Manu's flood a reality, says archaeologist B B Lal at ICHR meet

Findings were arrived at by linking Manu's flood to the disappearance of the Saraswati river

Controversial archaeologist B B Lal, known for his works on Ayodhya, has come up with a research paper which claims that Manu's flood, widely believed to be a mythological phenomenon, was a real event.

The research paper of the former director general of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the findings of which were arrived at by linking Manu's flood to the disappearance of the Saraswati river through archaeological evidence, was presented on Monday at a seminar organised by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).

"Archaeologically, the deluge of the Saraswati took place around 2000-1,900 Before Common Era (BCE) or broadly, in the first quarter of the second millennium BCE. This was exactly the time of Manu's flood, which occurred after the Rigveda, but before the beginning of the second millennium BCE. Should we still call Manu's Flood a myth," the paper read.

Lal, a Padma Bhushan awardee, is also working on a book on the same subject. His book 'Rama, His Historicity, Mandir and Setu: Evidence of Literature, Archaeology and Other Sciences' had created an uproar as it talked about the possible presence of a Hindu temple structure beneath the Babri Masjid.

ICHR is a flagship research-based institution functioning under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The three-day seminar on 'Antiquity, Continuity and Development of Civilisation and Culture in Bharat (India) up to 1st Millennium BC' was slated to be inaugurated today by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar. He, however, could not make it to the event.

ICHR Chairman Sudarshan Rao said the seminar aimed to find a connection among the various civilisations that spanned between 4th millennium BC and 1st millennium BC.

The 1st millennium BC, spanning from 1,000 BC to 1 BC and encompassing the Iron Age, saw the rise of various empires.

Rao claimed that the ancient civilisations between 4th millennium BC and 1st millennium BC were correlated and added that the seminar will seek to delve into this connection.

Twenty-six research papers would be presented during the seminar, which marks the 45th anniversary of ICHR which was founded on March 27, 1972.

David Frawley, the Director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in the US, is taking part in the seminar, along with other noted scholars.