Book on Gautama Buddha's date

[Narayan R. Joshi]

The book "Historic Dates" by Mr.V.G.Ramachandran (1991) published by the
general editor Dr. N. Mahalingam for International Society for the
Investigation of Ancient Civilizations, 102, Mount Road, Guindy, Madras
600032 presents some evidence for Buddha's birth date to be around 1886 BC.
      The presence of the word "Yavana" in Mahabharata is taken as evidence
for some part of Mahabharata being written after 326 BC when Indians got to
know Greeks or Yavanas after Alexander Javanani's fight with the king
Porus. The above book discusses this problem also.
        Before Alexander's destruction of Persian Empire, Indians were in
the Pan Asian Army of Persia. Hence they had knowledge prior to 326 BC of
Yavanas, Ionians, Carians, Phoenicians and Greeks. Some of these people
participated in the Suez canal digging project of the Persian Emperor
Daurius around the middle of the sixth century BC.