divided into two parts, the Citadel included an elaborate tank or bath created with fine quality brickwork and drains; this was surrounded by a verandah. Also located here was a giant granary, a large residential structure, and at least two aisled assembly halls. To the east of the citadel was the lower city, laid out in a grid pattern. The streets were straight, and were drained to keep the area sanitary. The people of the city used very little stone in their construction. They used two types of bricks- mud bricks, and wood bricks, which were created by burning wood.

They used timber to create the flat roofs of their buildings; there are brick stairways leading to the roofs of many houses. Some houses were small, and others were larger with interior courtyards. Most had small bathrooms. Potter’s kilns, dyer’s vats, as well as metalworking, bead making, and shell-working shops have all been discovered. The people were good at irrigation and flood control. However, when the Indus River changed its course around 3700 years ago, the civilization died.

All Indus valley sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, were built according to a grid pattern plan. Each city had broad parallel streets which crossed each other to divide the city into compact rectangular blocks, and had an advanced and extensive drainage system. In addition to it’s numerous other achievements Mohenjo-daro and other Indus sites made extensive use of baked brick (unlike the sun-dried brick typical of Mesopotamian civilization), which gave greater durability to all of its buildings.

 

                            DWARKA AND THE MAHABHARATA

 

Every Indian, either living in India or living outside India, knows about the two epics that dominates the Indian psyche and the psyche of the terra firma. These epics are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata has exercised a continuous and pervasive influence on the Indian mind for millennia. The Mahabharata, originally written by Sage Ved Vyas in Sanskrit, has been translated and adapted into numerous languages and has been set to a variety of interpretations. Dating back to “remote antiquity”, it is still a living force in the life of the Indian masses.   With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. The Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses.

Everything about the Mahabharata is huge, from its sprawling length, to the enormous breadth of its vision. The longest of all epics is like an encyclopedia, a world all on its own. At its core is the powerful and moving story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins who ultimately fight the greatest war of all, Kurukshetra. But that is not all, the Mahabharata is full of mythic stories, vast time spans of history, detailed geography and a massive body of spiritual teachings.

The author of the massive epic is Rishi Vyas, who, according to the text itself, spent three years creating it, rising every morning, and working on it every day. His abode was Vyas Gufa, a cave high in the Himalayas, which is still visited today by travelers on their way to Mansarovar.

In Mahabharata’s Musal Parva, the Dwarka is mentioned as being gradually swallowed by the ocean. Krishna had forewarned the residents of Dwaraka to vacate the city before the sea submerged it. The Sabha Parva gives a detailed account of Krishna’s flight from Mathura with his followers to Dwaraka to escape continuous attacks of Jarasandh’s on Mathura and save the lives of its subjects. For this reason, Krishna is also known as RANCHHOR (one who runs away from the battle-field). Dr. SR Rao and his team in 1984-88 (Marine Archaeology Unit) undertook an extensive search of this city along the coast of Gujarat where the Dwarikadeesh temple stands now, and finally they succeeded in unearthing the ruins of this submerged city off the Gujarat coast.

The first archaeological excavations at Dwaraka were done by the Deccan College, Pune and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat, in 1963 under the direction of H.D. Sankalia. It revealed artifacts many centuries old.

Marine Archaeology Unit (MAU) jointly by the National Institute of Oceanography and the Archaeological Survey of India. Under the guidance of Dr. Rao, a great marine archaeologist, a team consisting of expert underwater explorers, trained diver-photographers and archaeologists was formed. The technique of geophysical survey was combined with the use of echo-sounders, mud-penetrators, sub-bottom profilers and underwater metal detectors. This team carried out 12 marine archaeological expeditions between 1983 to 1992 and articles and antiquities recovered were sent to Physical Research Laboratory for dating. By using thermo-luminescence, carbon dating and other modern scientific techniques, the artifacts were found to belong to the period between 15th to 18th century B.C. In his great work, The Lost City of Dwaraka, Dr. Rao has given scientific details of these discoveries and artifacts.

 

Between 1983 to 1990, the well-fortified township of Dwaraka was discovered, extending more than half mile from the shore. The township was built in six sectors along the banks of a river. The foundation of boulders on which the city’s walls were erected proves that the land was reclaimed from the sea. The general layout of the city of Dwaraka described in ancient texts agrees with that of the submerged city discovered by the MAU.

The ASI conducted a second round of excavations in 1979 under S.R. Rao’s direction. He found a distinct pottery known as lustrous red ware, which could be more than 3,000 years old. Based on the results of these excavations, the search for the sunken city in the Arabian Sea began in 1981. Scientists and archaeologists have continually worked on the site for 20 years.

The UAW began excavations at Dwaraka again from January 2007. Dr. Tripathi said: “To study the antiquity of the site in a holistic manner, excavations are being conducted simultaneously both on land [close to the Dwarakadhish temple] and undersea so that finds from both the places can be co-related and analyzed scientifically.”

The objective of the excavation is to know the antiquity of the site, based on material evidence. In the offshore excavation, the ASI’s trained underwater archaeologists and the divers of the Navy searched the sunken structural remains. The finds were studied and  documented.   

On land, the excavation is being done in the forecourt of the Dwarakadhish temple. Students from Gwalior, Lucknow, Pune, Vadodara, Varanasi and Bikaner are helping ASI archaeologists. In the forecourt, old structures including a circular one have been found. A small cache of 30 copper coins was discovered.

“Within the past few months, the engineers began some dredging operations there and they pulled up human fossil bones, fossil wood, stone tools, pieces of pottery and many other things that indicated that it indeed was a human habitation site that they had. And they were able to do more intensive sonar work there and were able to identify more structures. They appeared to have been laid out on the bank of a river that had been flowing from the Indian subcontinent out into that area. ( That river was the legendary saraswati river ) According to the news releases, they have done a radiocarbon testing on a piece of wood from the underwater site that is now yielding an age of 9,500 years which would place it near the end of the last Ice Age. There were actually two radiocarbon dates: one about 7500 years old and another about 9500 years old. The 9500 year old one seems to be the strongest one. That’s the one they are going with. This was announced by Minister Joshi ( Murli Manohar Joshi was the Indian Minister for Ocean Technology then ). Mahabharata was then a reality and it was not a cock and bull story concocted by Ved Vyas.

Ved Vyas also described the city of Dwarka in great details. The poets described Dwarka as a city so golden that it cast its radiance on the ocean for miles around it. Dwar means door, and Dwarka is a city of many doors or a gateway. It was an island, connected to the mainland by many bridges, and legend says that Krishna asked Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to build him a city more beautiful than any before it.

Krishna chose a remote location, far beyond the reach of Jarasandh. He picked distant Dwarka on the western coast of India, far from Mathura, and spent a year putting his plans into action. He built on the sunken remains of a previous kingdom, Kushasthali, which itself was built on older ruins, all underwater. Krishna reclaimed a hundred miles of land from the sea and called in Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to give him a city that was the envy of the world.

 

The Mahabharat and the Bhagwat Puran and other texts, describe the wonders of Dwarka. The most expensive and luxurious materials were used. In those days of unbelievable riches, it was quite common to use precious stones, gold and silver as construction material. Royalty and rich nobles invariably used gold, those who could not afford it used silver or metal.

 

Dwarka was a city of rose and gold. The palaces and many of the mansions were built of gold, over which pink lotus domes towered, topped by soaring golden spires. The floors were made of emeralds. Precious stones studded the walls and crystal arches curved overhead, inlaid with gold. The houses were beautifully decorated and sculptures adorned the walls. Even the cowsheds were made of silver, brass and iron.

Seen in this beautiful picture is lord Krishna coming to the island city of dwarka

Dwarka was a very well planned city, following the highly developed science of town planning. The architect, Vishwakarman, first mapping out the highways, lanes, gates and parks. He sectioned off plots and divided the city into six zones, residential and commercial. He planned out the port and created the bridges and gateways and the fortifications. Everything was laid out in detail before the construction began.

Like many kingdoms of the time Dwarka had a passport system. Its citizens were issued with a clay seal which had to be presented when they entered or left the massive gates. The seal of Dwarka was a mythical three headed dog and seals matching the description have been found in the undersea ruins today.

In the Newspaper The Hindu dated 23 Feb 2007 an article was published which I reproduce here vervatim.” CHENNAI: Ancient structural remains of some significance have been discovered at Dwaraka, under water and on land, by the Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Alok Tripathi, Superintending Archaeologist, UAW, said the ancient underwater structures found in the Arabian Sea were yet to be identified. “We have to find out what they are. They are fragments. I would not like to call them a wall or a temple. They are part of some structure,” said Dr. Tripathi, himself a trained diver.

Thirty copper coins were also found in the excavation area. The structures found on land belonged to the medieval period. “We have also found 30 copper coins. We are cleaning them. After we finish cleaning them, we can give their date,” he said.

Dwaraka is a coastal town in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. Traditionally, modern Dwaraka is identified with Dvaraka or Dvaravati, mentioned in the Mahabharata as Krishna’s city. Dwaraka was a port, and some scholars have identified it with the island of Barka mentioned in the Periplus of Erythrean Sea. Ancient Dwaraka sank in sea and hence is an important archaeological site.” My idea is not to go in the discussion of how the city went under the sea but the fact is that this city is now approximately under water of the Arabian sea some 135 feet below water. This city has been mentioned in the Mahabharata and that this city has been found, dated, and mapped. The probable date of this city is between 9500 to 7500 years before present which will put it as 7500 to 5500 years BC.

Mahabharata was not a fictional epic but a reality is also evident from the works of many scholars who have done extensive work in this area, and by getting all the facts together what comes out of the whole is the fact that the near about exact dates of the major happenings in the epic has also been identified. This at least proves that the Vedic civilization is a much older phenomenon than perceived by many western scholars till date.

 There is a striking inscription which has been found  in  the  Jain Temple  at  Aihole prepared by  one Chalukya King Pulakeshi.  It says, according  to  scholars,  that  the  temple   was     constructed   in 30+3000+700+5  = 3735 years, after the Bharat War and 50+6+500 =   556 years of Shaka era in Kali era. Today Shaka era is 1910.  Hence  1910- 556  =  1354  years  ago the temple was constructed.  Thus the year of inscribing this note is 634 AD.  At this time 3735  years  had  passed from the Bharat War. So the date of the War comes to 3101 BC.  This is also the date of Kali Yuga Commencement. Naturally, it is evident that relying on the beginning of Kaliyuga Era and holding that the War took place just before the commencement of Kaliyuga,

 

 

The verse inscribed is :

 

Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaditaha | Saptabda  Shatayukteshu

Gateshwabdeshu Panchasu | Panchashatasu Kalaukale Shatasu Panchashatsu

cha | Samatsu Samatitasu Shakaanamapi Bhoobhujaam ||

 

The verses has been interpreted by considering the  clauses  of  the verse.  It  says “3030 years from the Bharat War” in the first line, ( Trinshatsu Trisahasreshu Bhaaratdahavaaditaha) where the first  clause of  the  sentence  ends.  in the second line, the second clause starts and   runs   up to   the   middle   of   the   third   line   thus ( Saptabda…..Kalaukale) This means 700+5+50 = 755 years passed in the Kali Era. It is clear from the former portion of the verse that 3030 years passed from the Bharat War and 755 years  passed  from Kali  Era.   Kali  Era started from 3101 BC.  755 years have passed so 3101-755 = 2346 BC is the year when 3030 years  had  passed  from  the Bharat  War.   So 2346+3030 = 5376 BC appears to be the date of Bharat War.

The Greek Ambassador Magasthenis has recorded that 138 generations have  passed  between  Krishna  and Chandragupta Maurya. Many scholars have taken this evidence, but taking only 20 years per generation they fixed  the date of Krishna as 2760 years before Chandragupta. But this is wrong because the record is not of ordinary people to take 20 years per  generation. In the matter of general public, one says that when a son is born a new generation starts. But in the  case  of  kings,  the name  is  included in the list of Royal Dynasty only after his coronation to the throne. Hence, one cannot allot 20 years to one  king.  We have  to  find  out  the average per king  by  calculating on  various INDIAn Dynasties. I have considered 60 kings  from  various  dynasties and calculated the average of each king as 35 years. Here is a list of some of important kings with the no. of years ruling.

 

      Chandragupta Mourya      330-298 B.C.     32 years.

      Bindusar                         298-273 B.C.     25 years.

      Ashok                            273-232 B.C.     41 years.

      Pushyamitra Shunga       190-149 B.C.     41 years.

      Chandragupta Gupta       308-330 A.D.     22 years.

      Samudragupta                330-375 A.D.     45 years.

      Vikramaditya                  375-414 A.D.     39 years.

      Kumargupta                   414-455 A.D.     41 years.

      Harsha                          606-647 A.D.     41 years.

                                                ———

                                                327 years.

 

      The average is 327/9 = 36.3 years.

 

Multiplying 138 generations by 35 years we get 4830 years before Chandragupta  Mourya.  Adding  Chandrgupta’s  date 320 B.C. to 4830 we get 5150 B.C. as the date of Lord Krishna.

Megasthenis, according to Arian, has written that  between  Sandrocotus  to  Dianisaum  153 generations and 6042 years passed. From this data, we get the average of 39.5 years per king. From this we can calculate  5451  years  for  138  generations.  So Krishna must have been around 5771 B.C.

Pliny gives 154 generations and  6451  years  between  Bacchus  and Alexander.  This  Bacchus may be the famous Bakasura who was killed by Bhimasena. This period comes to about 6771 years B.C.

Thus Mahabharata period ranges from 5000 B.C. to 6000 B.C. and Dwarka fits into this scenario perfectly.

Mahabharata   mentions   the   ancient   tradition   as   ‘Shravanadini Nakshatrani’, i.e.,  Shravan Nakshatra was given the first place in the Nakshatra- cycle (Adi-71/34 and Ashvamedh  44/2)  Vishwamitra  started

counting  the Nakshatras from Shravan when he created ‘Prati Srushti’. He was angry with the old customs.  So he started  some  new  customs. Before  Vishvamitra’s  time Nakshatras were counted from the one which was occupied by the sun on the Vernal  Equinox.   Vishvamitra  changed this fashion and used diagonally opposite point i.e.  Autumnal Equinox to list the Nakshtras. He gave first place to Shravan which was at the Autumnal  Equinox  then.   The period of Shravan Nakshatra on autumnal equinox is from 6920 to 7880 years B.C.  This was Vishvamitra’s period at  the  end  of  Treta yuga.  Mahabharat War took place at the end of Dwapar yuga.   Subtracting  the  span  of Dwapar  Yuga  of  2400 years we get 7880 – 2400 = 5480 B.C. as the date of Mahabharat War.

 

Recently Dr. S.B. Rao, Emeritus Scientist of the National Institute of Oceanography,  Dona  Paula, Goa, 403004, has discovered under the sea, Dwaraka and dated it as between  5000  to  6000  BC.   This  news  has been  published by all  the  leading newspapers on 22nd October 1988.

 Many works of the Vedic and Puranic tradition contain a sufficient number of clues in the form of astronomical observations which can be used to determine the approximate date of Mahabharata and thus establish the historical authenticity of the events described in this great epic. Notable among these works are the Parashar Sanghita, the Bhagvat Puran, Shakalya Sanghita, and the Mahabharat itself. Aryabhatta, one of the greatest mathematicians and astronomers of India in the fifth century AD, examined the astronomical evidence described in the Mahabharata in his great work known as the “Aryabhattiya”. According to the positions of the planets recorded in the Mahabharata, its approximate date was calculated by Aryabhatta to be 3100 BC implying that the great war described in the Mahabharata was fought approximately 5000 years ago, as most Hindus have always believed.

 

A number of British scholars of the 19th century, especially Friedrich Max Muller, tried to interpret this astronomical evidence to prove that the observations recorded in Hindu scriptures are imaginary. As an amateur astronomer, I propose to examine the astronomical evidence presented in the Bhagvat Puran and Max Muller’s criticism of this evidence in light of the advances made in astronomy in the past fifty years. Max Muller, in the preface to his translation of the Rig Veda, examines the astronomical observations described in the Bhagvat Puran and concludes that these observations are “imaginary”, apparently because they did not agree with the prevalent views of the European, primarily British, Indologists of the nineteenth century about the time of the Mahabharata.

Carl Segan, a renowned astronomer at Cornell University, who hosted the public television series “Cosmos” in 1985, pointed out that Hindus were the only ones who came anywhere close to correctly estimating the real age of the universe. Unlike many cultural traditions which treat science and religion as antithetical to each other, the Hindu tradition encourages the study of physics and metaphysics both for a comparative understanding of the true nature of the cosmic mystery surrounding and pervading the universe.

Everything about the Mahabharat is huge, from its sprawling length, to the enormous breadth of its vision. The longest of all epics is like an encyclopaedia, a world all on its own. At its core is the powerful and moving story of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins who ultimately fight the greatest war of all, Kurukshetra. But that is not all, the Mahabharata is full of mythic stories, vast time spans of history, detailed geography and a massive body of spiritual teachings.

 In the end I would like to invite my readers to a 9.35 minutes video on www.disclose.tv which will precisely show case the antiquity of this great civilization. The link is given below. Copy and paste on the address bar of your browser and press enter.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/1134/Dvaraka_Giant_Underwater_City_found_in_India/

 

Bibliography:

http://www.tginvents.com/tushar/MahabharatDating2.htm

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/mahabharat/mahab_sarasvat.html

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6vMAGTUhI

.Hinduunity.org

http://www.hinduism.co.za/oldest.htm

Michael Cremo, Researcher of Ancient Archaeology

and Author, Forbidden Archaeology

http://www.epicindia.com/magazine/Culture/the-lost-city-of-dwarka

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/23/stories/2007022301242200.htm

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/1134/Dvaraka_Giant_Underwater_City_found_in_India/

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you Dig a Basement?

 

 

 

There are several steps to go through to dig a basement. Assuming you own the land, then the next step is to have a plan drawn up. The plan usually needs to include an engineering stamp, so it meets the standards of your city.

 

 

 

City approval is not necessary to dig on your property, however, if the city hasn’t approved your plans, you cannot start building until they do. My humble opinion is, why put your money into the dig until you have your ducks lined up. Why be paying for interest on money to pay the excavator until you are ready to continue your house-build – immediately?

 

 

 

You need to check with the city for the minimum set-backs that they require from each property line. This is how far you have to be from the property line on all sides. It’s a good idea to get this information before you have your houseplans drawn up.

 

 

 

We found that our original houseplans would not fit on our property and we had to choose another set of plans because of the shape of the property.

 

 

 

We had to be 25 feet from the edge of the road to the closest extending part of the house, and 25 feet from the back property line. We had an 18 inch kickout, which, even though the foundation didn’t extend out, but the house did. Consequently, we had to be 25 feet from the edge of the kick-out to the property line. In addition, the sides had to have 12 foot on one side, and another 8 foot on the other side.

 

 

 

Taking the houseplans around to several excavators, you get bids from the various excavators. From those bids you can choose which excavator will be the one you want to dig your basement.

 

Choosing an excavator is vital to the success of your dig. We chose an excavator who was really good at the controls of the track-hoe. In all, it only took him about 3 hours to dig our 1800 sq. ft. basement. It was amazing to see how adept he was at judging the depth and width of the hole. When he was through, it was near perfection – very even and smooth and ready for gravel and then cement..

 

 

 

 

 

Once you decide upon the excavator to use, It is vital to get his quote or “bid” in writing in the form of a contractor contract. You can either draw up a contract yourself, or get one online for a few bucks or consult an attorney. But, again I say, it is vital to your pocketbook to get his bid in writing. This will prevent you from being charged more in the end, when he delivers his final bill to you. No contractor can bill you more than their bid, if you get it in writing before they begin.

 

 

 

The excavator has your plans, and you should meet with him on the property, before he starts to dig, so he can go over exactly where you want your home placed.

 

 

 

You have to know how deep you want your basement. This may be determined on if you plan to have a bathroom in the basement. You will need to know the city’s requirement for the depth based upon the depth of the city sewer line. The sewer line has to have a specific “drop:” from the house to the city sewer line, so the sewage will drain properly.

 

 

 

You also may have an opinion as to how high you want the cement to come above the center of the road, as a prevention of flooding. All this information has to be given to the excavator. With these peramiters, he will dig your basement hole. The next step is to start digging