Abstract
Throughout ancient India, science and technology studies encompassed every major field of human knowledge and endeavor. The drawing of Indian culture in antiquity marked the beginning of geographical studies in India. Certain important Hindu philosophies, epics, and mythology contain information. The primary goal of this manuscript is to extract and analyze the concept of the hydrological cycle from the Ramayana and to collate the hydrological cycle of Ramayanic period and modern period. For this, different research papers, Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata and many ancient Indian literature has been studied thoroughly and more focus given to Ramayana. The epic Ramayana’s Kishkindha Kanda (Chapter 28; Verses: 03, 07, 22, 27, 46) covers a number of topics related to the hydrological cycle. The production of clouds by the sun and wind and the precipitation are mentioned, and the overflowing of rivers during the rainy season is mentioned. Verse 22 describes the water-laden cloud transportation method as well as how the mountain’s height affects the entire system. This is used to create a picture of the different phases of the hydrological cycle that is comparable to Horton;s description. The study concludes that insolation, evaporation, transportation, condensation, precipitation, and run-off are some of the components that make up the modern concept of the hydrological cycle. Interestingly, most of these processes and components were documented in the literature during Valmiki’s time while condensation, infiltration, and subsurface flow were absent.
Presenters
Jyoti YadavPost Doctoral, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Ramayana, Geographical Aspect, Hydrological Cycle, Kishkindha Kanda, Indian Mythology
