THE ROUTES AND ROOTS OF INDIA

Mahagriha or Mehrgarh culture is about 8000 =7500 BC old.It is part of a civilization which existed on sharing of unfinished and finished products on an international basis.Now it is in Pakistan.But was a part of Indian civilization as archeological details clearly indicate.If such a wellplanned,systematic global trade and a centralized administration existed in 8000 BC,that is 10000 yrs ago in an area,what would have been its antiquity before becoming progressive to that stage?In the economic historiography of Indian history sathavahaka or sarthavahaka played a very important role and they were active in both the Dakshinapath (south India)and Utharapath(North India)unifying the two regions.They had very well established land routes and searoutes.The land routes were used by all.The searoutes were mainly controlled by the people in the south India and the western coast of India .What Marx said about the traditional villagebased economy of India is only partially correct when we view the urban and wellcentralised economy and administration of India right from the beginning.of prehistory continueing upto present age.In anthropological research (Marchell Maus The gift-1967)opined that in the gifts which are very valuable and given to other nations also included royal women as brides.The marriages of this type are seen in epics like Ramayana(Kaikeyi from Baluchistan.Lord Krishna also had a wife from Kekaya )and Gandhari(From Ghandhara or khandahar)and Madri (from Madra)which are frontier provinces and hence very important from a point of view of invasions from other people.A similar bridal exchange is seen between the sibi people (old Sibi tribe had daughters called Shaibya)and king Solomon.With the brides ,other valuable gifts of the country also reached the king –like ornaments ,horses,food,luxury items etc.(This is described in Ramayana when Bharatha returns from Khandahar to Ayodhya with gifts from his grandfather to his father Dasaratha.The gift items are interesting which we will discuss in a subsequent chapter).In the period of Ram Sin of Larsa period(1822-1763 BC)as a dowrie of a royal woman of Larsa she was given clothes,metal,their value in silver which was currency in Mediteranean,and 2 sails for large ships each valued at 10 shekel (80 gms)of silver.And this ship with the dowrie started from Gujrath /Sindh coast to Mesopotamia .(page 217 Trading encounters From Euphrates to the Indus in bronze age .Shereen Ratnagar Oxford uty press 2004)The Indian rulers had representatives in all the ports along the ocean in all parts of the world and some portcities were actually controlled by them (at a distance).But the control was not based on war /power politics but on friendly trade ,exchange of materials/culture/language /and women.In the ports the representatives met the local people and exchanged materials.Every one seem to have understood the signs/seals used by the Indian people.But was there a vocal language spoken between them?We have one authority at least saying that it was a silent language between locals and foreigners(here Indian in Greek soil).That is Herodotus.He speaks about the silent trade without language or middlemen directly between the locals and the foreign authority.They didn’t even meet each other.The foreign ships arrive and they keep all their commodities in a familiar common place(a market in a port)which every local knew .It was so famous and the timings of the market were specific and that also was known to all the people.After depositing the goods the foreigners retreat to their resting places.Then the locals silently enter with their products and keep them .They then retreat to their homes.The foreigners again come and value the objects kept and if they are balanced in requirements/demands they take it and replace their goods.We cant call this a usual competitive market where people argue over prices for gains.But as sharing between people on honest means.Herodotus also says that the places or cities of this foreign trade was always outside the living quarters of the people.The same is seen in south Indian sangha literature as Purachery vaaranam.(Chilappathikaaram).It was a dharma due to prolonged thought processes and necessity rather than for exploiting others .
The reason for developing such a system in India must be the innumerable dialects spoken in the subcontinent itself.The system might have evolved in the subcontinent first and then extended to other continents.The common language was the seals,the weights and measures and the demand/supply knowledge and the knowledge of routes both oceanic and landroutes.The dharma of gnaana and compassion.
According to Atharvaveda 3 types of exchanges are(111.15)
1.Prapanam .An object in return for object-barter/gift
2.Prathipanam .Exchange of merchandise
3.Vikriya.Actual sale of objects.
All the 3 methods brought sathadhana(Hundreds of wealth)and Vaniks (synonym Vaidehaka),banchara(streetvenders),sarthavaha(caravans)and Souvithakar(shipowners and navika)and kaaayastha were engaged in this.So according to Athravaveda Videha ,the father of Sita was not only a king and a learned man but also engaged in trade.(Brahmakshthra and vaisya combination)
Periplus tells us about the ivory of Docerene.Who are docerenes?This Latin word is the one which became Doctor in English .And in veda they are the twin doctors the Dasra or Nasatya or the Aswins ,the vedic physician/surgeon divine serpents,who according to Rgveda traversed the searoutes and went around the world and brought gold and riches for them regularly..Ivory comes from Africa and India and Indian ivory was superior and known to Mesopotamians from ED 111 period ,and prior to that only Rhinoceros ivory and boars tusk were known to them.Mehrgarh people knew elephant ivory earlier than that. Indian ivory superior to African ivory and was in much demand all over the world.The ivorywork requires high craftsmanship and very fine tools polishing techniques etc and from records of the temple of Mesopotamian origin it was quantified by weight,not by number of articles .Ivory is seen in all the major civilization sites of the old world.And at least 10000 yrs back a sharing by searoute and landroute existed in Indian subcontinent as evidenced from the Mehrgarh culture sites.Then why are we trying to bring the Docerenes of the vedic period to myths or to later historic periods?I think this is simple intellectual slavery .In ancient times ivory was collected by Pulinda and sabara tribes of hills and forests and given to king as gift and then it was procured by the traders from king as shown in Kaadambari of Baana and in chilappathikaaran of Ilango Adikal.
According to Pliny kings get more money out of the salt mountains of India which he calls Ouromenus,than gold and silver.Now that mountain is in Pakistan.The other source of salt were the seashores.The salt dealers of the coastal region were called parathavar,meenavar,mukkuva,naavika(souvithaka or sathadhana)and locally as uppukotta upto 5th century AD.Uppu is salt and kotta is wealth or prosperity.During kusana periods a saltdealer gives tributes to a temple(siyadoni nemakavanija).We find that during the sathavahana empire the king had some special levi for the salttrade which was exclusively his.Parathava or Bharathava in Sanskrit ,is thus a common people belonging to entire India(Bharath)and Bharathamnuni who made bharathakala(literature,music and drama)and Sage vyasa who made the Vedas famous as we know it today were members of this fishermen or Meenava community.One of the meenave brides (Satyavathy)who is incidentally Vyasa’s mother also .to the pooru/kuru dynasty is to be viewed as a gift of the meenava to the king in the sense of Marcell Maus.It was her progeny who ruled India during the Mahabharatha period and one of their cousins(Krishna)had a portcity in Dwaraka for trade of this kind .The differences of south .north,east and west were thus neutralized by a unified system of administration and world economy for benefit of all. The communication language of the Indian subcontinent as seals and the finished and unfinished objects has a very important role in this unification of he world.The seals in Mesopotamia.Egypt,Hindukush,and in several other places show that the language of the seals was wellknown all over the ancient world.
Copper was present in Rajasthan,in south India and in Baluchistan(kekaya)which was also part of ancient India.(Both Dasaratha in Ramayana and Krishna in Mahabharatha times had taken wives from kekaya).Still the copper of Oman was taken by Harappan sailors to share it with Elam and Mesopotamia and to supplement .They took gold from kolar and from the Americas.Silver from Iran.By giving weight and measures,language,mathematics,use of zero ,sign language(lipi)and musical notations and instruments and culture they became a Guru to the world.Rgveda speaks of Pani(Phani)who goes on long voyages to bring sathadhana to India.These are the Phoenicians.or Vanika a corruption of Panika.Such families formed guilds and functioned on cooperative basis right from mehrgarh times and evidence of them is seen in Sangham literature,Jathaka tales and in several inscriptions of the land.The smallest weight of Rgveda ia a krishnala(a seed of Abrus precatorius)which is 1.8 yava.Sathamana is thus 180 yava and this forms the smallest weights of a suvarna(gold) and a rajatha or rayi (silver).Mcdonnells statement that Harappan/vedic Indians did not know the world rajatha is to be taken with caution,since rayi was the name used in veda for silver and rajatha(rayatha/rayitha later becoming rajatha by change in pronounciation as a sanskritha word.) was a later synonym.
Here we will discuss some of the ancient landroutes taken by the monks and the merchants alike.
1.Mahaparinirvana sutha.Travel of Budha.
Starts from Rajgrih in south Bihar,Ammabilathika,Nalanda,Padaleegamam,kodigaamam,Vaisali,Pawa,Kuseenaram where he dies.(This is a short route in the east part of northern India)
2.Suthanipatham .Travel of Bhaveru.
Starts from Prathishtan(Paithan)of Madhya Deccan,and travels upto the capital of Kosala called Sravasthy which is the present Lucknow.He crosses mahishmathy(Mandhana and Nimar)Ujjain(Usseni)Vidisha(vedisa)Thumbavanam(Tumain in east Madhyapradesh)kousambi(near Allahabad).This was almost like an ancient grand trunk road of the ancients connecting the south and the north routes(Dakshinapath and Utharapath)
3.The journey of Jeevaka
Stars from Takshakasila(Taxila)near the present Rawalpindi,reach Bhadramkara(Sialkot),Udumbara(Pathankot)and Rohithaka(Rohatak) and this is called the Utharapatham by Panini (the northern routes).
Now draw a map of India and connect these places .The routes join and connect the entire land of India from Gandharam to Prathishtan and on the east ,the way from Rajgrih or Magadha join it kousambi /Allahabad in Gangha.From Rohithak to Mathura and from vidisha to ujjain and to Rohithak is a central place called Daasapuram .From Sutlej or sarayu to this place was under the dasa king Guha ,during Ramayana times and to cross sarayu to this place one needed the permission of this daasa king Guha.(From this one can guess the importance of the daasa /dasyu in vedic India)Without his seal /permission not even a royal prince like Rama/Bharatha could cross an important riverroute./Landroute through his dasyu kingdom.So what is the criteria for saying that the dasyus were inferior in position/ranking?
4.The journey of Rama and sita in Pushpaka vimana gives an aerial view of places when they return from Lanka to Ayodhya.From Lanka to Ayodhya the places seen are
1.Thrikutachala over which Lanka is seen
2.The battleground and the place where Rama stayed during the war
3.The seashore of Lanka with the endpart of Nalasethu which was made for sita’s rescue
4.The ocean and the part of Nalasethu within it,the sankha,chippi and coral reefs that raise from the oceanic bed(The richest source of pearl and other precious materials is gulf of Mannar in south India at the site of Nalasethu/Ramsethu/Adams bridge.
5.the seashore at Indian end where the army of Rama stayed while the sethu was in construction and known as the sethubandha
6.The famous place where shiva’s presence is always there(Rameswaram)
7.kishkinda with its chithravana(forests)and costly wood which were exported as we see in Mesopotamian reports much later in prehistory .
8.Rishyamukachala with golden ore where rama met Sugreeva
9.Pambasaras (River Pamba)and its chitravana rich in spices,wood of export quality and elephants and where pulindas and sabaras are inhabitants .
10.Place where Sabari lived(Present sabarimala and the ashram of sage Mathanga who made Brihadhesi)
11.The janasthana where Jatayu was cremated.Janasthana is the place of continuous occupation of human race from Paleolithic times.Janasthana means the place of origin(of Indian people ).
12.The ashram of Rama and seetha in Panchavadi
13River Godavari
14 old ashram of Agastya occupied by his disciple Sutheeshna
15 Sarabhanga ashram
16.Ashram of Athri
17.Ashram of Bharadwaja called Chithrakuta (present Ramgiri/Ramgarh)where Bharatha met Raman earlier.
18.River kalindi and Bharadwajas ashram
19.The place where the 3 tributaries of Ganga are seen .Thripathaga ganga.
20.Sringiverapuram of friend Guha .(Singror according to Cunningham)
21.Sarayu river
22 Dasaratha rajadhani in Ayodhya.
This ancient route of Rama from Srilanka meets the northern route at Janasthana in Godavery .And by crossing Sarayu one can go to Utharapatha of Panini easily.
5.Route as told by the Brahmin from Kudanadu Manghattu to Kannaki and Kovalan to reach Madhura.
He is seen by the couple near Nedumchuram on his way to Thirupathi venkatam from Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswami kshethram.Nedumchuram is the present Palghat Pass.
1.Nedumchuram is full of ara,pora,lanes,watercontaining tanks and waterways,and lakes.
2.After Nedumchuram kodumbai and Nedumkulam(Present Kodumbu and nedumpuraiyur)
3.There like the trident of shiva there are 3 ways .All of them lead to Madurai
4.Right path-circumambulated Pandya’s chirumala and reach Madurai.This is the Udumalpettai,Pazhani,Kodaikanal route
5.The left takes to the cave in Thirumal kunnu and 3 lakes called punyasaravana,Bhavakarini and Ishtasidhi.From the mountain with the cave a stream falls down and is called Chilambaru(The present Manalaru which connects Bharathapuzha and Periyar in the shape of a chilambu).This is the chittoor,Kollangode,Paadagiri,Parambikulam,Nelliyampathy route.
6.The middle way is through Pollachi,Vettakaran puthur,Bodhinayakkanur to Madhura.
All the 3 meet at Bodhinayakanur and reaches Madhura,Kovalan and Kannaki takes the middle way and meets Salini at Vettakaran puthur.
This route meets the Aruvamozhichuram route of the pothikai(oxes carrying sacks of salt)from Thiruvananthapuram through Idukki without touching Palghat .If one wants one can touch Palghat as well ,as this Brahmin traveler does because he is from Kudanadu.
6.The landroutes of Rajasthan.
From the records of Rajasthan it is seen that kishkindha extended from what Rama said(In south )to the Udaypur district where the kalyanpur is called as Kishkindha of Guhilas.Guhilas of Kalyanpur had 3 branches called Aranyar(vanavasi or forestdwellers),koopar(from koopakarajya)and Giris(from mountains)
From the medieval records we get a picture of the major centers of trade and places where the merchants met and exchanged goods,type of goods etc.The sarthavahak of Rajasthan had connections to international and national inland trade connections.Ghatakoopa,Thrinakoopa,Isanakoopaka,kollikoopaka etc are placenames in Rajasthan which shows the koopaka /kishkindha connection very clearly .Kolli is the area in Kerala and Chera kings have epithet kollikavalan in sangham literature.Koopaka is part of west coast related to kuttam,kuda,poozhi,mozhipeyardesa and mooshaka koopaka kingdoms.The most important thing is the places where the sharing take place is called either Hatta or Mandapika .(Hatta is corruption for patta/pattanam.)Pattanam and Mandapa are two terms we see in the southernmost part near rameswara and in TamilNad and in Nepal(Kathmandu-wooden mandapa)at the northernmost .The same occur in Madhyapradesh and in Rajasthan in the middle of India.Mandhai in Lanka also had the same meaning.In these places the merchants exchanged their goods and stayed for nights rest and payed the tribute to ruler(a tax)and got the seal of permission to move to next territory.(Note that the Table below is not correctly displayed)
List of trade centers in Rajasthan in medieval times as per records
AD location Ruled by Name in records
644

861

905

916
939
997

953

955



961
1017-18
1080
1109

1115-1278
1156-1161


1161

1178
1184
1250

1276
1291
1288

1296
Dhod in Bilwara dist
ghatiyala near jodhpur


Kaman in bayana

Hasthikundika
Godwar in SE Marwar pali dist,

Ahada in udaypur

Bayana –bharathpur



Rajor Alwar
Shergarh/kotta
Arthuna-Banswara
Thalabad 11 miles south Banswara
Sevadi .pali dist

Badari near nador in pali

Nadol

kiratharupa or kiradu


mandor near jodhpur
kammanur near udaypur
Rathanpur
Jodhpur
Chandravathy sirohi part
jalor Guhila

Prathihara

Prathihara


All 3 under Rashtrakuta

Guhila

Prathihara/soorasena



Prathihara
Paramara
Paramara
Paramara

Chahamana

Chahamana


Chahamana

Chalukya/chahamana


Chahamana

Chahmana
Chahmana
Chahamana
Paramara

chahamana Hatta

Hatta in Rohinsa koopakagram
Kambalihatta at kamyakeeyakotta


Collectively called Rajdhani

Mandapika-Aghaathapuram

1.Mandapika at vudavatha
2.Mandapika at Sreepatham


Hatta –Rajyapuram
Mandapika
Hatta
Pattanavara

1samipadi pattanam
2.mandapika

Naddoolathalapatha sulkamandapika
Same name as above

Sulkamandapika
Mandavyapureeyamandapika


Mandavi

Hatta
Hatta
Chandravathy mandapika

Nigra(sra)nikshepaghatta
Part from this list which extends from AD 644 to AD 1296 over a span of 600 yrs there are some special sites of Chahamana mentioned.as below

1138-1145 Nadukladakika or Narlei in pali Vanacharaka had their desi or local presence and the loaded bullockcarts were paying chunkam or levy to them
1141




1295 Vahadameru or juna vadmer near Barmer Dalopasthanam near Nadol Samasthajanapada including people with Anahithavada could exchange things there


A place where sarthavahasangha having loaded(Bhaara)oxcarts,camelcarts etc could rest.
An interesting place is kamyakeeyakotta which functioned at least till AD905.It is also called Kambalihatta or kampilyakapattanam in records of Medieval times.It was famous for the cattle markets of Bhartathpur.This place is mentioned in Mahabharatha with the same name.When Pandava were living in forest ,they lived in Kamyakavana in kampilyakam Excavations around showed that around the old cattlemarket were streets of sankhika(who work on conches and conch ornaments)Kamsyakara(artisans on alloy of copper and tin)Kalyapaala(people who distill medicinal as well as alcoholic beverages).This was a practice in old south India also to have separate streets for each of the artisans/industries.In Sangham literature we have evidences of it.Even in modern Kerala if we go to Palghat we can see this.Whole streets are named in the industry/trade the people follow.Kamyakeeyakotta is not a place near ocean.still it has a street for workers on conches and shells of oceanic origin.This shows how the people of India were doing the centralized production and sharing of goods(raw as well as produced finished goods)in the local inland areas as well.The same thing was followed in the distant foreign continents .Did the common people have knowledge of what is available and what is the produce in demand in these areas so that they can give and take in exchange.A list of things existed and such a list is seen in some medieval records.The merchants had known what is available and what is in demand in various places and then collected them from available lands and shared them globally .(taking great risks of their life itself ).
The medieval list
Hasthinakundika Wheat ,barley ,grains
Pulses
oils Cotton
Manjishtam
Thamra and other metals
Ralaka(from animalskin) Salt
Kollika from leaves
Kumkuma
guggulu
Ahar .Udaypur Agricultural products in 2 measures of Thula and Adaka
Gaanaka(oil)
Madhura(sweetmeets) Kollikaparna Ivory
Animalhair including horsehair
Sringa(animal horns)
Ranghor.Alwar Ghoni(agricultural products in sacks)
Butter,oils kollika
Arthuna Yava,bhandadhanyam
Ikshu(for sugar)
Ghandagula(pieces of jaggery)
Karpasa(cotton)
Suthra(thread)
Karpatakotika(new cotton garments)
Ajyathaila(sesame oil)
Oil
Arecanut
coconut Citron
Thamra
Loha objects
Manjishtam or turmeric Salt
Parna
Cattlefodder
Natla Dhanya
Keeradhavu (grampo,green pepper,dry cinnamon)
Oils ghee Cotton
Pooga haareethaki(betel)
Iron weapons
Manjishtam
jewellery
From what is said in medieval Rajasthan we get a picture how the Mehrgarh culture (Harappan/Mohenjodaro/vedic civilization)was functioning at its most mundane economic/social front.To maintain such a system from Mehrgarh period at the latest (8000BC to 1295 AD as shown above)for a continuous 10000 yrs and more is not a simple thing.It is in this light the epics and the descriptions in them,the vedic history etc have to be viewed.Both literary,archeological ,regional identification and corrobortation exists for this cultural continuity and history of India and hence the chronology of kings and rulers given in veda and epics have to be reevaluated by historians and archeologists.

7.Sankisa of Fahien
The Chinese traveler wrote that 18 yojana south of Mathura lie sankisa and near to it is TO-MO-LI-TI ,a kingdom near the confluence of a river .It is 50 yojana away from Chamba city.From this Cunningham described it near Ferukabad .Wilson corroborating vayupurana and markandeyapurana thought Thamralipthy is Tomoliti and it is at mouth f Ganga .Thus the route of the chinese traveler they determined as
1Mathura
2Sankisa
3Kanouj
4Sanchi
5Banarus
6Mozafurpur stupa north of Pataliputhar
7 caves of Gaya
8Rajagriha
9.Orissa
10 Thamralipthy
11.Ceylon or srilanka
The route seems correct except probably the identification of Tamralipthy at mouths of Ganga.It is further south at southern tip of India.And from orissa to thamraparni and from there to Ceylon was an ancient searoute used for millennia.
It is interesting to note that Cunnignam who initially said puranas of India are only myths and cannot be relied upon for identification of historic places finally had to change his opinion and say that they are the most important helpful tools for an archeologist./historian for identification of ancient sites/routes etc.He wrote :-Our difficult paths were smoothed by the labours of our greatest Sanskrit scholars ,whose translations have placed within our reach nearly all the chief works of Indian learning.
Archeologists by their survey in east Rajputana stumbled upon the genealogical origin of yaduvansi and of the Maus(Mooshakavansa).The topographic survey of Krishna’s birthplace Mathura gave insights into Parkham,Mahavan(near Gokul)Bharathpur,Gwalior etc.They could locate Kousambi ,pabosagiri,the temple of Karkotakanaaga in Bardeval.The rikiyan caves and the ramgiri or chithrakut of Bharadwaj.To the west of Karkotakagiri ,12 miles away from the mound of dhandkhera lie the karkotakanagaram.It is only a 4 sq mile area but yielded 6000 punchmark coins,a factory of pearl and precious jewels,and it was the oldest capital of the old Madhyamika (Mjjimikaya)people called sibijanapada.It is called Nagri or Nagari.Several megalithic stones were seen in this area.

8.J.D.Beglar of archeological survey of India
He discovered the old Eran remains with varahamurthy between the sea and the Bhopal area and tried to study the ancient trade routes.He rediscovered the old route from Vidarbha to Orissa touching the ancient city of Koundinyapura(Rugmani’s birthplace).Th eold route touches all the old cities from vidarbha to orissa and is a west-east route from kakkar near Nagpur,via shewa,ganjam,jangada and it has 2 routes one straight to Mahanadi valley ,turn south and reach the shores of sea at Orissa or ,without taking that route straight landroute to the western end of Orissa.
A very important point which is seen only in Indian routes is that in the Bharhout survey the temple at Chandreha is touched by all the routes and this temple is in the Kaimur-Vindhya line(central line from kaimur to viindhya mountains)and all the old roads touch this temple.
In sunay ghat only bullocks can travel,no wheeled vehicles.The old route from north coming from Badanpur pass bifurcates at Mahiyar one to dams and the other down the pass to Bilhari.After the Badanpur pass there is a second bifurcation at the south.
One to karilathei,bijera,gogarh,thevai.
The other barei,kavoria,chandra,from Chandra a branch to simhapura ,Ramgarh,Bichiya sahejpur,upto Kakkar in south.The other Bandogarh,Pali,sohagpur,dangavon,kuttock.
As we have seen earlier Simhapura or singrur is sringaverapura of Guha and Ramgarh is Ramgiri of Kalidasa and the Chithrakut of Ramayana.(very well corresponding with the archeological survey landmarks of old routes)

What I have tried in this article is to draw some sketches of the oldest recorded landroutes in literary/puranic/ithihasa/medieval records and this network of old communications and the extensive landroutes were the backbone of Indian culture and teachings being given to all the nation and to international teaching as well.These routes were routes of both ideas(monks)and objects(economy and arts and architecture)and of women as brides(interchange of genetic material and cultural mixing )The routes connecting Lanka to Khandahar(south –north)and the connections from east and west intersecting these at the middle forming a lattice of communications are to be known before we start assessing the history and language of the Indus script.Hence this is an introductory for Indian history from point of view of an Indian scholar.We will now consider an important route described in Ramayana by Poet Valmiki.

FROM AYODHYA TO KEKAYA
The roots and routes

In Ayodhtyakandam 68th sarga Vasishta sends his special envoy to Kekaya to bring back Bharatha and Sathrugna from Kekaya.He asks them to take the best horses and to reach there swiftly and not to tell the princes the reason why they are called back.And he sends some precious jewels and the best silk clothes to Aswapathy and Yudhajith as presents(The Indians were having these luxury items in excess even at that time)Yudha and youdheya are names associated with the old Indus site J(Y)udeiradaro on Indus near the junction of kachi plain with the Indus alluvium and were the outpost of people of sibi dynasty (a branch of Indian dynasty)in the Bolan pass route and now it is near Jacodabad /a name of judeirjo daro changed/corrupted.And further west is the Pathianikot at foot of Mula pass.On Kachi plain is the ancient Harappan sites of Mehrgarh,Nausharo,Porak which show a continuous development and human habitation from the Neolithic upto the iron age.And in this area the precious items are almost the same as explained by Valmiki,even today. .In 7th sarga ,Valmiki tells us a list of presents which Aswapathy sends to his son-in-law,Dasaratha.He sends
1.Elephants
2.Chithrakambala painted carpets probably of wool since that is a speciality in that regions where pastoralism and sheep farming and woolcutting are done by the peripatite communities.
3.Ajina .This is an interesting item.The ajina or bark of birch tree (which in Sanskrit is called bhoorjapathra).The Burzahom 16 KM NE of Srinagar in Kashmere is named after this tree .This tree was felled and transported through Jhalum river and there was a neolithic Harappan site in Jhellum valley and several near Taxila.Birch gives charcoal(fuel)and is a deciduous tree with high oil content and burn even when wet.The bark peel off in smooth layers and this was of great use to vedic /prevedic Indians for writing material,for roofing,umbrellas,and for cloths and this material of ajina for wearing of ascetics is sent by the king of Kekaya to Ayodhya showing that kekaya was in charge of the high altitude Harapan sites in Kashmere and beyond.

4.golden lockets 2000 numbers.The transoxus region is a very rich source of gold.In kokcha river there is placer gold .Shortugai gold is pure gold with no impurities.The confluence of Oxus with Kokcha and upstream Oxus is a great source of gold and the veda mentiones Chakshushi river as the northernmost river of their territory and we hace Shortugai as the northernmost outpost of Harappan Indians.If we consider this ,the veda and the archeological evidences are not contradictory and conform perfectly well with vedic Indian and Puranic Indian texts.The story of Maruthan as a king of Ikshawku clan who did a great sacrifice and all his gold and precious jewels still in the northern parts of India I Himalaya and Bheema (second Pandava)going there to collect it for Rajasooya of Yudhishtira is seen in Mahabharatha .So right from Ramayana/Mahabharatha /vedic times the Harappan Indians have been there utilizing this wealth .(The Kubera and his gold in the north also has to be taken as a myth which grew out of this fact )The Shortugai outpost was near and under control of Kekaya king who is an Indian both in Ramayana and Mahabharatha period..The rest of India had gold from South India(Karnataka,AP,Tamil nad,banks of sonrekha in South Sourashtra and southern Neolithic sites of Maski,Pikhihal,Kotegal) with a small percentage of silver as impurity and was lighter in colour.Mohenjadaro was using this gold.The fact that the Harappans were getting gold from the entire subcontinent (from north to south)and was functioning as international trade agents for the entire country has to be appreciated .
5.Horses 1600 numbers.The horses of this region are still very strong and in demand by people who do horseracing .In old Indian where the horses were used for swift communication and for battles these trained strong swift horses were in demand and Aswapathy sends them to his Son –In-law Dasaratha in large qualtities through his grandson.(Until the Portuguese took over Goa ,and interrupted the horse barter ,and became sole suppliers of Horses upto Southern Vijayanagara empire,the trade and commerce had never been questioned or interrupted though several dynasties had come and gone)
6.A few honest,wise and good ministers for protection in the journey.That shows there were dangerous situations which could be expected in the journey for his grandson and the king was cautious about it.
7.Gana(soldiers)who are like the elephants of Indra ,powerful strong men.They too are for protection and also for use in war as cavalry.
8.Swift running Khara or mules for carrying the goods and to travel on the dangerous mountainous passes.Onager or the Equius hemionus is the mule (Indians call it vesara or crossbreed)and is the Asiatic half ass,half horse an animal of west Asia and south Asia.It is a small but very swift animal ,and though not easy to tame,once tamed it is of use in journeys on strenuous mountainous tracts and is a pack animal for long distance caravans ..The bones of this animal is seen in all Harappan sites so far excavated.So the gift of mule was not because it is rare in Bharatha’s birthplace but because it would be of use to him to carry the heavy gifts homes through a dangerous terrain.
9.Hunting dogs which have the strength of a tiger and are specially protected in the palace and with sharp canines(These are the mastiffs which are still famous in those regions).The spotted hunting dogs were also cherished in sumerian/akkadian areas and were given in exchange from the Meluhhans to them which shows the Meluhha country was the northwestern parts of India including Kekaya and Gandhara (present Baluchistan and Afghanistan and Pakistan)
It is thus a big caravan or a sarthavaahakasangha that is accompanying Bharatha to India.Naturally he has to take the caravan route and cannot take the route taken by the envoy Vasishta sent.Bharatha takes 7 days to reach Ayodhya, but at certain place he leaves behind the caravan and travels alone on horseback and reach his palace without his big retinue.Valmiki does not say how many days the caravan took to reach Ayodhya.The route is drawn with precision by Valmiki .
.1First he see a river in the Sudama mountain(Present Sulaiman )called Sudaama river.
2.Then he see a broad river ,flowing to the west as Hladini
3.Sathadru
4.Elaadhanee river
5.The silaa river(stony river )of Aparapappada.Towards its Agnikon is a silavaha where salyakarthana is done.
6.Reaches the Chaithrarathavana after crossing several mountainous tracts
7.He sees the saraswathy and Sindhu sanghamam
8 Reach Bharundakaananam north of Veeramatsya
9.The swiftflowing kalinga river enclosed by mountains.There he rests and gives rest to his horses..I have seen an interesting reference from Shereen Rathnagar that in the Badakshan mine outcrops of lapis lazuli ,the kokcha river is flowing very swiftly and is very steep.2700 m height is the sarisang mine on an upstream stretch of kokcha.Other mines are lower at 1500 m.Badakshan is the highest village.Above the old capital of Badakshan there are two streams which unite to form the kokcha river and from there one has to go on foot and abandon ponies and mules.From sarisung extraction of lapis lazuli from the mountain face is done.Just move fire to crack mountain face and deep grooves picked around the lapis then loosened out was an old technique for which experts are needed who can travel that height and do this extraction .There is a possibility that the honest and strong men with Bharatha were for this purpose .This requires forethought and an organized expedition and pasturalists involvement and Aswapathy was giving such an experience to the would-be emperor ,his grandson.
10.Dense forests
11.He see Ganga in Ansudhana but do not cross the river there
12.Instead he crossed it at Pragvapuram
13.Kutigoshtika
14.Dharmavardhana
15.Towards the south of its thorana lies Jambuprastha
16.He reaches the Varoothagraama and stays at the Ramyavana for the night
17.To the east is Ujjihana garden with the famous red cotton plantations.Bharatha walks around and see this cotton garden
18.Crosses the river Uthanika
19.Crosses several rivers to reach Hasthisrishtaka
20.Crosses Kudika river
21.Crosses Kapeevathy river in Louhitya
22.Crosses Sthanumathy river in Ekasaalam
23.Crosses river Gomathy in Vinatham
24.Then he cross the forests belonging to the Kalingadesha
25 And reaches the ancient city of his ancestors .

The route that the messengers of Vasishta took is as follows
1.They traveled along the river Malini
2.Crossed Ganga at Hasthinapura
3.Kurujangala/Anupadesa is crossed where they see numerous migratory birds
4.Kalpatharu is seen and they pay homage to it
5.See the Bodhi of Kalingadesa
6.The Ikshumathy river of the ancients(This is the Chakshu in the Jaipur where the old Saraswathy-Ghaggar system had a tributary of that name ,not the Oxus of the Northern side I guess)
7.Crossing it they reach the Sudama mountain and the Girivraja of kekayarajagriha.

Identification of the routes and the names

The old Ikshumathy or Oxus of the ancients is the oxus valley of Afghanistan (in the north)and from there the messengers directly enter the Sulaiman ranges-sudama mountain- where within a wall of mountains is the Girivraja of kekaya.If they are coming through the Central India then also they cross a River called Chakshu in Jaipur to reach the Sudaman ranges .Kirthar(Giridhar/Girivraja Sudama ranges are low slopes and fall gently to plains below and an expert can reach there easily .(See Indus Civilization by Posserl) Baluchistan or old Kekaya is the area where you find sindhivar,sringhar areas and the Mehrgarh of the archeologists.
The kalinga of Ramayan means the Indus script of Brahmi Ka,which is in the shape of a chithrakut (with a center and 4 paths leading from it ,as in swasthik,sarvathobhadra style)and this symbol was there in every landroute where the traveler has to take a bifurcation,as well as in every port to show the presence of a Kalankarai vilakku(kalam+karai+vilakku-ship,shore and lighthouse sign)Beyond this Chithrakuta the messengers see the Oxus river and the kekaya in sudama .Beyond the chithrakuta and the kalpa tree(There is a place called Kalpa in the area if you look at the present Indian Atlas,)they were in the landmasses and the low lying areas where the migratory birds come,(The Anoopadesha)of the kuru and Panchala ,and to reach there they had crossed Ganga at Hasthinapura.They were following the route of the Malini ,the present day Chamba to reach Hastinapura.
Since the Indus plane between the present Thar desert and the Kirthar ranges is a very narrow strip of 200 Kms (where the Kachi plane and Manchar lake (largest freshwater lake )are located and after Kuba river (the Kabul river )in Hindukush ,the Sudama river joins Sindhu river as tributary at Kurram,Thochi,Sob and Gomal the author of Rmayana is aware of the exact location,geography and caravan routes of the Harappans and Indus valley people.
.
So the route of messengers is easy to trace.

To recapitulate they first take a route in the northwestern direction,from Saketha along river Chambal,cross Ganga at Hastinapura,,and then to the lowlying Anupghar or anupadesha,where the migratory birds are seen in plenty,Then kalpa,and the kalinga sign,at the confluence of old Ikshumathy,where Brahmins live with just a handful of water doing severe penance.Reach sulaiman ranges in the center of Bahlikadesa(Baluchistan)and see the feet of Vishnu,the sudaman river ,and other rich forest areas and then the Girivraja kekaya or the Mehrgarh area.

But with his long retinue Bharatha takes a slightly different route.The names are all changed now and it is difficult to identify.But we will have some clues for identification.
Before discussing that route I would just recapitulate the location of the Harappan sites in India.Along the lower Indus(sindhu)lie near lake Manchaar ,in kachi plain ,sw.Punjab,Bahawalpur,middle and upper reaches of the old saraswathy valley Peripheral to this zone one can see in Kutch ,kathiawar,upper Punjab,Makran repeatedly described in Mesopotamian texts and Oxus valley(Chakshushi river )Harappa is on left bank of the lower Raavi plain.To its NE is upper Punjab and to east is Hariana and south west is Multhan(Moolasthaana of rulers of Mathura in UP .according to Mahabharatha ).Multan is a break of bulk center for goods from Afghanisthan (old Ghandhara)and a center of pilgrimage for all sindhu people.An equally important route is debouching from the Suleiman ranges on to Dera Ismail khan which see the winter movements of pastoralists and their flocks(the yaadava race of Mahabharatha)and a caravan route where traders met before proceeding further into India by crossing Indus.(page 88 Shereen Rathnakar
2004 Trading encounters from Eupharates to Indus in Bronze age oxford 2004).
1.Sudama.river ,must be near the sudama mountain as the name implies and we can identify it as possibly the present Bohan river or one of its tributaries..The Northwest part of kachiplain is built by slit and alluvium from Kirtharas and sulaimans and sparsely populated with swift water courses .In the sudama area Bharatah moves forward after seeing the sudama river(Bohan)to northwest .
2.Then he moves north and see the broad part of the Sindhu in the area called Noushera which was the Oxus of the Ikshwaku races.This part was a part of the HakkA-Ghagger system.At present the area near Judeirjo daro
3.The sathadru which Bharatha see cannot be the sutlej as we know.It must be in the Girivraja(Girdao) area of Swat ,called the Charsadu river which is seen after seeing the Siritoi river.
4.Eladhane river is the present Kunaar which pass through kiladrosh.The relation of swat and kerala with the river kounar there had been the reason for the change in name from elaadhaane to kunar.Even the name eladhane has a name similarity to elam ,a muchwanted spices product from kerala hills which was being sent to swat regularly.The word Elamite came from Eladhaane.Elapathra Naaga of purana and Ithihasa had his palace in Hissar
5.The silanadi or stone river of Aparapappada.This is the Chithral river or river chithra flowing through aparabarbaradesa.And Valmiki says in the agnikon of it is silaavaha where salyakarthana is done.
Salyakarthana is quarrying .Silavaha is mountains or stones bearing metals.If you look at a corner of chithral ,beyond the Doseth pass is the Ansuman(Ansudhana) ,khurram,kocha areas and great lapis lazuli mining areas ,seen even in today’s map.One ancient route from India to Iran and to Badakshan follow the kokcha river up or south from the mine ,go along Anjuman tributary(ancient name Ansumaan after an Ikshaku king)or Karan ,pass over the Anjuman pass follow Panchsir river to Charikar and Kabul and from here ageold crossroads of routes to all directions can be seen.This is the most frequented route from India to Iran and back in old times and Bharatha’s route is that .Anshumann route is via Bamian and Khanabad and then east to Kunduz and Kokcha and was in use even in Budhist times and till that time the old names like Gandhara,Kekaya and Aaratta etc persisted.This area is rich in ancient mounds which are not yet excavated.The chagai hills Mundigark area ,Baluchistan,kachi plain were in constant contact and interaction throughout the prehistory.The Arhathadesa or Arattadesa and Bahleekadesa were part of the geographical political unit of India till the mature Harappan period and after that the interaction between the Bahleekadesa and Indian plains decreased and stopped.Shortugai was established by Harappans when all routes to Baluchistan were closed to take control of extraction of lapis lazuli themselves from Badakshan and other mines instead of depending on the kekaya,Gandhara relatives /cousins who turned hostile due to some reason in that period.(probably due to take over of these areas by Assyrian attacks).
The cross road is again another kalpa or kalpatharu /tree showing direction .
The narrative of En Merker and En of Aratta is mentioned here for completion sake.En the sacred ruler of Ur is Enmerker.He ,for a Uruk cultural center project with Goddess Inanna contested with ruler of Aratta ,who occupied a mountain of Lapis lazuli.The Sumerians were getting lapis from Meluhha,Magan,Aratta and Dilmun.In the contest and expedition of En Merker ,the Sumerians are crossing to reach Aratta coursing 5 mountains,six mountains and seven mountains after Anshan,(which could be Anshuman)and in Bharatha’s journey also it is said he crossed several mountains .The mountain of lapis lazuli with colour of sky had a celestial quality and Goddess Innenna is bedecked with it and gold and it was valued just for the very substance and its quality .
In Akkad we find Saragon making military conquests upto Euphrates and to land of cedar(Devtharu)forests and silver mountains.Manishtusun conquers Anshan (Anshuman)and Sherehuma having crossed the lower sea and seized the lands upto silver mines In NW India before Harappan period .Silver was not considered as a valuable item because it always is an impurity(Mlecha )thing and a mixture of many . Pure in chemical terms should not contain a mix of impurities ,whether blood/gene/or element is the dictum of the land.and in UR 111 texts also the silver is not mentioned as a seatrade article.Ur merchants were using /borrowing silver to make trade expeditions to Dilmun to buy copper there (Ramsen Larsa period.Larsa dynasty 2000-1763 BC ,Ramsen 1822-1763 BC)) Silver has become a currency from that period only in oversea trade .By definition a metal that facilitate exchange of goods is currency,currency with specific weight standards is money,(Harappans had this with accuracy in their metals)and money when stamped with a device /a seal become a coin (The seals of the various emperors originated in this way from Indus traditions.).It is interesting that Indian Harappans used gold as currency ,with accurate measures and weights they converted the use of metals to that of money and used stamps and seals of emperor/or tax collector with specific signs in their international trade while Sumerians and other civilizations in Ramsin period had just started to use silver as currency and their weights and measures were not accurate as Harappans and their cylindrical seals also shows they knew the Harappans well and their interaction but to some extant only.Rayi or Rajatha /silver is a byeproduct of alloying and the Harappans with their alchemy and sense of purity were not using silver but pure gold and those who used silver were the byeproducts of marriages between Indians and Babylonians at the borderland .They were the sons of silver or night according to vedic concepts and astronomical knowledge of India (On the other side of globe)
6 chithrarathavana of Bharatha.Bharatha crosses several mountains to reach this.This is the siladoni(silavana) 8126 m above sealevel .One can reach siladoni from chithral through Gilgitt.Chithraratha was a Gandharva.This part is known as chithrarathavana ,the place of Gandharva.This is the part where the Ghaggar or Dridashwathy of the veda with its branch choukal or chitram
It is important to note that here lies the famous salt mountains or Oromanous of Ptolemy which was a major area which brought revenue to the ancient Indians.The silgarh of Nepal is nearby .

7Bharatha see saraswathy and sindhu meeting there.The branch of Sindhu from the east meets at Gilgit ,several branches of rivers from Pamir and Ashkuman(Amsuman).This part is called Shilpi(or viswakarma) Ghaggar and Sindhu ,saraswathy and sindhu and the sindhu/saraswathy system is formed in these areas.
8.To the north of Veerapanchala(the present Pir panchal plateau)Bharatha see the Bharundakaanana. Bahraich north of Pir panchal.which is just above the Noushera area.
South of Siladoni,and north of Shibiyan pass(the land belonging to the sibhi kingdom) is the route given in Rajatharangini to reach Kashmere.
In salyana(salyavana)river sarju(sarayu)joins chooriya(surya river)and together they form the Ghaggar system.This was the famous salt route.Wherever there is fish there would be bharunda birds to eat them.Veeramatsya is the veerapanchala people and near them are seen the migratory bird sanctuary of Bharunda birds .Thus the saradanda river of the messenger has double meaning when we see the route taken by Bharatha,and literally the origin of the words are interesting.Siyadoni nemakavanija in prakrith means (Brahmi paali)the salt merchants of siladoni till the sathavahana period.
(Siladoni –siyadoni
Saravana-salavana-sayaavan
Saalathura-siyalkot (The birthplace of Paanini derived)

9.Bharatha see a swiftflowing river in between mountains called kaalika
The two possibilities are
Kaalika in Kashmir valley
Kali Ghandaki in Nepal valley .
Bharatha took rest there and gave his horses also water and food and rest from the long journey.
10.Then Valmiki states that eventhough Bharatha had seen Ganga from Anshudhaana(Anshuman or Ashkuman ) after crossing a thick dense forest,he didn’t cross it there .To the southeast of Muzzafarbad,near Kistan one can see Gangha ,but the caravan usually do not cross it there but come down and then cross it downstream to reach Indian Mainland.
11.Bharatha stayed at Varuthagrama after crossing Gangha at Pragvapuram.
Pragvapura is Ramnagar and the Ganga there is Ramgangha.
12.Immeadiately after crossing Gangha Bharatha see the Dharmavardhana (Dharmasthala now)
13.After that he reach Varudhagrama where he stay for a night
Below the level of Noushera ,one can note in the map of India Akshnur,Udhampur,Ramnagar,chamba,madhavpur,Dharmasthala,jwalamukhi and Mandhi or Mandhavyapuram.To the northwest of Mandhavyapura is the Vahadamanu grama or the Varuthagrama.All the places just now mentioned together were the kutigoshtika or the house of the families of the caravans.From Ramghar ,one can travel by Gonda,Basthy and by traveling 20 miles to the north can reach Kapilavasthu (The Uthanika route Kaaligandhaki is also called the Uthanika river )This route was taken by Budha to reach India from Nepal.Mandi is to the southernmost part of Himachal Pradesh.
The kutighoshtika of the Indian sarthavahasangha which travel between Utharapatha and Dakshinapatha was in the Vindhya.
One question is why Bharatha took such a circuitous route to Vahakamanu or Varuthagrama?
The answer is ,he was either visiting his wife Mandavi/or her relatives or may be he wanted to take her from her father’s house to where she had gone in his absence.The fact that he stayed in Varuhagrama in Ramyavana or the old Kampilyaka (Kamyaka or Ramyavana)area shows that he was with his wife then.
17.To the east of Varuthagrama is Ujjihana garden with plantations of red cotton and Bharatha leisurely walks around it and see it (probably with his wife)since he has no idea that he is called for a very grievous purpose ,to finish the last rites of his father.The messengers never told him that ,since Vasishta did not want to disclose it .
Ujjihana in the Ramayana times could be Ujjain of the early Christian era.

18.The Uthanika river which Bharatha now crosses is a tributary of Ganga/sarayu system near Utham(Udham)pur.
19.Hasthisrushtaka is Hasthinapura,the capital of the kuru kingdom .He cross this place.
20.Kutika is the kusika river.or sunkosi river.which originate from Nepal and pass through India as a tributary to Gangha.The story of this river as the sister of Viswamithra,satyavathy,the wife of Richeeka of Bhrighu clan and mother of Parasurama is wellknown and is recited by Valmiki in Baalakhanda.
21.21 and 22 are two rivers in the western part –Kapithali or kapivathy in Louhitya or Rohitak (Rohtak of archeologists)and Sthanumathy in Ekathala .Why these are mentioned at the end is confusing.Probably as a short account of other rivers he crossed ,Valmiki might be giving these names.
23.The Gomati in Vinatha is a known tributary of Gangha.
24.Then Bharatha crossed a forest belonging to chedi and reached his fathers ancient city.
I could not understand how and why Bharatha should reach Kalinga/chedi for reaching Ayodhya.But ,then I remembered Sathrughna was with him.And his wife ,Shruthakeerthi of the Chedi/Kalinga family must also be picked up just like Mandavi. But more important was how the Ka of Brahmi,the signpost of the Indus/Harappan/Mehrgarh people determined all their movements from the nomadic days of the tribe.In this the role of the Dakshinapath/Utharapath cross I had to draw carefully.When I did this the entire picture was crystal clear.
Squaring of Vaasthu or Chathurasreekarana of earth (which is actually a geodesic)for mundane purposes is done by Indians right from vedic times as the sacrificial rites show.The sign is used in Indus seals consistently and in Brahmi script,in coins of ancient kings etc.It is still used in the cross of Christians.This is the word yuga/or yuj which means yoga or addition,or mingling .And is the sign of riches as Kalpatharu Bhagavathy .(Apsara /women as wives /sisters.or apsara,the formost being Lakshmi/saraswathy/Parvathy)If you look at the Kamyak(Kamyakavana is mentioned in Mahabharatha when Pandava live there and Dhoumya become their Purohith) of the old route of dakshinapath /utharapath meeting place you will find sreepura above it and Mandhor to right of it .Bharathpur sanctuary of birds and animals is in kamyakavana.A diagonal from Shotrugai(sathrughnapura)as the northernmost outpost to to eastern outpost in Kalinga/chedi Sisupaalagriha meets at the center where the uthara and dakshinapath meet.In 600 BC Mahajanapadha time,Chedi (kalinga empire)extended upto Avanthy –Ujjain ,and one who follows a straight path from Utharapatha down from kashmere valley reach Veeramatsya,Matsya ,Avanthy .Then has to take a route up to reach kosala,and to northeast to reach saketha ,which naturally touches the forest areas of chedi.
Kamyak or Kaman was the center till the end of Chouhamana rulers in 12th –13th century and was the Mandap of Guhilas of Kishkinda from old records .(A continuous center of trade in Indian history).Kishkinda in south India as mentioned in Ramayana,stretches from river Thungabhadra down to the southern end.
See the maps below.

Map 1.Harappan civilization routes
Map 2.Mahajanaptha period




It is clear that Bharatha was following the route of the Harappan/Mehrgarh period and during those times a caravan could not cross without touching the central part –Vindhyan,Aavanthi,Chedi area and getting a green card from them into the Indian mainland.And this ancient route which Harappans and all Caravans of India followed was the old Dravidian routes from South to North by landroute .Since Bharatha had a retinue of Kekaya people with him he took this route so that he could leisurely visit his wife and take her home as well.
The messengers of Vasishta on the other hand ,took the landroute first,along the mainland,and then took a short oceanic course from the mouth of sindhudesa and reached Sudama mountain from there.(a shorter course which is done quickly.)

In trade mechanisms the routes of communication that a people take,the receipt and storage and despatch of materials and handing over of goods,weights and measures used in computing value ,packaging and sealing the containers or packages ,seals as marks of authority/power ,and accounts keeping or medium of writing and protection of goods and men and livestock ,vehicles involved by strong warroiors and honest trustworthy leaders who keep trade secrets were important and we find that all these were wellrepresented in the account of Valmiki in his description of Bharatha and his voyage and the gifts of his grandfather.When we speak of the trade secret and its keeping we must remember that cinnamon is available in India and Lanka alone in ancient world but Periplus,Pliny and Herodotus thought it came from Arabia and North East Africa.Roman merchants had no .direct contact with India and were kept out of the red sea (by Phoenicians /later Arabs and African middlemen) who kept the trade secret that it came from India.Thus the monopoly of trade as well as political stability of India was protected.When Romans actually saw cinnamon leaves in India they failed to recognize it is a humourous situation in history but is also a very meaningful situation which shows the Indian /Phoenician loyalty of the trade and country .(E.M.Warmington1928-186-9The commerce between Roman empire and India Cambridge uty press.)The Phoenicians kept the source of lead and tin and other materials and the searoute and monsoons a secret (Vain Beck 1958 .147 40-41)In the same way the fact that most of the goods came from south India via coastal searoute to Gujrat and then to other parts of worlds by land/searoute (coastal)and also a direct searoute across the ocean directly from west coast to Africa rounding cape of Goodhope to redsea coast as taken by Phoenician Indians was a Indian secret and that shows the origin of the mysterious Phoenicians also which is discussed in another chapter.Thillumunaites(Dilmnites ) also kept the secret of their source of materials to the Babylonians .Thillumunai as used in the Sumer/akkadian texts for Dilmun(Bahrain) is a Tamil/Dravidian word is to be understood in this context.Munai is a point in Tamil.

Mehrgarh period and Ramayana

Mehrgarh period 1 A and B is 7000-5800 BC ,the steatite period when people of India had started their prolonged mettullurgic experimentations and conversion of black and white steatite beads colour to make ornaments with gold was present in that time.
Mehrgarh Period 11 is 5800-4500BC the Neolithic black steatite bead manufacture period
111 C is 4500-3800 BC The time of Ramayana is at the end of Threthayuga and beginning of Dwaparayuga.Calculating that the the Dwaparayuga was for 2/3 of the mahayuga ,and thretha for 2/3rd ,and Kali started with the end of Krishna and reign of Yudhishtira,in BC 3104 ,The time of Rama must be in 8000-7000 BC .and this period is the beginning of the Mehrgarh period or kekaya dynasty period in India.In an article “Lapis lazuli beads from susa and central Asia –a preliminary study :”(Micheal Casanova .pp 137 -145 South Asian archeology 1993 .Ed Asko Parpola)it is said that the first jewels of lapis lazuli beads in Mehrgarh is made in 7th -6thmillennium BC .And it was samples of these precious jewels which were sent to Dasaratha by Kekaya king Aswapathy in Ramayana.

From the archeological evidence the Pakistani Makran period is from 5th milliannia BC (pd 1),Meri period or BC 4th millennium(pd 2)first half and the 4th millennium second half is the period 3.Throughout this period the Gandhara and Kekaya and the area in between ,together called Magan by the Sumer/Akkadians was powerful and it is actually the Makran coast of Indus now in Pakistan.,with the Harappan posts of ports for sea trade and a well knit land communication to high lands .
In 3114 when the most powerful port city in Gujrat coast was lost in the sea there was a fall in trade but it was again picked up by the Harappans .In 2400 BC Akkadian ruler Sargon says his sea is the landing spot of the famous ships of Magan,Meluhha and Tillumun (Dilmun).
Etched carnelian of India was much praised and valued and mentioned in ED 111 ,Akkad,UR 111 and Larsa periods and ivory of India is traded by all these people ED 111,UR 111 and Akkadians .Indianwood also is mentioned in these writings.In Akkad ruler Naramsens writings(He is a crossbred of Indian blood with Akkadian)the booty of Magan is is mentioned and how he defeated the Magans and got the wealth of that nation upto the mountains from the sea coast.(2254-2218 BC).Even after Dwaraka lost Indian trade continued upto 1900-1800 BC through Harappan sites and at that date we find termination of Harappan trade .Mature Harappan period is BC 2600 -1900/1800.In Lassa period though the articles specific for India are obtained ,the name mentioned is only Dilmun in temple accounts UET 11 and contarcts UET 11 of Larsa.But ,the reason is not a stoppage of trade between India and west but some other political conditions.One reason is the attacks of Narsen which made the Indians cut short the connections they had directly with Akkadians,from Magan and Melluha and to increase the service of middlemen from Dilmun ,and that is why we find only Dilmun mentioned in Lasa period though the articles are from India.Another fator is that in 1740 BC the major consumer of Indian niceties and Indias trade partner (trusted)for long ,the city of UR was completely devastated by kings of Babylon.And in the same period we find that the Wadi suq culture of 1700BC in oman coming to an end and the dark age of Oman sets in until onset of iron age in 800 BC when it regains some degree of importance when trade with the western coast of India restarted ,probably due to some contract between the ruler of the west coast.Till then Indian goods from the west coast never reached Oman for more than 900 years .Only Dilmun was the trusted intermediary.It is also interesting that Alexander knew everything about India but knew nothing about Oman or its metallic ore and riches.(in late first millennium)In 1900 BC Lassa was getting regular supply of Indian goods through Dilmun.In 1700 another important event is that Mesopotamia started to get its lapis lazuli direct from Egypt and Indians were delivering it to Egypt .The Punt expedition of Egypt happened in 1700 BC and the Phoenician ships became frequenters of Egypt .
The model of intercultural exchange of Harappans is scheduled,ceremonial ,and state administered ,and both regular and disjointed expeditions were carried out for trade and gain and sometimes individuals have given unscheduled if the exchanges also (example the monkey figure in Mesopotamia may be a gift from a Harappan merchant ,not for commercial purpose).It was scheduled because we have evidence from Mesopotamia .The regular movements of trade merchants with monsoon and with seasonal movements on land are linked with trade and trade routes.The grave goods are mostly ceremonial and a status symbol.Temple decorations also is ceremonial.The ceremonial organized exchanges through marriages(gift as a woman/wife)is to a respected family/trusted partner/relative and hence it has some social implications and friendship values.The dowrie as token of love to daughter is also a token of status symbol and social bond and the goods valued for utility and exchange value is to enforce social value and relationships between families/kinsmen.When a woman is given as a wife/as a prospective queen mother ,it is having a cultural value ,a value that is intrinsic ,the quality of the woman as a treasure of the parents (associative value).The gift of Kekaya to Ayodhya was of this ceremonial type and of cultural value.The lapis lazuli and the navagraha/navarathna in India has a quality associated with it,because we believe it protects from evil eyes ,keep us healthy and calm and this is associated with the magnetic properties of the navarathna as I had explained in the chapter on Kanadavaiseshika which speaks about magnetism in detail.Indians were thourough with magnetic ceramics which describes the structure ,preparation techniques,magnetic properties,and the alchemy of Indians and their navarathna as curative medicinal magnetotherapeutic agents was the reason for the high demand of it in the ancient world.
In a further chapter in the book ,the chronology of the Indian royalty shows that all the people of India belonged to the same race and there is no difference between Kekaya/Gandhara/Meluhha/Magan people from Indian vedic /Harappan population and they were all brothers and cousins.