Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar on Friday contended that there was no archaeological evidence or historical records to prove the existence of Lord Ram.
“We celebrate the birthday of Rajendra Chola, an emperor of the Chola dynasty, because we have archaeological evidence such as inscriptions, the temples built by him and the lake created by him. But there is no evidence to trace the history of Ram,” Mr. Sivasankar said at a function held at Sri Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram to mark the birth centenary of Rajendra Chola.
Referring to the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, Mr. Sivasankar said the claim was that Lord Ram lived 3,000 years ago. But there was “no history” to prove the existence of Ram. “They say Ram is an avatar. If Ram was an avatar he could not have been born. If he was born he could not have been a god,” the Minister said.
According to him, the claims were aimed at hoodwinking people to project their history as superior and suppress the history of Tamils.
In his view, former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who understood “their evil designs”, took a number of steps to demonstrate Tamils’ rich culture, civilisation, and identity. He clearly laid out the identity of Tamils and their culture. He was in the forefront against Ramayana and Mahabharatha, which were being imposed for several centuries. “The epics were not for Tamils. They had no teaching for life and integrity,” Mr. Sivasankar claimed at the function jointly organised by the district administration, the Department of Tourism and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments.
