Rama at 2100 BCE and Krishna at 1500 BCE – A Rejoinder

A seminar was held a Bengaluru in 2003 on “Dating the Kurukshetra War”

under the aegis of the Mythic Society, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the
Arts and Sir Babasaheb Apte Smarak Samithi Trust. Seven scholars suggested
following dates for the Mahabharata War:
Prof. R. N. Iyenger – 1478 BCE
Dr. S. R. Rao – 1700-1900 BCE
Dr. Mohan Gupta – 1952 BCE
Dr. B. Narahari Achar – 3067 B.C.E
Dr. N. S. Rajaram – 3100 BCE
Shri M. V. Narasimhan – 3100 BCE
Shri P. V. Holey – 3143 BCE
Dr. Balakrishna – 3300 BCE
The report is available here. The fact that scholars arrived at different
estimates based on the same astronomical details given in the texts indicates
that we cannot determine the date of Mahabharata War on the basis of
astronomical information alone.

The above dates have been suggested by looking at only the astronomical
details and only those astronomical details relating to the Mahabharata War. S
B Roy, on the other hand, has looked at both the astronomical- and
genealogical details and also those relating to other Prophets. He has
suggested the following dates:
Vaivaswat Manu: 3212 to 2798 BCE
Rama: 1996 to 1646 BCE
Krishna: 1445 to 1124 BCE.i
The determination of dates of Rama and Krishna must also be backed by
archaeological evidence to be convincing. Rama was born after the Ikshwaku
Dynasty had ruled over the city of Ayodhya for many generations, and Krishna
even later. Therefore, we must find archaeological evidence for the existence
of structured habitations, say, a thousand years before Rama. Here, the
archaeological evidence of potsherds that may be left by nomadic people is not
sufficient because these could indicate nomadic existence and do not establish
the existence of cities as established by the ancestors of Rama and Krishna.
The earliest evidence for structured habitations is from about 3000 BCE from
the Indus Valley Civilization. The date of approximately 2100 BCE for Rama and
1500 BCE for Krishna is supported by archaeological evidence as well as one set
of astronomical observations.
There is one more problem. Let us say, Rama was born around 5100 BCE and
Krishna around 3100 BCE. That would mean that Rama and Krishna have left
on archaeological evidence of cities; and that the cities of the Indus Valley have
left no literary records. Then, on the one side we would have the Epics without
archaeological record of cities, and on the other side, the Indus Valley without
literary record. Therefore, we must consider whether the literature of the Epics
and archaeological evidence of the Indus Valley match with each other. If so,
we would resolve both the problems. Therefore, I most humbly suggest that
we may consider working provisionally with the dates for Rama at
approximately 2100 BCE and Krishna at approximately 1500 BCE until
archaeological evidence for cites is available from an earlier period.

i
Scientific (Astro-Dynastic) Chronology of Ancient India,” in C Margabandhu et.
al., Editors, Indian Archaeological Heritage, Agamkala Prakashan, Delhi, 1991,
Page 702-703.