Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Exploring the Vedic perspective to human antiquity

`In the Vedas and Puranas, I found a picture of human history quite different from what I learnt at school and college.'

Michael Cremo

Michael Cremo

Michael Cremo seeks to link his alternative theory on evolution with the Vedic perspective on human origins. In a chat with

T. Nandakumar

Michael Cremo claims to have unearthed archaeological evidence to prove that humans have existed on this planet for millions of years, Mr. Cremo has come up with an alternative theory of evolution that is being debated fiercely in scientific circles. The radical hypothesis ignited a discussion within the world of science about anomalous evidence for extreme human antiquity. Mr. Cremo's attempt to link his findings with the Vedic perspective on human origins is now at the centre of a furious row in the academic community.

Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Cremo, who is in the city as part of a lecture tour, said his evidence was based on fossils and artefacts unearthed by archaeologists in California, Mexico and several places in Asia and Africa during the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. "Modern dating techniques have proved that many of these discoveries are millions of years old. Though well documented, they have been confined to the inner recesses of museums, libraries and universities."

Mr. Cremo believes that the crucial archaeological data was ignored by the international scientific community simply because it contradicted the established Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin. He feels the suppression of evidence was not deliberate, but rather a systematic elimination by a process of knowledge filtration.

His first book Forbidden Archeology, published in 1993, shook the academic world. The book, co-authored by mathematician Richard Thomson, received mixed reaction. Academic reviews focussed on the book's implicit thesis that humanity is no mere biochemical exfoliation but a work of the spirit, in touch with the ancient wisdom of the Vedic masters of India.

His second book Human Devolution, published in 2003, seeks to offer a Vedic alternative to Darwin's theory. A special Indian edition of the book was brought out this year. A member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness since 1973, Mr. Cremo has equipped himself with working knowledge of Sanskrit. "In the Vedas and Puranas, I found a picture of human history different from what I learnt at school and college. The archaeological evidence helped to consolidate the knowledge from these texts."

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu