//Opinion seems to be Unanimously in supporting the Hypothesis that the whole or Greater part of the western section of the Kerala coast was once under waters and that the formation of the Land was due to some process of nature either gradual or Sudden.// Page-12 History of Christianity in India, Vol. I, by Fr. A. Mathias Mundadan, Professor of Church History and Theology at the Dharmaram Pontifical Institute, Bangalore,
Dr.K.V.Raman wrote a book on his excavations and has given detais of each of his locations and all locations in and around Kodungallore (Cranganore) had same type and that Human Habitaion took place in Later chera period in 9th Century CE Only.
ASI Excavated Kodungallur in 1947, under P.Anujan Achan and found articles of 14th century or later only. Dr.K.V.Raman in his book about the same
Further to the pressure from various quarters Archaeological Survey of India under Highly Reputed Archaeologists Dr.K.V.Raman went for excavation , K.V.Raman and K.V.Saundararajan (1969-70). Archaeological sites such as
Cheraman Parambu
Thiruvanchikulam
Karuppadanna
Mathilakam
Kilatali
Thrikkulasekharapuram etc.,
provided cultural remains of iron and copper tools, glass beads, semi precious stones, ceramics of dull red ware, celadon ware roof tiles, earthen lamps and coins. They are all dated between 900-1100 A.D..
Further to the pressure from various quarters Archaeological Survey of India under Highly Reputed Archaeologists Dr.K.V.Raman went for excavation , K.V.Raman and K.V.Saundararajan (1969-70). Archaeological sites such as
Cheraman Parambu
Thiruvanchikulam
Karuppadanna
Mathilakam
Kilatali
Thrikkulasekharapuram etc.,
provided cultural remains of iron and copper tools, glass beads, semi precious stones, ceramics of dull red ware, celadon ware roof tiles, earthen lamps and coins. They are all dated between 900-1100 A.D..
ASI conducted detailed Researches in and around Kodungallore by Prof.Dr.Raman and
Mr. K.V.Saundararajan, they went in for detailed research and found only the remains from 9th -10th century only, and Virgin Soil without Human habitation by 9th Century
Dr.K.V.Raman wrote a book on his excavations and has given detais of each of his locations and all locations in and around Kodungallore (Cranganore) had same type and that Human Habitaion took place in Later chera period in 9th Century CE Only.
Now how this could have happened? Tsunami 2004 gave us the Clue. Sea in Eastern side had covered a major city in Eastern Side, and that means Sea came in West giving new land around Kodungallur
Tsunami throws up India relics
by Soutik Biswas, Friday, 11 February, 2005, BBC News, Delhi
The deadly tsunami could have uncovered the remains of an ancient port city off the coast in southern India.
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| The relics have been buried under the sand for centuries |
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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 Sathiamoorthy 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.
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| The bronze Buddha which floated up the coast at Kalapakkam |
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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 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.
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| Mahabalipuram was once a flourishing port city |
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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 Sathiamoorthy. The Buddha has been handed over to the local authorities, and may soon find a place in an Indian museum. "We will protect it if nobody claims it," says Mr Sathiamoorthy.
Tsunami uncovers ancient city in India
The Associated Press, Feb. 18, 2005
Receding waters revealed animal carvings, temple
Receding waters revealed animal carvings, temple
MAHABALIPURAM, India - 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.
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| Local visitors look at a lion head monument which was uncovered by the Dec. 26 tsunami near the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, 45 miles south of Madras, India. |
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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 pea****s 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.
Tsunami uncovers ancient sculptures in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu
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| The urn (above) and the lion statue (below) unearthed by the tsunami could be part of a temple or a port city, say scholars |
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The December 2004 tsunami, which battered much of the south Indian coast, has helped unearth priceless relics in the ancient port city of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The killer waves shifted thousands of tonnes of sand to uncover granite sculptures which archaeologists claim, are remnants of a seventh-century civilisation. The sculptures include an elaborately carved lion, a half-completed elephant and a stallion in flight.
"As the tsunami waves receded, they scoured away sand deposits that had covered these sculptures for centuries," says Alok Tripathi, an underwater archaeologist. Tripathi, who led the Archaeological Survey of India (asi) team that excavated Mahabalipuram, says the discoveries throw new light on this ancient port city, south of Chennai.
"As the tsunami waves receded, they scoured away sand deposits that had covered these sculptures for centuries," says Alok Tripathi, an underwater archaeologist. Tripathi, who led the Archaeological Survey of India (asi) team that excavated Mahabalipuram, says the discoveries throw new light on this ancient port city, south of Chennai.
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Ways of the sea Mahabalipuram was an important centre of the Pallava dynasty, which held sway over much of south India between the fourth and the ninth century.Known for its Shore Temple, the city has been designated by the unesco as a World Heritage Site. Legend has it that Mahabalipuram had six other temples -- seafarers referred to it as the land of seven pagodas till even two centuries ago -- which were consumed by waves (see box: Land of seven pagodas).
The city has also been the subject of much scholarly curiosity. asi had begun excavations here in 2001. But the tsunami threw a spanner in their works. Only for a brief while, however: the archaeologists got going again after a report from local fisherfolk. Just before the tsunami waves struck on December 26, 2004, the sea withdrew about 500 metres, baring its bed on which lay a temple structure and several rock sculptures, the tsunami-struck fisherfolk announced after they had recovered some of their bearings.
Once the waves subsided, asi researchers enlisted help of divers from the navy to scan the deep seas. "We found some stone structures which appear to be man-made. They are perfect rectangular blocks arranged in a clear pattern," says Tripathi.
The city has also been the subject of much scholarly curiosity. asi had begun excavations here in 2001. But the tsunami threw a spanner in their works. Only for a brief while, however: the archaeologists got going again after a report from local fisherfolk. Just before the tsunami waves struck on December 26, 2004, the sea withdrew about 500 metres, baring its bed on which lay a temple structure and several rock sculptures, the tsunami-struck fisherfolk announced after they had recovered some of their bearings.
Once the waves subsided, asi researchers enlisted help of divers from the navy to scan the deep seas. "We found some stone structures which appear to be man-made. They are perfect rectangular blocks arranged in a clear pattern," says Tripathi.
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| The urn (above) and the lion statue (below) unearthed by the tsunami could be part of a temple or a port city, say scholars |
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The investigators also found partly submerged blocks of walls, some of which extended into the land. "Our investigations showed that the partially submerged blocks and those completely under water are part of one edifice," said Tripathi. "The blocks appear to be part of a temple wall," the archaeologist added. Other parts of the temple that surfaced include a square garbha griha -- the sanctum sanctorium -- an elegant terracotta ring well and a sandstone kalash (an urn).
Standing guard The archaeologists are, however, not ruling out other possibilities. Some of them speculate that the granite beasts uncovered by the receding waves once stood guard at a port city's entrance. The 2-metre high lion statues, each hewn from a single piece of granite, appear breathtakingly lifelike. One great stone cat sits up alert while the other is poised to pounce. The elephant could have also been sculpted to adorn the city walls, the archaeologists believe. It now attracts scores of visitors who touch its eroded trunk as a good luck talisman.
Lions, elephants and pea****s were commonly used to decorate walls during the Pallava period, say members of the asi team. "The findings reveal Pallava grandeur," says one of them.
The survivor Why did these structures get submerged, while the Shore Temple stayed put for 1,300 years, withstanding even the tsunami? Tripathi has an answer. "The Shore Temple is built on bed-rock. So it survived all these years. But the other structures were constructed on sand. They could not have withstood a forceful accident," says the archaeologist. He believes asi's investigations in Mahabalipuram could be of immense help in protecting coastal monuments, which are threatened by the incursion of the sea.
Standing guard The archaeologists are, however, not ruling out other possibilities. Some of them speculate that the granite beasts uncovered by the receding waves once stood guard at a port city's entrance. The 2-metre high lion statues, each hewn from a single piece of granite, appear breathtakingly lifelike. One great stone cat sits up alert while the other is poised to pounce. The elephant could have also been sculpted to adorn the city walls, the archaeologists believe. It now attracts scores of visitors who touch its eroded trunk as a good luck talisman.
Lions, elephants and pea****s were commonly used to decorate walls during the Pallava period, say members of the asi team. "The findings reveal Pallava grandeur," says one of them.
The survivor Why did these structures get submerged, while the Shore Temple stayed put for 1,300 years, withstanding even the tsunami? Tripathi has an answer. "The Shore Temple is built on bed-rock. So it survived all these years. But the other structures were constructed on sand. They could not have withstood a forceful accident," says the archaeologist. He believes asi's investigations in Mahabalipuram could be of immense help in protecting coastal monuments, which are threatened by the incursion of the sea.
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