IKS Changemaker of the episode is Shri Jijith Nadamuri Ravi, former space scientist with ISRO, author of “Rivers of Ṛgveda”, “Geography of Rāmāyaṇa”, and a two Volume book on “Geography of Mahabharata”.

In this episode, host Shivakumar speaks to author Jijith to explore Bharatvarsha's sacred geographies, tracing their transformation from natural landmarks to temples, as depicted in texts like the Vishnu Purana. The Vedic and Itihasic eras reveal how cities and rivers were revered as sacred, with examples like Kabul reflecting this spiritual connection. Bharatvarsha’s unique reverence for its geographies stands out compared to other civilizations.

They dive into the continuity of cultural memory, from Rig Vedic times to the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which shaped the unified vision of Bharatvarsha. Cities, rivers, and parvatas (mountains) hold significant cultural identities, playing a pivotal role in shaping Kulas (clans) and societies. The Western Ghats and Chitrakoota in the Ramayana, as well as Indraprastha in the Mahabharata, showcase the integration of sacred geography with epic narratives.

The podcast explores the interplay between geography and historical claims, including the dating of the Itihasic period through Bronze and Iron Age artifacts and a re-examination of Dravidian claims on Ravana’s lineage. They also discuss how migration theories supported by the Rig Vedic River Mandala provide new perspectives on ancient civilizations.

Finally, the video touches on future research opportunities, such as studying the continuity of the Puranas up to the Gupta Dynasty and building a Dharmic grand narrative for Sanatana Dharma.

Join us to uncover the intricate relationship between geography, culture, and spirituality in Bharatvarsha’s sacred past.

Chapters of the conversation:
01:08 Sanctifying Space: The Shift from Sacred Geographies to Temples
02:44 Bharatvarsha's Divine Geography in Vishnu Purana
03:22 From Rivers to Cities: Reverence in the Vedic and Itihasa-Puranas
04:55 Example of Kabul (Kubha): Cities as Extensions of Sacred Rivers
06:00 Bharatavarsha Civlization: Unique Reverence for Geographies and Rivers
08:26 Loss of the Sacred Sense
08:55 Beyond Harappan & Indus Valley: Embracing the Sindhu-Saraswati-Narmada Civilization
10:24 Rig Vedic & Sindhu-Saraswati Cultures: Two sides of the same coin
11:44 Ramayana’s Dual Geographies: The emerging vision of a unified Bharatvarsha
12:33 Mahabharata: Completing the Integration of Bharatavarsha Geography
13:41 Rig Veda and Sindhu-Saraswati Civilizations: Geography Correspondence
15:12 Continuity of Geographical Memory: Chitrakoota
18:45 Continuity of Geographical Memory: Cities, Rivers, and Distances since Ramayana
22:09 Ancient Wisdom: How Parvatas shaped ‘Kula’ as described in Mahabharata
26:19 Ancient knowledge on Western Indian culture supporting the Out of India Theory
27:55 Cultural patterns across western and eastern Bharatavarsha in Epics
29:13 Cultural identities shaped by geography: People and Kulas around Parvatas
31:46 Kshetra's Sacred Legacy: A cultural memory cherished through time
33:41 Indraprastha: Unveiling its timeless heritage since Mahabharata
36:11 Geochronology: Conformances and Deviations from the Tradition
37:30 Sequence of Rivers in Rig Veda Mandalas: Supports Out-of-India Migration Theory
40:10 Ramayana's Geography & Today: Surprises & Corroborations
42:56 Mahabharata's Geography& Today: Significant alignment
43:28 Evolution of the Sacred Geography in Itihasa Purana
46:09 Bronze and Iron Age evidence in the Itihasas
50:36 Reevaluating Dravidian claims on Ravana’s geographic lineage
53:02 Geography references: Continuity in Purana and across texts till Gupta period
50:47 Building a Dharmic Grand Narrative for Sanatana Dharma
56:25 Future Research: Exploring the Puranas for Geochronology

About Jijith Nadamuri Ravi – the Guest:
https://www.indica.today/author/jijit...
https://independent.academia.edu/Jiji...
https://www.indiafacts.org.in/author/...
https://padhegaindia.in/product/jijit...

About Shivakumar GV - the Host:
Shivakumar is Director - IKS Changemakers @INDICA shaping INDICA programs to serve and nurture IKS Changemakers enabling them to fulfil their potential passion and purpose through the 6C Program - Champion, Connect, Coach, Collaborate, Contribute and Celebrate.

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