Ancient Ruins in Indian Ocean
When the tsunami waters drew back into the ocean of the coast of India (sorry, I don't know the exact location, and yes, this was during the tsunami) a few people claimed to have seen the ruins of a great city. With dozens of temples and other buildings. What little reports there are on it say that this is the remains of sunken Atlantis. I was thinking that more practically it could one of the Seven Rishi Cities, or atleast one of the Rama Empire.
Archeologist claim that on underwater excavations they found only a few temples and not much more than that. But these witnesses say that they saw more than that. I was wondering if anyone knew more than this or even heard about this?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Note: Note the picture of the Lion-Head. Another Sphinx-Like Object from the Ancient World...
Separate confirmation;
From;
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7221921/
"The Associated Press
Updated: 3:54 p.m. ET March 17, 2005
MAHABALIPURAM, India - For a few minutes, after the water had receded far from the shore and before it came raging back as a tsunami, the fishermen stood along the beach and stared at the reality of generations of legends.
Or so they say. Spread across nearly a mile, the site was encrusted with barnacles and covered in mud. But the fishermen insist they saw the remains of ancient temples and hundreds of refrigerator-sized blocks, all briefly exposed before the sea swallowed them up again.
"You could see the destroyed walls covered in coral, and the broken-down temple in the middle," said Durai, a sinewy fisherman who, like many south Indians, uses only one name. "My grandfathers said there was a port here once and a temple, but suddenly we could see it was real, we could see that something was out there."
Whatever they saw is back under water and out of sight. But a few hundred yards away, something else came to the surface. The tsunami scrubbed away six feet of sand from a section of beach, uncovering a small cluster of long-buried boulders carved with animals, gods and servant girls."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From;
Tsunami unveils seven pagodas
www.hvk.org/articles/0305/40.html
Author: Swati Das
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 25, 2005
URL: timesofindia.indiatimes.c...032004.cms
Call it a blessing in disguise. Or a tsunami surprise. The trail of destruction has given a ray of hope to archaeologists in this temple town, who are already on an exciting excavation mission. And, the big question: Is the legend of seven pagodas coming to a reality?
As the killer tsunami waves receded, it also gulped the sand deposits only to unveil a line of rocks 500 metres from the Shore temple. The neat arrangement of rocks with man-made features could turn out to be another cave temple of the Pallava era (8th century). The naval diving team, assisting the Archaeological Society of India, also discovered another structure perhaps a temple 100 metres north-east.
"The sonar system indicates that there are structures under the sand and sea. We are exploring it. We are also exploring the exposed relics on the shore," says superintending archaeologist T Sathyamurthy.
The excavations of the existing temple are being supervised by ASI underwater archaeology wing (Delhi), deputy superintending archaeologist Alok Tripathi. "I can tell you where the walls and the main building structures are. Only after the structure is exposed, can we tell you if its a temple or a housing structure. The tsunami has given us a new angle to find how these structures were buried," he said. So far, his team has found a round gopuram-shaped top and rocky walls.
Commander A K Sharma of Indian Naval Command Diving team claims that the structures have striking resemblance with the legendary painting of the seven pagodas (or seven temples). "We know for sure that a temple is going to emerge from the excavation site. We have found another temple close to the shore and also located a slab believed to be the pedestal on which the deity was placed," he said.
The excavation news has given enough fodder for the fishing folk, who doesnt leave any time in claiming that the structures are definitely that of five temples believed to have been submerged long back.
Says commanding officer of INS Ghorpad, Lt Commander Satyendra Vaidya: "We have recovered prominent objects of archaeological importance. A temple-shaped structure has been discovered during one of the dives. Then came a square structure resembling a sanctum sanctorum. It is covered with marine growth and the centre is buried under silt."
The INS Ghorpad team also found some artifacts belonging to the temple site. Carved relics depicting lions and elephant were exposed by the tsunami further down south of the excavation site. These rocks were visible earlier too, but not as clearly as now, showing sharp carvings.
The excavation-exploration was started in 2001, with February-March being the action-packed months. The current mission will go on till March 25 and the archaeologists are a excited lot with ever piece of breaking news, from down under.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can all see (from the article Posted below DATED JULY 6, 2002), this Discovery aint new.
From;
Clues to missing pagodas found (INDIA TIMES);
www1.timesofindia.indiati...d=15199261
NEW DELHI: Submerged structures found off the coast of Mahabalipuram in the Bay of Bengal could well solve the mystery of seven pagodas dating back to the Pallava Period (7th Century AD).
The Archaeological Survey of Indias Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) has discovered three walls and a number of carved architectural members of ancient temples running north to south and east to west. Also found are seven big submerged rocks 500 metres off shore.
According to UAW in-charge Alok Tripathi, who undertook the diving 500 metres east and north of the Shore temple in November 2001 and March this year, the walls are made of thick slabs of granite. Two long stone slabs, eachwith two vertical slits to receive two other stone slabs, were kept upright. Several such blocks arranged in a row formed a wall.
The technique of construction, he says, is so effective that these structures are still in place despite violent sea and high-energy surf.
The remnants are well carved and look like mouldings and pillars of temple. They are similar to the carvings in the existing temples of Mahabalipuram, he says. Tripathi is hopeful of discovering more structures near the Shore temple. The ASI is planning to undertake diving towards the south of the temple.
We are planning to dive during the Tamil month of Tai which falls between December and January. We will trace the extension of submerged structures and clean them to reconfirm our conclusion about their nature and purpose, he says.
Part of the local legend, the story of submerged offshore temples was first recorded by William Chambers, a British traveller, in the Asiatic Research Journal in 1788. He quoted older people having seen the tops of several pagodas far out in sea, covered with copper. By the time Chambers visited the place the effect was no longer the same as the copper had been incrusted with mould and verdigris.
What lends credence to the UAWs excavation is a search carried out by divers of UK-based Scientific Exploration Society and Indian National Institute of Oceanography in April. They claimed to have found ruins spread over several square km off the coast. During the expedition, divers came across structures believed to be man-made.
Read this Book if you wanna knowhttp://www.ancientlosttreasures.com/topic/4619 more;
Coombes, J.W. The Seven Pagodas With 31 Illustrations & A Map Hc. 120p, 31plates (Reprint London 1914) 1999, ISBN8129614240
When the tsunami waters drew back into the ocean of the coast of India (sorry, I don't know the exact location, and yes, this was during the tsunami) a few people claimed to have seen the ruins of a great city. With dozens of temples and other buildings. What little reports there are on it say that this is the remains of sunken Atlantis. I was thinking that more practically it could one of the Seven Rishi Cities, or atleast one of the Rama Empire.
Archeologist claim that on underwater excavations they found only a few temples and not much more than that. But these witnesses say that they saw more than that. I was wondering if anyone knew more than this or even heard about this?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Note: Note the picture of the Lion-Head. Another Sphinx-Like Object from the Ancient World...
Separate confirmation;
From;
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7221921/
"The Associated Press
Updated: 3:54 p.m. ET March 17, 2005
MAHABALIPURAM, India - For a few minutes, after the water had receded far from the shore and before it came raging back as a tsunami, the fishermen stood along the beach and stared at the reality of generations of legends.
Or so they say. Spread across nearly a mile, the site was encrusted with barnacles and covered in mud. But the fishermen insist they saw the remains of ancient temples and hundreds of refrigerator-sized blocks, all briefly exposed before the sea swallowed them up again.
"You could see the destroyed walls covered in coral, and the broken-down temple in the middle," said Durai, a sinewy fisherman who, like many south Indians, uses only one name. "My grandfathers said there was a port here once and a temple, but suddenly we could see it was real, we could see that something was out there."
Whatever they saw is back under water and out of sight. But a few hundred yards away, something else came to the surface. The tsunami scrubbed away six feet of sand from a section of beach, uncovering a small cluster of long-buried boulders carved with animals, gods and servant girls."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From;
Tsunami unveils seven pagodas
www.hvk.org/articles/0305/40.html
Author: Swati Das
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 25, 2005
URL: timesofindia.indiatimes.c...032004.cms
Call it a blessing in disguise. Or a tsunami surprise. The trail of destruction has given a ray of hope to archaeologists in this temple town, who are already on an exciting excavation mission. And, the big question: Is the legend of seven pagodas coming to a reality?
As the killer tsunami waves receded, it also gulped the sand deposits only to unveil a line of rocks 500 metres from the Shore temple. The neat arrangement of rocks with man-made features could turn out to be another cave temple of the Pallava era (8th century). The naval diving team, assisting the Archaeological Society of India, also discovered another structure perhaps a temple 100 metres north-east.
"The sonar system indicates that there are structures under the sand and sea. We are exploring it. We are also exploring the exposed relics on the shore," says superintending archaeologist T Sathyamurthy.
The excavations of the existing temple are being supervised by ASI underwater archaeology wing (Delhi), deputy superintending archaeologist Alok Tripathi. "I can tell you where the walls and the main building structures are. Only after the structure is exposed, can we tell you if its a temple or a housing structure. The tsunami has given us a new angle to find how these structures were buried," he said. So far, his team has found a round gopuram-shaped top and rocky walls.
Commander A K Sharma of Indian Naval Command Diving team claims that the structures have striking resemblance with the legendary painting of the seven pagodas (or seven temples). "We know for sure that a temple is going to emerge from the excavation site. We have found another temple close to the shore and also located a slab believed to be the pedestal on which the deity was placed," he said.
The excavation news has given enough fodder for the fishing folk, who doesnt leave any time in claiming that the structures are definitely that of five temples believed to have been submerged long back.
Says commanding officer of INS Ghorpad, Lt Commander Satyendra Vaidya: "We have recovered prominent objects of archaeological importance. A temple-shaped structure has been discovered during one of the dives. Then came a square structure resembling a sanctum sanctorum. It is covered with marine growth and the centre is buried under silt."
The INS Ghorpad team also found some artifacts belonging to the temple site. Carved relics depicting lions and elephant were exposed by the tsunami further down south of the excavation site. These rocks were visible earlier too, but not as clearly as now, showing sharp carvings.
The excavation-exploration was started in 2001, with February-March being the action-packed months. The current mission will go on till March 25 and the archaeologists are a excited lot with ever piece of breaking news, from down under.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can all see (from the article Posted below DATED JULY 6, 2002), this Discovery aint new.
From;
Clues to missing pagodas found (INDIA TIMES);
www1.timesofindia.indiati...d=15199261
NEW DELHI: Submerged structures found off the coast of Mahabalipuram in the Bay of Bengal could well solve the mystery of seven pagodas dating back to the Pallava Period (7th Century AD).
The Archaeological Survey of Indias Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) has discovered three walls and a number of carved architectural members of ancient temples running north to south and east to west. Also found are seven big submerged rocks 500 metres off shore.
According to UAW in-charge Alok Tripathi, who undertook the diving 500 metres east and north of the Shore temple in November 2001 and March this year, the walls are made of thick slabs of granite. Two long stone slabs, eachwith two vertical slits to receive two other stone slabs, were kept upright. Several such blocks arranged in a row formed a wall.
The technique of construction, he says, is so effective that these structures are still in place despite violent sea and high-energy surf.
The remnants are well carved and look like mouldings and pillars of temple. They are similar to the carvings in the existing temples of Mahabalipuram, he says. Tripathi is hopeful of discovering more structures near the Shore temple. The ASI is planning to undertake diving towards the south of the temple.
We are planning to dive during the Tamil month of Tai which falls between December and January. We will trace the extension of submerged structures and clean them to reconfirm our conclusion about their nature and purpose, he says.
Part of the local legend, the story of submerged offshore temples was first recorded by William Chambers, a British traveller, in the Asiatic Research Journal in 1788. He quoted older people having seen the tops of several pagodas far out in sea, covered with copper. By the time Chambers visited the place the effect was no longer the same as the copper had been incrusted with mould and verdigris.
What lends credence to the UAWs excavation is a search carried out by divers of UK-based Scientific Exploration Society and Indian National Institute of Oceanography in April. They claimed to have found ruins spread over several square km off the coast. During the expedition, divers came across structures believed to be man-made.
Read this Book if you wanna knowhttp://www.ancientlosttreasures.com/topic/4619 more;
Coombes, J.W. The Seven Pagodas With 31 Illustrations & A Map Hc. 120p, 31plates (Reprint London 1914) 1999, ISBN8129614240