The Ramayana describes the bridge as being built by Ram's (the protaganist of the epic) devotee "Hanuman" and his other loyal monkey devotees. Eventually Ram crosses over the bridge to save his abducted wife Sita. The Indian government's 560-million dollar Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project project would destroy this bridge while creating a shorter more navigable shipping route for the region.
The power of prayer and virtuous morals are probably where the parallels with Hinduism and the other world religions ends. It takes a strong belief in polytheism, mystical creatures and fantastic anecdotes with magical happenings such as the building of the Ram Sethu to truly ascribe to the faith. Most Hindus do not come close to questioning the validity or historical proof of all that they base their values, morals, teachings, celebrations and lifestyles upon. In a country where blasphemy and sacrilege are commonly alleged and prosecuted, acceptance without question is often the norm. Many Indian scientists whose core belief system would expect them to instinctively reject Hinduism, in fact adopt it as their faith. To them the existence of all that is magical is not deniable just because it is beyond the realm and scope of untenable proof.
Although the constitution of India proclaims the country as secular, governments have often played the religious card to garner votes. Unlike in the US where Jesus is often parodied, any suggestion of denial or ridicule of Hindu gods and theology could be political suicide or cause major public protests sometimes violent. So when the Archaeological Survey of India officially and publicly acknowledges the lack of any historical or incontrovertible proof that the bridge was man made as described in the Ramayana, it in effect puts into question the validity of something so significant to Hindus. When there is very little physical proof of Ram or his powers, the Ram Sethu has been especially helpful for those on the fringes of belief. There are various other sites in India where Hindu's have found signs of what they have heard and read in the epics but rarely has an Indian authority of prominence ventured an opinion on their validity. This I believe is not just a sign of the times but also shows a maturing India that is not afraid to step into a debate on often avoided and inflammatory territory. Although it probably will not be long before the government does a volte-face and ask for forgiveness.
There are various websites dedicated to saving Ram Sethu (ramsethu.org) that apart from its religious significance also describe other potential environmental hazards that the canal project would create. The pros and cons to the environment and shipping need to be carefully evaluated but are the sentiments of a huge Hindu population significant to the debate? How hurtful would it be to destroy something so dear to nearly a billion Hindus?
Staunch and true Hindu's will not let a "mythological" tag to Ramayan shake their faith but they also might have to accept the loss of an imposing and pertinent religious landmark.
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