Ramesvaram Setu

[Dominik Wujastyk]

I thought that the following 1987 article throws the recent setu/satellite
photo/history/myth ar discussion into an interesting perspective.

Here's the abstract:

"The construction of a setu by Rama during his expedition against Ravana
in Lanka is a myth.  But in all periods of history its narrators have
tried to visualize it.  Poets have built a picture of it in their mind and
they have described it with more or less precise, more or less imaginary
details.  Each narrator, of course, is influenced by his surroundings and
the culture of his time.  A popular visualisation of the XXth century
treats the setu as a modern bridge, whereas Valmiki's setu is clearly a
causeway. The purpose of this article is to present a remarkable
interpretation of Valmiki's description by the XVIth century philosopher
and poet, Appayya Diksita, against the background of his culture and his
religious convictions."

  Jean Deloche and Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat, "Ramayana's Setu as Seen by
  Appayya Diksita" ABORI 68 (1987): 457-69.


--
Dominik Wujastyk