2012 VERNAL EQUINOX IN PUNKRI BURWADIH
by
Subhashis Das
Subhashis Das
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| PUNKRI BURWADIH |
| LAYING THE LINES ON THE 19TH TO DEMONSTRATE THE ALIGNMENTS AND THE EQUINOX VIEWING SPOT |
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The viewing of the Vernal Equinox sunrise on this 20th March in Punkri Burwadih was held very successfully. Enthusiastic viewers congregated at the megaliths from very early morn and one even flew all the way from New York for the event. Venantious as he is named had already witnessed sunrises in Stonehenge and Avebury was here to experience the sunrise in PB in India.
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| THE CROWD AWAITS FOR THE SUN TO RISE |
Punkri Burwadih is a burial tomb of the primitive tribals but apart from it, the monument also display astronomical connotations.
Created with great precision, the megalith has watch spots to observe the sunrises of the15th Feb/26th Oct, 26th Feb/15th Oct , the mid summer and the Equinoxes.
A day prior, the site was swept clean and lines of lime-dust laid on the ground for the attending crowd to comprehend alignments and thereby gain a first hand experience of ancient mathematics and astronomy. The lines were also laid to demonstrate the observational points for witnessing the various significant sunrises including ones of the equinoxes.
A day prior, the site was swept clean and lines of lime-dust laid on the ground for the attending crowd to comprehend alignments and thereby gain a first hand experience of ancient mathematics and astronomy. The lines were also laid to demonstrate the observational points for witnessing the various significant sunrises including ones of the equinoxes.
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| EXPLAINING THE FUNCTIONIING OF THE PUNKRI BURWADIH AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EQUINOXES |
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| VENANTIOUS FROM NEW YORK SKETCHES THE MEGALITHS |
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| PROF AMITAVA SAMANTO AND Ms BUBU DAS AMONG THE VIEWERS |
Due to the hills in the horizon the sun rises a trifle late on these days.
The atmosphere is electric as the people await earnestly for the breathtaking view of the sunrise from behind the wavy hills between the two menhirs. As the slice of the sun was spotted "oohs' and "aahs" ringed the air. Cameras clicked and many bowed with respect to the risng sun.
Lectures were delivered to explain how the observatory of Punkri Burwadih functioned. People were told that they had assembled not only to witness the magnificent sunrise but also to celebrate the long lost wisdom of the ancients.
The ceremony of Equinox viewing in Punkri Burwadih megaliths were started about a decade ago and today it is possibly the only megalithic site in the country where Equinox sunrises are viewed by quite a sizeable crowd.
A few pics of the sunrise:
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©Subhahsis Das
Comments
I had read of you and your books and you had discovered something like this certainly makes me feel proud of you.
Aadesh Kumar