Ram Setu as a man-made bridge
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Is the chain of shoals between Rameswaram and Mannar an engineered bridge?
Indian claim not supported by evidenceTechnology & engineering
Indian claim
Ram Setu (Adam's Bridge) is the bridge built by Rama's army in the Ramayana; some writers, a US science TV programme and former GSI director S. Badrinarayanan have said its upper part looks man-made.
Evidence for the Indian claim
- The Ramayana describes the building of the setu, and the structure is deeply sacred to millions of Indians.
- Some individual geologists have argued that boulders on the shoals were placed there.
Commonly credited to
Most geologists explain the shoals as a natural formation of sand, coral and beach rock shaped by sea-level change, currents and waves.
Evidence for the other claim
- Geological studies attribute the shoals to natural coastal processes, including past sea-level changes, sand deposition and coral growth.
- No dated tools, mortar or worked stone from an ancient building project have been reported in peer-reviewed work.
- In December 2022 Union minister Jitendra Singh told Parliament that satellite images showed islands and limestone shoals, but that it was difficult to say exactly what the structure was or that it was a man-made bridge.
What historians and scientists say
Ram Setu is a site of great faith and heritage. Scientific studies so far describe it as a natural formation; claims that it was engineered have not been shown in peer-reviewed research.
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