USA, July 16, 2002: "Diamond" comes from the Greek "adamao" meaning, "I tame" or "I subdue," according to this story which appeared on the CBS program, "60 Minutes II." The adjective "adamas" was used to describe the hardest substance known, and eventually became synonymous with diamond. Knowledge of diamond starts in India, where it was first mined. The word most generally used for diamond in Sanskrit is "vajra," "thunderbolt," and "Indrayudha," "Indra's weapon." Because Indra is the warrior God from Vedic scriptures, the foundation of Hinduism, the thunderbolt symbol indicates much about the Indian conception of diamond. Early descriptions of diamond date to the 4^th millennium BCE. By then diamond was a valued material. The earliest known reference to diamond is a Sanskrit manuscript by a minister in a northern Indian dynasty. The work is dated from 3900-4096 BCE. Today diamonds are mined in about 25 countries, on every continent but Europe and Antarctica. For 1,000 years, starting in roughly the 4th century BCE, India was the only source of diamonds. Diamond production has increased enormously in the 20th century. India's maximum production, perhaps 50,000 to 100,000 carats annually in the 16th century, is very small compared to the current production of around 100 million carats. Major production is now dominated by Australia, Botswana, Russia, and Congo Republic (Zaire), but South Africa is still a major producer, in both

Excerpt of Osmund Bopearachchi: When I had visited Ramesvaram several years ago, and more recently in 2002, I was told that you could see the line of rocks that lead to Ramaesvaram to Sri Lanka that had been the bridge that Lord Rama had built for him and his army to go to Lanka in search for Sita. These rocks were said to be just under the surface of the water. Then when these photos were published, I was not surprised, but nonetheless fascinated by the relevancy of what they revealed.  The captions of the photos, as found on Indolink.com:

        Space images taken by NASA (from the NASA Digital Image Collection) reveal the mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. The recently discovered bridge, currently named as Adam and Rama Bridge, is made of chain of shoals, c.18 mi (30 km) long.

        The unique curvature of the bridge and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to a primitive age, about 17,50,000 years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

        This information is a crucial aspect for an insight into the mysterious legend called Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place in Treta Yuga (more than 17,00,000 years ago).

        In this epic, there is a mentioning about a bridge, which was built between Rameshwaram (India) and the Sri Lankan coast under the supervision of a dynamic and invincible figure called Rama who is supposed to be the incarnation of the Supreme Being. Maharishi Organization is planning to re-construct this Bridge.

Maharishi Organization has also floated new currency an another major step towards Aryan Revival Movement: It's about culture, not race.