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http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct20/n1.asp

[QUOTE]
B?lore scientist throws new light on the Mahabharata 
 
>From Kalyan Ray 
DH News Service NEW DELHI, Oct 19

Analysing the planetary references depicted in the Mahabharata, a
Bangalore-based scientist claimed to have zeroed in on the period
during which the two clans, Kauravas and Pandavas, gained political
power and fought each other in the battle of Kurukshetra.

Based on historical and archeological evidence, the epic had been
dated earlier between 600 to 3000 BC though the dates have never been
proved conclusively.

?The eclipses and planetary observations of the Mahabharata should
belong to 1493 BC to 1443 BC of Indian history. The war should have
taken place in 1478 BC with an error bond of one year,? Dr R N
Iyengar from the department of civil engineering at Indian Institute
of Science in Bangalore, said.

The analysis was made by calculating planet and star positions
described in the epic in modern astronomical terms using three
software including a German-made one used widely by USA National
Aeronautics and Space Administration for recreating historical
events.

The exercise undertaken by Dr Iyengar, a civil engineer of
international repute who is a Sanskrit scholar as well, had resulted
in 12 possible dates for the war 2744 and 505 BC. ?Out of the 12
solutions for the war, the period 1478 BC fits the bill almost
perfectly,? he told Deccan Herald over telephone.

However, conflicting tests and mismatches between astronomical,
archaeological, historical and social evidence always pose a big
problem in resolving the Mahabharata period beyond any doubt. ?I will
not touch Mahabharata since its heavily contaminated,? pointed out Dr
M N Vahia at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai
who had earlier calculated the Shivaji era using more or less similar
techniques.

However, Dr Iyengar went through six versions of the epic - four in
Sanskrit and one each in Kannada and English, to pick up the
planetary references. 
?In a text as large as the Mahabharata its no wonder that
chronological ordering of the events and observations might have got
mixed up due to transmission errors. But everything falls into place
as in a puzzle and an almost unique epoch emerges from celestial
observations when 1478 BC is taken as the year of the war,? he wrote,
reporting the findings in Indian Journal of History of Science
published by the Indian National Science Academy. 

Three solar eclipses depicted in Sabha Parvan, Bhisma Parvan and
Mausala Parvan and description of a lunar succeeding or preceding at
least two solar eclipses within a month, helped Dr Iyengar narrow
down his search. ?It?s the planetary position what matters. From a
span of 2500 years, the window was fixed on a time span of 10-15
years,? he said, adding that dates mentioned in the epic also helped
in fine tuning the period.

A major limitation of earlier studies was that they did not show how
to reconcile inconsistencies such as Sani (Saturn) being said to be
with star Rohini (Aldebaran) as well as being near star Visakha
(Alpha-Librae) in Bhisman Parvan, he pointed out claiming that the
new study bridges the gaps.  
[UNQUOTE]

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