Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh higher education minister Inder Singh Parmar has claimed that ‘our ancestors’ had discovered America before Christopher Columbus.
Making a strong plea for reviewing the history books, incorporated in school and college studies in the country, Mr Parmar said that Indians first sailed to America in the eighth century and developed the country.
“Indians first landed in San Diego (California) (in America) and built temples there. The documents establishing this can be found in the American museum and library”, he said.
Mr Parmar was addressing the convocation ceremony of Barkatullah University here late on Tuesday evening.
Governor Mangubhai Patel and chief minister Mohan Yadav were present on the occasion.
Mr Parmar further said that Indians had played a key role in the development of America and the introduction of a capitalist economy in that country.
“Our ancestors went there and helped develop their culture, the Mayan civilization. That is our philosophy and students of our country should be taught about it”, he said.
Mr Parmar lamented that Indian students are being taught ‘incorrect history’ in school and colleges.
“Indian students have nothing to do with the discovery of America. If they had to be taught, they should be taught how the natives of America and their culture were destroyed by the people post-Columbus period, only because the tribe was the worshipper of nature and the Sun. But, unfortunately, the correct history was not taught to the Indian students”, he said.
Indian students should have been taught how India’s ‘great hero’ Vasuloon visited America and built temples in San Diego, he said.
He also sought to highlight how ancient civilisation of India had made many scientific discoveries, saying that Hindu scripture, Rigveda, had already mentioned about Earth revolving round the Sun much before astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus came out with the theory.
“Incorrect information and negative images of India were presented to the world”, he said.
The minister further said that Vasco da Gama had expressed his desire before the Indian trader Chandan at Zanzibar port of Africa through an interpreter to visit ‘Bharat’.
Chandan, a Gujarati trader, had asked Vasco da Gama to follow his ship and thus, the Portuguese explorer reached India.
But, the students are being wrongly taught that Vasco da Gama discovered India, he said.
He also claimed that one Indian artist Bal Bahu was the creator of Beijing' architecture , and that his statue is still found in the foreign countries as recognition of his works.
