Hinduism does not deal in Fiction.
It states facts, however improbable it might seem to us.
While we are not competent to say what is probable or possible in the scheme of things in the Universe,what we can do is to ascertain verifiable facts mentioned in the Puranas and Ithihasa, Epics of Hinduism.
I, after reasonable research , am convinced of the veracity of the verifiable facts in these Texts, with available knowledge we possess, and the technology we have now.
Hence I treat the Puranas and Ithihasas as facts as I would a modern-day scientific paper.
While the modern-day scientific papers keep changing,for clarity, the facts mentioned in these texts have stood the test of Time, right from the Rig Vedic Period, currently dated at 5000 BC.
Some times , while sticks to this view, one comes across some seemingly contradictory facts .
For example the death of Lord Rama preceded the Death of Lord Krishna by a mere 200 years, while according to Puranas these two events were separated by thousands of Years.
By diligently following the Hindu Texts one can solve these riddles.
Please read my post on Rama’s death precedes Krishna by 200 Years.
Now at what did Lord Krishna shed His mortal coil?
The Bhagavata Purana verse 11.6.25 says that Krishna lived for 125 years on earth. The first verse of Mausal Parva, Mahabharata says that Yudhisthira saw bad omens (because of Krishna’s departure from the earth) after 36 years of ruling after they won the Kurukshetra war. So that means Krishna was about 89 years old at the time of war.
This corroborates with the view that the age of Kali-yuga started in 3102 BCE, according to Dr. Achar. As stated in the Puranas, Kali-yuga had already begun, but its full influence was held back because of the presence of Lord Krishna. Then when Lord Krishna departed from this world, which is said to have occurred 35 years after the war of Kurukshetra in 3067, making it the year of 3032 BCE, then Kali-yuga began to show more of its effects.
According to Puranic sources,Krishna’s disappearance marks the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga, which is dated to February 17/18, 3102 BCE.
Astronomically simulated Eclipses and Greek Records place the year at 3031 BC
The Greek records go on to record that Heracles (Krishna) lived 138 generations before the time of Alexander and Sandrocottas, which was about 330 BCE. This then calculates, based on about 20 years per generation, to roughly 3090 BCE, which is about the right time considering 3102 BCE is the date when Kali-yuga began. Thus, Lord Krishna was a genuinely historical figure who lived about the time of 3200-3100 BCE, having lived to 125 years of age. “According to the epic Mahabharata, Krishna first appears [in the epic] at the time of Draupadi’s wedding, and His departure is exactly 36 years after the war. No information about His birth is available in the epic itself, although there is information about His departure. Krishna observes omens (Mahabharata 14.3.17), similar to the ones seen at the time of the war, now indicating the total destruction of the Yadavas. [Astrological] Simulations show that in the year 3031 BCE, thirty-six years later than 3067 BCE, there was an eclipse season with three eclipses. A lunar eclipse on 20 October was followed by an annular solar eclipse on 5 November, followed by a penumbral lunar eclipse on 19 November, within an interval of 14 days and at an aparvani time. Thus the date of departure of Lord Krishna is consistent with the popular tradition that He passed away 36 years after the war. The information about His birth can be gathered from the Harivamsha and the Bhagavata Purana…. It should be understood, however, that the date of His departure from this world is established on the information in the epic and on the basis of [astronomical] simulations, and it turns out to be 3031 BCE’
Refernces.
Matchett, Freda, “The Puranas”, p 139 and Yano, Michio, “Calendar, astrology and astronomy” in Flood, Gavin (Ed) (2003). Blackwell companion to Hinduism. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-21535-2.
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=13686
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna
* Counter claims to this date shall be discussed in another Post.
Ramanisblog 
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