Posted on 02/18/2005 6:12:00 AM PST by Unam Sanctam
MAHABALIPURAM, India (AP) -- Archaeologists have begun underwater excavations of what is believed to be an ancient city and parts of a temple uncovered by the tsunami off the coast of a centuries-old pilgrimage town.
Three rocky structures with elaborate carvings of animals have emerged near the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, which was battered by the Dec. 26 tsunami.
As the waves receded, the force of the water removed sand deposits that had covered the structures, which appear to belong to a port city built in the seventh century, said T. Satyamurthy, a senior archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India.
Mahabalipuram is already well known for its ancient, intricately carved shore temples that have been declared a World Heritage site and are visited each year by thousands of Hindu pilgrims and tourists. According to descriptions by early British travel writers, the area was also home to seven pagodas, six of which were submerged by the sea.
The government-run archaeological society and navy divers began underwater excavations of the area on Thursday.
"The tsunami has exposed a bas relief which appears to be part of a temple wall or a portion of the ancient port city. Our excavations will throw more light on these," Satyamurthy told The Associated Press by telephone from Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state.
The six-foot rocky structures that have emerged in Mahabalipuram, 30 miles south of Madras, include an elaborately carved head of an elephant and a horse in flight. Above the elephant's head is a small square-shaped niche with a carved statue of a deity. Another structure uncovered by the tsunami has a reclining lion sculpted on it.
According to archaeologists, lions, elephants and peacocks were commonly used to decorate walls and temples during the Pallava period in the seventh and eighth centuries.
"These structures could be part of the legendary seven pagodas. With the waters receding and the coastline changing, we expect some more edifices to be exposed," Satyamurthy said.
Ping. Click on link for picture.
hmmm .. not too impressive since its' so worn.
Wait a minute, how could the waters be receding? I thought Global Warming was causing the waters to rise? I'm confused.
Democrats and Republicans?
"I thought Global Warming was causing the waters to rise? I'm confused."
And what made these waters rise before the Industrial Revolution? Confusion reigns!
Reunite Gondwanaland! Let the revolution begin.
In related news....(just kidding, folks)
I think its pretty cool but in searching "legendary seven pagodas" - I see some city off the coast of India reported such a discovery in 2002.
From the photo's, looks like the tip of an iceburg and it should be interesting to see what the dig up as they remove the sand around these things.
Ancient?!? 7th century isn't ancient. Jericho's ancient. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, that's ancient.
My thoughts exactly. "Intricately carved?" "Bas relief?"
I've seen more detailed 'carvings' at Arches National Park.
Ping.
| The sea claimed an ancient capital of India. Now it has given it back |
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| Posted by CarrotAndStick On News/Activism 02/13/2005 8:05:17 PM PST · 21 replies · 1,097+ views The Independent | 14 February 2005 | Jan McGirk Two granite lions placed as guardians of an ancient city proved impotent before the power of the sea. But that same force has brought them to light centuries later. The Boxing Day tsunami has revealed what archaeologists believe to be the lost ruins of an ancient city off Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The 30-metre waves, which reshaped the Bay of Bengal and swept more than 16,000 Indians to their deaths, shifted thousands of tons of sand to unearth the pair of elaborately carved stone lions near the 7th-century Dravidian Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram. Indian archaeologists believe these granite beasts... |
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Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
hmm strangely non-euclidean geometry...
I can't wait for archeologists to find the first person beheaded by a Muslim!
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