Does that mean the boulders were brought there from somewhere?
That is exactly what I am saying. The boulders are not in-situ. They are not a marine local formation. We feel somebody dumped the boulders to use it as a causeway. The boulders on top of the loose sand are transported to that place. As they are found above loose sand, it is quite obvious that they were brought and dumped there by somebody.
How old were the boulders?
I told you earlier that 7,300 years ago, sea level was 4 metres above what it is today. In Rameswaram, Pamban, Tuticorin, etc, we see old corals on the land, and they are not raised by any geological process. It happened because sea level was higher (at the time they were formed). We did dating on them and found that they are 7,300 years old.
From 7,300 to 5,800 years ago, the sea level was high. From 5,800 to 5,400 years ago, the sea level was low. Again, from 5,400 to 4,000, the sea level was higher by 2 metres than what it is today. That is why we are getting two sets of corals at two levels. Dr P K Bannerji has carried out a lot of studies on the raised corals and his papers have appeared in reputed international scientific journals. His arguments are backed by very good scientific data.
So, either between 5,800 to 5,400 years ago, or (some time since) 4,000 years ago, somebody appeared to have brought all the boulders and dumped them there. All the aerial pictures show that Adam's Bridge is 2 to 3 kilometres wide. On the eastern side, it is high. So, anyone could take advantage of the raised portion and must have dumped these boulders so that he could cross the bridge.
How do the boulders look, and from what were they made?
The shape of the boulders and the type of material clearly indicate that this is a man-made structure. We saw similar rocks on Rameswaram islands and also in Pamban. On either side of the railway bridge, you can see these formations as well as the raised corals. There are indications of quarrying also there.
All these things lead us to believe that 2 to 2.5 metres of packed rubble or material appears to be a modern day causeway. For 30 km, nobody dumps materials like that. Obviously, it was dumped to use it to cross the sea. Moreover, they are compact and light.
Image: An ancient map charts the original route of the Ram Sethu.
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