Suite au tsunami.............
Indian divers have found more evidence of an
ancient port city, apparently revealed by December's tsunami. Stone
structures that are "clearly man-made" were seen on the seabed off the
south coast, archaeologists say. They could be part of the ancient city
of
Mahabalipuram, about which legend says a flood engulfed six of its
seven temples. Other relics were revealed when the powerful waves
washed away sand as they smashed into the Tamil Nadu coast. The
Archaeological Survey of
India launched the diving expedition after
residents reported seeing a temple and other structures as the sea
pulled back just before the tsunami hit. The new finds were made close
to the 7th Century beach-front
Mahabalipuram temple. "We've found some
stone structures which are clearly man-made, " expedition leader Alok
Tripathi told the AFP news agency. "They're perfect rectangular blocks,
arranged in a clear pattern." The ancient "gifts" of the tsunami are
expected to be presented to an international seminar on maritime
archaeology in
Delhi next month. Other discoveries made at
Mahabalipuram earlier this month include a granite lion of a similar
age to the temple that experts believe had been buried for centuries
before the tsunami shifted the sand. Archaeologists have been working
at the site for the last three years, since another diving expedition
discovered what appeared to be a submerged city, including at least one
temple.
