Swami Vivekananda once said about the God Shiva that he had traveled from India, on the one side, to Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, Australia, as far as the shores of America, and on the other side, this old Shiva battened his bull in Tibet, Japan and as far as Siberia
Right from the peroid of first Spanish historist Mr. Fray Shahaun (1515AD) till today, a number of scholars have worked over the life of native Americans and some of them almost came to the conclusion that in ancient times people from India and the Indiana archipelago migrated to America and developed a great civilization there. In his book 'A Compact History of Mexico', Mr. Ignacio Bernall states that people from Asia entered America some thirty-five thousand years before, whereas Mr. Arcio Nuns, a Brazilian nuclear scientist, mentions about the Dravidians (Dasuyas) of Asia with America as old as eleven thousand years.

An article published in the 'Hindu' of 27th Sept. 1985 writes about the discovery made by Dr. Harry Fell, renowned epigraphist of USA goes to suggest that the early merchant settlers of South-East Asia had sailed to far off lands in pursuit of their profession, whose presence in Mexico is available in the form of inscriptions. Dr. Fell has deciphered the Indic inscription from Tihosuco which reads that merchant Vusaluna, the captain of the ship, sailing along the coast line, had got the inscription engraved on the stone slab in the month of July of the year 845. It is assumed that year mentioned is of Saka era.

Cultural Links:

Worship - The archaeologists found many Hindu deities like Shiva, Shiv-Linga, Ganesh, Kali, Sun, Buddha etc. (in similar or slightly different forms) which were worshipped in ancient America.
The Hindu God of luck, the Ganesh, was worshipped in Central-South America. Idols of Ganesh have been excavated in plenty in Mexico. This God of the Elephant's trunk is frequently depicted in Mexican manuscripts and in the temple ruins in Central America as the God with a proboscis-like horn, whence water is squirting, and his head is most frequently portrayed on the corners of temple walls, which are always built with reference to the original points. And idol of 'Ekdant Ganesh' was noticed in the temple at Kopan by great Indonologist lateDr. W.S. Wakankar.
An idol of Hanuman called by the name 'Wilka Huemana' and measuring 50 feet in height and 12 feet in breadth was found in Guatemala. Similar idol was found during an excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico city and was known as 'Euhectal', a wind God, a monkey God.
Buddhism also had a vast influence on pre-Colombian America. Professor F.W. Putnam found in the jungles of Honduras a sculpture which greatly resembles Buddha. According to the July, 1901 issue of American Harper's magazine, it has been proved with evidence that five Buddhist monks had reached Mexico in ancient times, via Alaska.

Ceremonies, Beliefs and Customs :

Hindu(Arya and Dasuyas) culture, civilization, custom and belief also dominated ancient America to some extent. Ancient Americans believed in legendary cataclysm, rebirth, four yugas and the concept of two planets like Rahu and Ketu causing solar eclipse. The Hindu doctrine of the ages is preserved in a stone monolith popularly known as the Aztec calendar. This remarkable piece of stone carving is in the form of an immense disc 12 feet in diameter and weights over 20 tons. A festival called Sita-Ram (Situa-Raimi) was celebrated in Mexico during Nav-Ratri or Desserah's period which has been described on page 5867 in the book 'Hamsworth History of the World'. Both in Central and South America, there are found Sati-Cremation, priesthood, Gurukul system, Yagnya, birth, marriage and death ceremonies to some extent similar to the Hindus.

Social life :

The ancient American's dresses (male and female) were simple and similar to those of Hindu dresses. Mexican face types were found to be similar to those of Asam, Naga, Nepal and Haryana people. Even their reddish brown skin complexion bear distinct similarity with those of Nepalies and Nagas. If an Indian is shown a Maya lady of Yucatan province from Mexico, he will recognize her as a Jat Lady of Haryana. Ayar Inoa King used to wear a turban, earring and a trishul type trident in his hand.
Today there live native red Indians of America in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico who are now left only few lacs in number. These tribes are still vegetarians. Similarly, only two lacs natives are survived in Canada who are still called as 'Indians'. Their lifestyle, customs, and beliefs are identical to those of red Indians, so similar to Bhartiya.

Trade :

Goldsmiths from Peru and Mexico prevailed working style similar to Indian traditional goldsmiths. Mr. Michael Long of the National Geographic Society was surprised to see the back strap weaving method in Handloom at Santa Rosa of Peru. This is used to separate thread. It is very well known that cotton is a gift given by Indians to the whole world.

Language:

Professor Raman Mena, curator of the National Museum of Mexico, said that the general appearance of Maya's writing is considered of oriental origin. According to scholar Orozco V. Berra, Maya and other languages are of Sanskrit origin. A few Sanskrit and Quichua words are given here to show their similarity and origin.

Quichua                                Sanskrit

A hina (also)                          ena (also)

Killa (moon)                          Kil (shining)

Illapi (chant)                          lap (to speak)

Paksa (fortnight)    Paksha (Fortnight)

The word 'Wara', a unit of measurement, was also used by Maya people. They used to call Antyas as Antis. Professor Hug Fox of Michigan State University found a strange mix of Tamil and local American languages in use some millennia ago. For example, shasta, Indiana, Arevada, Utah, Guyana etc. Mr. Arcio Nuns, from the Federal University of Brazil, found evidence of our Gorani language in the form of Bruhi language during his long research work conducted in South America. 'Gorani' language was practiced thousands of years before in Tamilnandu as per Arcio Nuns. This language is still used in the Adi-Chandlur tribal area of Tamilnanadu and shows similarity to the Bruhi language being practiced in South America.
It is also believed that Quichua's (language of Peruvians) characteristic of mouth transmission is derived from Indians. Writing mathematical figures by using vertical and horizontal straight lines was a system commonly practiced by Indians and Mayas

Shilpa :

Southern and Central American excavations revealed ancient cities, forts, bridges, tanks, canals, houses, and pyramids which indicated the high state of civilization and what is found that some sculptures of those archaeological remnants are similar in form and design to that found in Indian sculptural monuments. 'Supporting the buildings over the arms of Yaksha' is an Indian art. Similar types of construction was found in ancient Mexico. Similarly, sculptures of human figures with headgear similar to Tamilians, sculptures of Indian style ornamentation of elephants were found in Copan (Honduras) and Palenque. Thousands of ancient baked-clay bricks were found in Comalcalco in Mexico over which Pali scripts were engraved and these were used in the construction of pyramid temples which were similar to the pyramid temple in the Chidambaram village situated on the Coromondal coast in Southern India. In an article written by scholar Ronald Shiller named 'Unsolved Mysteries of the Incas' appeared in Reader's Digest of August 1982, he claims to have seen the imprints of South-East Asian culture over the sculptures found in Peru dating to the second century BC.
We hope our findings will help the scholars to study the influence of Indian Culture over the Meso-American culture, so as to bring before the world the universality of great Vedic culture in the past.

(Arun Chinchmalatpure and Kenton Croler) 

 
Extract from Another Written Text
The fact that a highly civilized race inhabited America long before the modern civilization of Europe made its appearance there, is quite clear from the striking remains of ancient and his refinement existing in the country. Extensive remains of cities which must have been once in a most flourishing condition, of strong and well-built fortresses, as well as the ruins of very ancient and magnificent buildings, roads, tanks and canals that meet the eye over a very wide area of the southern continent of America, irresistibly force us to the conclusion that the country must have been inhabited at one time by a very highly civilized nation. But whence did this civilization spring?
The researches of European antiquarians trace it to India. Mr. Coleman says : "Baron Humboldt, the great German traveler and scientist, describes the existence of Hindu remains still found in America"
Speaking of the social usages of the inhabitants of Peru, Mr. Pococke says : "The Peruvians and their ancestors, the Indians, are in this point of view at once seen to be the same people." The architecture of ancient America resembles the Hindu style of architecture. Mr. Hardy says "The ancient edifices of Chichen in Central America bear a striking resemblance to the tops of India." Mr. Squire also says : "The Buddhist temples of Southern India, and of the islands of the Indian archipelago, as described to us by the learned members of the Asiatic Society and the numerous writers on the religion and antiquities of the Hindus, correspond with great exactness in all their essential and in many of their minor features with those of Central America." Dr. Zerfii remarks : "We find the remarkable temples, fortresses and viaducts, aqueducts of the Aryan group."
A still more significant fact proves the Hindu origin of the civilization of ancient America. The mythology of ancient America furnishes sufficient grounds for the inference that it was a child of Hindu mythology. The following facts will elucidate the matter :-
 
1.      Americans worshipped Mother Earth as a mythological deity, as the Hindus still do dharti mata and pritvi mata are well known ad familiar phrases in Hindustan. 
Footprints of herces and deities on rocks and hills were worshipped by the Americans as devoutly as they are done in India even at the present day. Mexicans are said to have worshipped the footprints of Quetzal Coatle, a the Indians worship the footprints of Buddha in Ceylon, and of Krishna in Gokal near Muttra. 
The Solar and Lunar eclipses were looked upon in ancient America in the same light as in modern India. The Hindus beat drums and make noises by beating tin pots and other things. The Americans, too, raise a frightful howl and sound musical instruments. The Carecles (Americans) think that the demon Maleoyo, the hater of light, swallows the moon and sun in the same way as the Hindus think that the demons Rahu and Ketu devous the sun and the moon. 
The priests were represented in America with serpents round their heads, as Siva, Kali, and others are represented by the Hindus. 
 
Ancient Heritage of Dasuyas
V.G. Ramachandran
Have we not evidence that the ancient Cholas discovered South America long before Columbus did and that the Inca Sun Worshippers of Peru are none but the descendants of "our Chola ancestors" (vide Neelakanta Sastri-History of S. India and M. Monohans "Cholas in America 1976" pp11-20). The Incas had their Temple of the Sun God (Peru) much like the one in Konarak in Orissa built by the Cholas. The Chola chieftains (Incas) of America styled themselves as "Raghuvamsa Manickam". This shows that they belonged to the Raghuvamsa of Sri Rama whose ancestor Sibi Chakravarthi is well described in ancient Tamil literature as the Chola king Sembian. This takes us to a very relevant inference that the ancestors of Dasaratha are as much the ancestors of the Tamils. One other ancestor of Sri Rama, Musu Kunthan, is none other than the Musu Kuntha Chola in ancient Tamil history. This Musu Kunthans reighn was during the second Tamil Sangam age 4800-2800 BC.