Space Archaeology And The Discovery of Bhagwan Krishna's Dwarka
Overview of the Space Archaeology:
Aerial photography is a highly effective scientific tool to understand correctly the archaeological features. The Archaeology during the past two decades felt the need of space application for several reasons: a) understanding image in the spectral and spatial resolution technique ; b) development of software and technique for data processing and under water study; c) understand the human settlement in changed environment condition; d) reduction of risk in deep-water and difficult archaeological excavation; e) creation of site strategies for conservation and preservation and f) research and development at the archaeological site.
Light aircraft flying at low altitude traditionally takes vertical photographs. But after the launch of USERTS Satellite in 1972, which is primarily identified as the United States Earth Resources Technology Satellite, the world came to know about the relevance of the high resolution satellite images. This also opened the enormous opportunities for the archaeological communities to venture the most difficult job on the Earth, to know about themselves and the ancient roots of the human mankind.
Over 1972 to 2010, the satellite technology quickly improved. In past decades the spatial resolution has increased the ground pixel size with data captured at the range of 80 m to 0.41 m. In between 2005 to 2010, latest technology was seen with the GeoEye-1.
As the satellite technology improved. The archaeological science was considerably far behind. Still the satellite data's were difficult to grasp and understand, by most of the archaeological communities. The archaeological science failed to use the maximum potential of the satellite imagery, captured from the orbital perspective at 2000 km above the Earth's surface. They failed to derive the potential benefit from the Kepler's Laws. For example, the IKONOS satellite, looks Earth's, particular area of polar regions at the same local time at each pass. Thus it moves around the Earth, some 15 times per day. The IKONOS looks Earth in varied way. In this visual, the IKONOS also looks, the most precious treasures of the human mankind, the archaeological substance, which in general way, is difficult to look through the ordinary eyes, the vast topographical arena. The IKONOS in a single image frame covers a vast arena of 121 Square Kilometers. However, the Landsat covers areas at 35000 Square Kilometers.
Cost has been a hidden factor for utilizing the satellite data by the archaeologists. The 10m resolution imagery of the Spot French Satellite launched in 1986 were much more expensive. There was no other way then to go with the smaller features.
The VHR satellite imagery, sometimes are better than aerial photos. As the VHR imagery is tagged with the geo-referenced information. This valuable information helps in understanding the archaeology in the changed environment.
The SIR-C (Shuttle Imaging Radar - C ) data discovered the Great Wall of China under sand and Uber City in Oman. Now SRTM-DEM satellite data are available for the archaeologists for almost 80% of the Earth's surface. But painful condition is that most of the archaeologists are not trained and educated to understand such complicated data.
Now LiDAR ( Light Detection And Ranging ) provides direct range measurement with 3D points. This is an interesting but important tool in the hands of the archaeologists.
In 1981, NASA experimented the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR -A ) system. This demonstrated the radar's ability to detect subsurface images in the arid regions. This opened the vast arena of archaeological data hidden in the subsurface arid zones. The SIR-A detected subsurface ancient Rivers in China's Taklamakan Desert and the Saharan Desert. After 10 years of the launch of SIR -A, the SIR-B was commissioned. This detected the ancient Angkor City of Cambodia with vast ceremonial assets and water management system. This paved way for the potential development of High Resolution Radar Imagery, leading to the detection of ancient mounds in the Middle East and River system of Mesopotamia using the SRTM, where archaeological images were 10 times of better quality then the imaging radar products. This was demonstrated in 2007 through the TerraSAR-X satellite with spatial resolution of 1m through the Synthetic Aperture Radar.
Russian space program assisted the archaeological exploration further. The KVR -1000 images with spatial resolution demonstrated the detection of upstanding archaeological features with plough level features. This KVR-1000 also assisted in understanding the ancient sites of Euphrates in Turkey. Now the imagery data of KVR-1000 has migrated to commercial company, which is selling such imagery observation at a very high cost. The budget less archaeological communities are placed at great loss, where philanthropic data use for the sake of knowledge is forbidden!
US CORONA, ARGON and LANYARD in between 1960 and 1972 have acquired 860000 photographs now mostly available from the USGS ( United States Geological Survey ). These are enormous treasures for the archaeological communities to understand the Earth's archaeological features. This includes the beautiful and important data captured on 24 July 1970, where KH-4B CORONA satellite captured the archaeological features of the Pyramids at Giza. This was acquired by the Mission no. 1111-1. The CORONA satellite, which acquired data from 1967 to 1972 has made this archive very rich. This has changed the archaeological world. For the first time the CORONA revealed the Asia Minor and the Middle East in detail.
In 2000, 48000 military intelligence imagery acquired in between 1963 to 1967 mostly collected through the KH-7 GAMBIT and the KH-9 HEXAGON were declassified. GAMBIT assisted the CORONA in understanding the data. The KH-9 has a rich potential of understanding the archaeological features, which was mostly used for detecting the military installations. The KH-9 revealed clearly the Iron Age hillfort at Danbury, Hampshire.
Two years after the launch of IKONOS, the Quickbird was launched. The Quickbird images become commercial and not easily available for the archaeologists communities. In 2008 GeoEye-1 was launched with spatial resolution of 0.41 m panchromatic and 1.65 m multispectral. On 10 January 2009, the half meter resolution image of Giza, Egypt , brought on record the finer archaeological details. This archive is now very rich and available at the USGS. The GeoEye- 1 imagery has changed the world in aerial photography.
Still our archaeologists are not well trained in understanding the raw space archaeological data. For example, undersoil masonry structure, reflects clearly visible marks on the crop, with lack of water or deficiencies in other nutrients. This mark can only be understood by the space archaeology and there is no other way.
In 2008 Rome conducted conference on theme " Advances in Remote Sensing for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management". With more than 100 papers it raised mass awareness and enhanced education of the archaeologists and other necessary stakeholders including heritage administrator. This exposed the way space archaeology is moving forward. Giardino outlined the NASA activity in identifying the ancient roads of Rome. Deroin demonstrated, discovery of the Jabali silver mines of 7th century AD in Yemen. Rajani outlined the ancient palaeochannels of the Indus basin. Salvi identified the new sites in Ethiopia. But still the science of the Space Archaeology was far behind. The satellites were unable to look under the sea and explore the submerged Dwarka City, which is widely mentioned in the Mahabharat, the Hindu ancient text.
The satellite technology is now leaping towards the next advancement in exploring the archaeological features under the sea. So far the satellite technology was only able to look the Earth's surface area. But what is hidden under the sea? The satellite technology was handicapped to look under the water. Clearly the technology was not available. This author demonstrated that how the satellite technology can be enhanced with the Analogue Technology. See image 2 and 3. This technology enabled the satellite to look under the sea. This shall be not prudent to divulge the technology at this stage, as patent is pending and this has enormous scope in other applications, including intelligence data collection of the enemy installation under the sea. Now continuous study is going on. The discovery is widely reported in the author's book - "The Discovery of Lost Dwarka"
So far, the satellite has revealed and brought on record the ancient submerged sites of India, which is famous as the city of Bhagwan Krishna mentioned in the Mahabharata. This site has been discovered by this author which is concentrated around the Gulf of Kutch to the Great Rann of Kutch.
The OCM ( Ocean Color Monitor ) camera installed on the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite -IRS P4, has been used to capture data pertaining to the Gulf of Kutch various submerged islands as recorded in the Mahabharat. On 2nd January 2000 at sharp 7 hours and 23 minutes in the morning the satellite took a wide image of the Gulf of Kutch using the "False Color Technique". This technique segregated two different color parameters. Sea water in brown color and vast land mass submerged in the sea as well as outside the sea area in blue color. The submerged islands, appeared very clearly in blue color, which has been marked with red circle as shown in image 4. This technique revealed and established the search operation of the Dwarka of Bhagwan Krishna for further discovery by this author.
The Ocean Color Monitor tool in short OCM is an essential modern tool for the archeological science. Without this instrument, most of the archeological facts are just wild guess or wrong. I have found three large settlements of the Dwarka town under the salt mound at the Run of Kutch. these settlements were connected with the main submerged town under the Gulf of Kutch. This gives first "prima facie" information that the Gulf of Kutch was spread up to the present dry Great Run of Kutch. This author has demonstrated this with the help of OCM Tool installed in one of the powerful satellites from the NASA. The OCM took the rare photograph, during the period of monsoon, when the sea-water of the submerged Dwarka of Bhagwan Krishna, remains connected with the Gulf of Kutch. The OCM separated visuals into two parts. The land area has been marked with the green color and the entire sea water is shown in black color ( see image 5). The OCM found black color sea water from the Gulf of Kutch to the Great Run of Kutch without any break. The OCM speaks the detail why Dwarka of Bhagwan Krishna is expanded up to the Great Run of Kutch.
No where in the world in the archaeological science, neither the OCM technique had been used to detect any submerged archaeological features nor the modern archaeologists are trained and educated to handle such complex data and tool. Still, they are using the old method and tool of deep diving inside the sea, risking human life.
In India neither the Government of India nor the archaeologists tried to take pain in searching the submerged city of Bhagwan Krishna, as widely mentioned in the Mahabharat. Both the stake holders considered at large the age of the Mahabharat as mythical. This was nothing , but foolish notion and wrong assumption based on the defective historical writings. The National Institute of Oceanography, which was expected to conduct aggressive research for Dwarka, failed in its work. The various IITs in India including the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, have also not placed enough efforts and aggressive research in this area to look under the sea, the submerged city.
This author has also discovered and demonstrated a new principle in the archaeological science. This is demonstrated through the discovery of the Dwarka City and detail available in the Mahabharat, as standard ancient historical literature of past human activities. The discovered principle is - any ancient literature describing the historical presence of human activities with details including name of place, area or description, marks on the Earth's surface enough archaeological evidence in physical form.
The satellite data, with the Mahabharat details, explained clearly that after the Dwarka submerged, people of this city migrated towards the banks of the Sarasvati - Indus River. These migrated people created and produced a new city, what we know as the "Mohan-Jodaro" site of the Indus Valley Civilization.
☝Image 2. : My discovery of the Analogue Technique, leaped the Satellite Science, to a higher degree, where the satellite is able to look under the sea. The auspicious symbol is from the submerged Dwarka City of Bhagwan Krishna mentioned in the Mahabharat. The beautiful carved fish motive gives evidence of large human settlement around this symbol. Source & Copyright protected: Birendra K Jha
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