THE RAMAYANA - IN THE ROOTS OF PRE-CHRISTIAN ITALYPosted: 10 May 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Long before the days of the rise of the Roman Empire, Italy was a home to the Etruscans - a people far more advanced incivilization than the later Romans. 

Scholars are of the opinion  that the Etruscans were a seafaring people from Asia Minor. As early as 1200 B.C. they were living in Italy covering the area of equivalent to modern Tuscany. They later embraced a large part of western Italy, including Rome. They were the forebears of the Romans and lived in the region up to the beginning of the Romanconquest in 300 B.C. The Romans obliterated the memories of this great civilization. The Etruscans vanished from recorded history, leaving behind them a vast treasure of sculpture with largely un-deciphered inscriptions, paintings and artifacts.

Legend states that at the beginning of the Etruscan Age, the city of Rome was founded by the twin sons of the war God Mars. Their names were Romulus and Remus. The boys had been abandoned by their divine father and Etruscan mother and were reared in the forest by a she-wolf. This is a slightly different version of the story of the Hindu epic Ramayanawhere the divine king Sri Rama abandons Sita and his twin sons, Luva and Kusha. The two boy were reared by their mother and Rishi Valmiki in his forest ashram. 

In the Etruscan legend, the twins are raised by a she-wolf in the forest, but that seems to be a confusion between the Sanskrit terms 'rishi' (ऋषि�) which means a 'sage' and the Sanskrit 'vriki' (वृकी) which means a 'she-wolf'.

Here is a look at the Etruscan paintings, artefacts and sketches. First a look at this Etruscan sketch which has had historians baffled. If ever a picture spoke a thousand words, this is the one:

An Etruscan sketch that has baffled historians...

.. and the Ramayana painting thatdecodes the Etruscan sketch....

In one shot the Etruscan sketch, which for sure depicts Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana establishes that the fame and influence of Sri Rama was powerful enough to have reached the Western horizon. Throughout the Ramayana, Sri Rama is addresses as 'arya', Sanskrit for 'the noble one'. There never was an 'Aryan' race, it was the 'aryan' characteristic, culture and customs, that travelled from India towards the West as it did towards the Far-east, thus dislodging the farce of the Aryan invasion into India.

Sri Rama was born in Ayodhya in India not a year later than 5118 BC. The exact planetary positions at the time of his birth, recorded in the Valmiki

Ramayana, have not occurred in the skies since 5118 BC - as proven by the Nasa Planetarium Software. For more on this subject click here. 

There is more evidence that proves that the influence of Sri Rama and Indian ethos and culture on Etruria. The following painting of the Etruscan God 'Typhon' looks like another representation of Hanuman flying down Mount Rishabhafrom the Himalayas, on which grew the wonderful life restoring herbs called 'sanjivini bhuti'.

Etruscan Typhon

Sri Hanuma of Ramayana fliesdown Mt. Rishabha

An Etruscan artefact depicts the scene of Sugreeva and Bali, the two vanara or monkey- chiefs, with Tara who was the wife of Bali:

Sugreeva and Bali, the monkey-chiefs

vie for Tara

Another Etruscan artefact seems to depict the scene of the aswamedha yagya where Luv and Kush capture the yagyahorse. In the Etruscan mythology Luva and Kusha were known as Romulus and Remus. It was common for some one to have his father's (or mother's) name reflected in his or her name, for example Sri Rama was addressed as Dasarath Putra, Sri Krishna was known as Devaki Nandan, the examples are numerous. It is therefore obvious that Luv and Kush  were also addressed as the sons of Rama - hence Romulus and Remus.  

The twins Luv and Kush andthe 'asvamedha yagya' horse

of the Ramayana

This Etruscan sketch has been interpreted with thehelp of Ramayana. Kaushalya and Kaikeyi,

the two queens of King Dasratha share the payasam or potion with Sumitra.

The features of the Etruscan men and women, especially their large eyes, and the attire were distinctly Asian as is evident from the many paintings and sculpture artifacts of the time.

The large eyes are a feature ofHindu Gods and Goddesses

The covered head and the sari like garmenthas Hindu influence

Notice the sari like attire

Could this sketch be a depiction of the abduction of Sita by Ravana. Centre: Notice the dead deer 'Marichi' and a tussle

between Ravana and Sita. On the right Ravana takes Sita to Lanka via the aerial-route depicted by the winged-horse. Left:

Is the bird 'Jatayu' who is slain by Ravana?

In this Etruscan sculpture the attire is Indian and so is the posture of the dancer/performer

Etruscan jewellery too seems to have borrowed from and much influenced by the Indian civilization.

As was common to most ancient civilizations, cremation of the dead was the accepted form of the disposal of the body. It was post the advent of Christianity that cremation was rejected along with other Pagan customs.

Notice the Garuda like creature. In Vedic scriptures Garuda's father was Rishi Kashyapa who had two wives Vinata and Kadru. In Etruscan

mythology Charu or Karun was the guide of the souls of underworld often portrayed along with the winged goddess Vanth. In the Hindu tradition Garuda had the powers to remove all evils from the body. This sketch

seems to portray the creamationceremony. Notice the priest at the funeral pyre.

Sri Garuda, the winged Hindu God.The garuda Purana describes the funeral

ceremony and the after world.

The ancient Etruscan houses were built around a central courtyard, much as the houses in India were. Etruscan temples were always elevated and had to be entered by climbing steps which is exactly as it was in India.

Suggested Links:1. The Etruscan Civilization