Birthplace of Rama - Historical Perspective

Rama (/ˈrɑːmə/;Sanskrit: राम Rāma) or Ramachandra is the central figure of the Indian epic Ramayana, which is the principal narration of the events connected to his incarnation on earth, his ideals and his greatness. Rama is one of the many popular deities in Hinduism, and revered as an idelistic "Perfect Man".  Other names of Rama include Ramavijaya (Javanese), Phreah Ream (Khmer), Phra Ram (Lao and Thai), Megat Seri Rama (Malay), Raja Bantugan (Maranao), Ramudu (Telugu) and Ramar (Tamil).

Rama (center) with Lakshamana (left), and Sita (right)

Where was Rama Born?

There is a lot of controversy these days about the location of the birthplace of Rama. The Hindu organizations in India claim that Rama was born at Ayodhya, an ancient city located in Faizabad district of UP. The "Rama Janma Bhumi" movement was started in 1980s by BJP leader LK Advani to liberate the birth place of Rama and destroy the Babri Masjid, a mosque allegedly built on top of a Rama temple.

According to Ramayana, the ancient city of Ayodhya was located near the river Sar. Predictably, the city of Ayodhya in UP is located at the banks of river Saryu.

Rama Paidi on Saryu Banks in Ayodhya

Geographical Significance

The essential tale of Rama has also spread across Southeast Asia, and evolved into unique renditions of the epic – incorporating local history, folktales, religious values as well as unique features from the languages and literary discourse. The Kakawin Ramayana of Java, Indonesia, the Ramakavaca of Bali, Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Maradia Lawana of the Philippines, Ramakien of Thailand (which calls him Phra Ram) are great works with many unique characteristics and differences in accounts and portrayals of the legend of Rama. 

Two terms are repeatedly mentioned in the legends about Rama. These two terms have geographical references:

• Ayodhya - the capital city of Rama
• Sar River flowing adjacent to the city of Ayodhya

Interestingly, all these tales including Valmiki Ramayana, Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha, Tulsidasa's Ram Charitmanas, and ancient Jain and Buddhist scriptures mentions these two terms consistingly.

Sar Rivers in Europe

To understand the significance of Sar river in history, its important we first learn the meaning of the term and its origin in the language of the oldest reconstructed stratum of European hydronymy (river names) in Central and Western Europe.The character of these river names are pre-European dated by Krahe to the 2nd millennium BCE. Krahe claimed that the overwhelming majority of river- and stream-names originate from words which in the historical languages can be traced to Indo-European roots. According to Krahe, a good example of his research is the name of ancient river names Isar:

• Isar (Bavaria) -  river in Bavaria, Germany with source is in the Alps
• Isère (France) - river in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France
• Sar (Spain) - river in Galicia, Spain near Santiago de Compostela
• Svir (Russia) - river in the north-east of Leningrad, Russia
• Esaro (Italy) - river in  a river in Calabria, southern Italy

Syr Darya in Transoxiana

The Syr Darya originates in the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan and flows for 1,374 miles west and north-west through Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan to the remains of the Aral Sea. It is the northern and eastern of the two main rivers in the endorrheic basin of the Aral Sea, the other being the Amu Darya. The earliest recorded name comes down to us as Jaxartes (Ἰαξάρτης) in Ancient Greek. The Greeks preserved the Old Persian name Yakhsha Arta ("True Pearl"), perhaps a reference to the color of its glacially-fed water. The Turks gave the river its current name of the river, Syr (Sïr). Interestingly, a smaller tributery of Syr Darya is called Sarysu. 

Helmund River in Afghanistan

The Helmand River (Pashto/Persian: هیرمند, هلمند, Greek: Ἐτύμανδρος (Etýmandros), Latin: Erymandrus) is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primary watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin. The Helmand valley is mentioned by name in the Avesta (Fargard 1:13) as the Aryan land of Haetumant, in pre-Islamic Afghan history. The Hindu Zunbils were also located here. Some Vedic scholars (e.g. Kochhar 1999) also believe the Helmand valley corresponds to the Sarasvati area mentioned in the Rig Veda as the homeland for the Indo-Aryan migrations into India, ca. 1500 BC.

According to Islamic history, "Amru Lais conferred the governorship of Zabulistan on Fardghan and sent him there at the head of four thousand horses. There was a large place of worship of the God Zhun in the country, which was called Sakawand, and people used to come on pilgrimage to the Idols of that place. When Fardaghan arrived in Zabulistan he led his army against it, took the temples broke the idols in pieces, and overthrew the idolators. Some of the plunder he distributed among the troops, the rest he sent to Amru Lais."

Swat or Saraswati River

Swat (Pashto: سوات‎ pronounced [ˈswaːt̪]; historically known as Uddyana, lit. garden);[1] is a river valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The name Swat is derived from the word SaraSWAT which stood for river Saraswati in the ancient times. The river Saraswati is mentioned in the Rigveda.

Swat River - The ancient Saraswati

Saryu River in North India

The Sarayu (also Sarju; Dev. सरयु saráyu- f., later Dev. सरयू sarayū-) is a river that flows through the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. This river is of ancient significance, finding mentions in the Vedas and the Ramayana. The Sarayu forms at the confluence of the Karnali (or Ghaghara) and Mahakali (or Sharda) forms the Indian-Nepalese border. Ayodhya is situated on the banks of river Sarayu. This discounts the theory of some very intelligent "historians" from Indian state of Haryana who claim that a small rivulet call Ghaghar was the original Saraswati river.

Saryu River - Mahakali and Karnali

So which one of these rivers is the historic Sar river associated with Rame? To understand this, we need to follow the path of Aryans into North West India led by Raghu, an ancestor of Rama.

Raghu - The Ancestor

Rama was the great grandson of Raghu who invaded North-West India and established the Raghu Vansha dynasty in India. The warrior Raghu led a military expedition from his original origin in Europe to Transoxiana (Region of Central Asia including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) He defeats and subjugates local people along the way (presumably on his march through Central Asia) until he reaches the Vankshu, as the ancient Indians called the Oxus River. There, Raghu's army battles the Huns. The Hepthalite Huns are defeated, and Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha boasts of "The exploits of Raghu, whose valor expressed itself amongst the husbands of the Huna women, became manifest in the scarlet color of their cheeks."

After crossing the Oxus, Raghu and his army encountered the Kambojas, an ancient Indo-Scythian people (Gujjars, Jatts, or Rajputs - Gurjara Prihara) often mentioned in Indian texts. The Kambojas submitted to Raghu and offered him gifts and treasures. Evidently, the Kambojas dwelt in the vicinity of the Pamirs. Kalidasa describes the preponderance of walnut trees in the Oxus country, this particular region is still known for the cultivation of walnuts.

Howmany Ayodhyas?

Just like there are many Sar rivers ranging from Europe to Transoxiana, from Afghansitan to Swat valley, and to Northern India, there are many Ayodhyaa located all over the same region. Let's now analyze potential candidates for Rama's Ayodhya:

Candidate 1: Uddhyana in Swat Valley

The term Ayodhya seems like it was originated from ancient Uddhyana (A-Uddhiya-Na). In this case the location of Uddhiyana in Swat Valley on the banks of River Swat (Sara-SWAT) makes a logical sense. It also falls within the path of Indo-Aryan migration to Punjab, North-West India.

Ancient Ruins of Swat Valley

Candidate 2: Ajodhan in West Punjab

Most likely candidate is the ancient city of Ajodhan located near the city of Multan in West Punjab, now in Pakistan. The city was renamed as Pakpattan after the famous Sufi Sheikh Farid Sakkarganj was based from here. The city is located about 207 km from Lahore and 205 km from Multan. 

Abandoned Temple in Pak Pattan

Candidate 3: Ayodhya in UP

Most popular candidate is the disputed land in the city of Ayodhya in Faizabad district of UP state in North India. Despite the claims of VHP, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the archelogists have so far failed to prove that an ancient Hindu temple once stood on the location whre Babri mosque was built.

This however does not discount the claim as Islamic invaders of India were historically known for razing Hindu and Buddhist temples to the ground and building mosques at the same place using the old bricks from the razed temples. The river Saryu is also conveniently located near the city to confirm the claim.

Ancient construction in Ayodhya, UP

Candidate 3: Ayutthyya in Thailand

Ayutthyya is a city in Thailand, about 80 kilometers north of Bangkok. It was capital of the Kingdom of Siam, and a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767. The royal family of Thailand considers themselves to be the direct descendents of Rama and named the city Ayutthyya after the city of Rama.

Ancient City of Ayutthyya in Thailand

My Conclusion

All mythological legends begins with an historic event and gets documented as a legend with an hyperbole. The story of Rama has existed in India and South East India for centuries. It was wriiten originally in Sanskrit by Valmiki, rewritten with Jain and Buddhist perspective in Pali, re-written again in Sanskrit by Kalidasa and later in Hindi by Tulsidas. Even Guru Nanak mentions the legend in Sri Guru Granth Sahib to give his meessage of One God. The Dasam Granth has "Ramavtar" a chapter dedicated to this legend. The clear distiction is that Sikhs do not consider Rama as an incarnation of God, but an historic figure.

However, this legend has not been researched well by historians and has become a hearsay over time. The legend tells a lot about the migration of Aryans from Europe, via Transoxiana, Afghanistan, NW frontiers, Punjab, and to the Indo-Gangetic plains. This may not be convenient for the "Patriotic" Neo-Hindu Historians who dispute the Aryan migration theory.

To me, it is clear that the migrating Aryans reused the terms like "Sar" and "Ayodhya" to name the rivers they encountered and cities they formed as part of their migration route. That's why we see so many "Sar" rivers and as many Ayodhyas,

So which one I think is the Ayodhya of Rama? I will put my guess on the city of Ajodhan (Now Pak Pattan) in West Punjab, now in Pakistan. 

Why? Because the migration of Aryans occured from Europe >> Transoxiana >> Afgnaistan >> NW Frontiers >> Punjab >> Yamuna-Gangetic Plains >> UP. The journey of Rama's ancestor Raghu only mentions Transoxiana, Afghansitan, and NW Frontiers. Most likely his descendents found their way to the plains of Punjab but the Indo-Gaangetic plains were not populated later till the Mahabharata period. 

Another clue comes in the name of his kingdom - Kosala. This is an ancient state in the West Punjab region and a common name among the Punjabi Khatri (Kshatriya). Among the well known Punjabis with this last name include, Kamini Kaushal, veteran Bollywood actress, and Jagannath Kaushal, a Congress Member of Parliament from Punjab, 

But, do the Neo-Hindu historians care about logic? No because they are busy trying to discredit the Aryan migration theory and claim that the Aryans originated from India, and destruction of Babri Masjid establishes Ayodhya as the "Ram Janam Bhumi".