The relics have been buried under the sand for centuries 
The bronze Buddha which floated up the coast at Kalapakkam
Posted on 02/11/2005 8:30:44 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
The deadly tsunami could have uncovered the remains of an ancient port city off the coast in southern India.
Archaeologists say they have discovered some stone remains from the coast close to India's famous beachfront Mahabalipuram temple in Tamil Nadu state following the 26 December tsunami.
They believe that the "structures" could be the remains of an ancient and once-flourishing port city in the area housing the famous 1200-year-old rock-hewn temple.
Three pieces of remains, which include a granite lion, were found buried in the sand after the coastline receded in the area after the tsunami struck.
Undersea remains
"They could be part of the small seaport city which existed here before water engulfed them. They could be part of a temple or a building. We are investigating," says T Sathiamurthy of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Archaeologists say that the stone remains date back to 7th Century AD and are nearly 6ft tall.
They have elaborate engravings of the kind that are found in the Mahabalipuram temple.
The temple, which is a World Heritage site, represents some of the earliest-known examples of Dravidian architecture dating back to 7th Century AD.
The monument also has gigantic open air reliefs hewn out from granite.
The bronze Buddha which floated up the coast at Kalapakkam
The tsunami waves have also helped the archaeologists in desilting one such relief which had been covered with sand for ages.
A half-completed rock relief of an elephant got "naturally desilted" by the ferocious waves and is now drawing large crowds at this popular tourist destination.
For the past three years, archaeologists working with divers from India and England have found the remnants of the ancient port.
Archaeologists say they had done underwater surveys 1 km into the sea from the temple and found some undersea remains.
Legend
The myths of Mahabalipuram were first set down in writing by British traveller J Goldingham, who visited the South Indian coastal town in 1798, at which time it was known to sailors as the Seven Pagodas.
The myths speak of six temples submerged beneath the waves with the seventh temple still standing on the seashore.
The myths also state that a large city which once stood on the site was so beautiful the gods became jealous and sent a flood that swallowed it up entirely in a single day.
The tsunami has also washed up a 9 inch-tall bronze Buddha on the coast off Kalapakkam in the state.
"It was lying with some other objects. It must have been carried out to the sea from Burma or Thailand," says T Sathiamurthy.
The Buddha has been handed over to the local authorities, and may sound find a place in an Indian museum.
"We will protect it if nobody claims it," says Mr Sathiamurthy.
The relics have been buried under the sand for centuries The bronze Buddha which floated up the coast at Kalapakkam
While this is tragic, it is also amazing what has turned up. Relics, lost cities, I am willing to bet we find the remains of Jimmy Hoffa.
I am going to throw up if we don't stop sending money and manpower to these ungrateful people.
What do you mean?
The Buddha is exquisite. I look forward to the National
Geographic expedition to the site.
I mean they told us they wanted our military out of the country by the end of March. They will not mind if we leave our dollars though. I Bet! Large Muslim population there is the reason and they do not want us contaminating them with Christian beliefs.
That was INDONESIA. This is INDIA. India said it has all the resources to help itself. And it did. So did it help Sri Lanka. As for Indonesia, which is a Muslim country, may those ungrateful b@stards rot on their islands.
You are confusing India with Indonesia. India is largely self sufficient and pro-U.S. Indonesia is where the people wanted the US military out and were afraid of Christian missionaries. We can't paint that whole region with a broad brush, India is a genuinely pro-U.S. nation and an essential bulwark against terrorism along with Israel. India is 80% Hindu and the Hindu;s have no problem with Christianity and have never been involved in international terrorism.
More off shoring on the cheap. Must have been some foreign elephant sculpting company hiring out.(^)~
LOL. Bttt.
I'm amazed at the large stone items particularly. Out of such suffering comes the reminder that this earth is a very capricious place...
"the Hindu;s have no problem with Christianity and have never been involved in international terrorism."
Tell that to the Christians suffering persecution in Gujjarat State!
Sir, you may want to know that India did not receive a red cent from the US after the Tsunami. Infact they clearly stated that they ahd more than enough resources to not only help themselves, but also give some aid to some of the other hit nations.
Furthermore they are not 'ungrateful.' I think you are confusing India with Indonesia. They begin the same, but they are different nations. One did not need our help, and was not ungrateful. The other needed all the help it could get, and is the world's largest Islamic nation.
Country number two is NOT India. It is Indonesia.
Thanks.
I guess since they both began with 'Ind' he must have thought they were the same country. Probably did not even read past the 'Ind' part.
February 11 2005 at 04:03PM
The deadly tsunamis that crashed into southern India unearthed priceless relics, including two granite lions, that had lain buried under the sand for centuries, archaeologists say.
A team from the Archaeological Survey of India descended on the ancient seaport of Mahabalipuram, 70km south of Madras, to examine the "gifts" left after the tsunami redrew the entire coastline.
They include the remnants of a stone house and a half-completed rock elephant, archaeologists said late on Thursday. There are also two giant granite lions, one seated and another poised to charge. The statues are each carved out of a single piece of granite stone, testifying to the carver's skill.
The objects were uncovered when the towering waves withdrew from the beach, carrying huge amounts of sand with them.
The waves that killed over 285 000 people throughout Asia also appear to have swept a bronze Buddha to Indian shores from Thailand in a basket attached to a bamboo raft, archaeologists say. - Sapa-AFP
This article was originally published on page 8 of Cape Argus on February 11, 2005
Although violence against Christians is not justified...
I don't see much tolerance from some Christian missionaries who call Hindus devil worshippers, and pray for the destruction of Hindu temples.
What about the Hindu temples that were burned to the ground in the US after 9/11 by some people who couldn't figure out the difference between muslims and hindus.
So you joined in Feb 2005....what or who are you about?
I see from your posted comments you are posting on a lot of India related threads, so which political parties, governments, or lobbying interests are you spinning for. You don't deny the persecution of Christians in Gujarat state, you instead respond with a lot of anger towards all Christains over the misguided actions of a few, especially during the 9/11 incident in our nation.
So why sign up on February 5 posting a lot of comments concerning India and Indian related issues....what's your angle, what are trying to spin? Some Viking Kitties may be interested in a zot or two!
Aye, valid point -- the wa**ers there were condemned by the rest of the country. However, that's NOT international terrorism as much as rule of the mob in some parts of the country
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