More temples pop out of sea-bed
Statesman News Service
CHENNAI, March 31. — After the excitement of discovering man made rock structures under sea off Mahabalipuram coast, the excavation team of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has now unearthed traces of two more temples on shore.
Adjoining the Shore Temple, these findings could perhaps lend credence to legends about ‘Seven Pagodas (temples)’ having stood on this historic spot, once a flourishing port town under the Pallavas.
“We are presently excavating the remains of two structural temples on shore, both to the south of the Shore Temple. They appear to be similar in size to the Shore Temple. And, linking these discoveries to our earlier excavations under sea where we found man made rock structures, there is enough evidence to suggest that there are more submerged temples built during the Pallava period,” Dr Alok Tripathi, deputy superintending archeologist, ASI, in charge of the underwater excavations off the Mahabalipuram coast, told mediapersons here.
He explained that excavations of one of the temples came up with a 8 x 8 square metre garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum),’ and an entrance porch in front facing the east towards the sea. After an open courtyard of 15 feet width, a two-metre thick prakara wall had been dug up.
“We also found a large number of architectural fragments and mouldings including parts of a shikara (the top of a temple),” carved segments form the prakara and other parts,” Mr Tripathi said, adding that the temple was 20 metres wide and 25 metres long. Excavations are also on near three rocks bearing marks of human activity.
“One of these rocks has a superstructure, which indicates another structural temple,” said Mr Tripathi. The team also found chisels, perhaps used by the workers, and a well made of terracotta rings. The walls, not surprisingly, extended into the sea. “Some rock portions get exposed during low tide,” said the ASI official, adding that the excavation generated useful information about the construction of structural temples and would also throw light on the causes of destruction of coastal monuments.
CHENNAI, March 31. — After the excitement of discovering man made rock structures under sea off Mahabalipuram coast, the excavation team of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has now unearthed traces of two more temples on shore.
Adjoining the Shore Temple, these findings could perhaps lend credence to legends about ‘Seven Pagodas (temples)’ having stood on this historic spot, once a flourishing port town under the Pallavas.
“We are presently excavating the remains of two structural temples on shore, both to the south of the Shore Temple. They appear to be similar in size to the Shore Temple. And, linking these discoveries to our earlier excavations under sea where we found man made rock structures, there is enough evidence to suggest that there are more submerged temples built during the Pallava period,” Dr Alok Tripathi, deputy superintending archeologist, ASI, in charge of the underwater excavations off the Mahabalipuram coast, told mediapersons here.
He explained that excavations of one of the temples came up with a 8 x 8 square metre garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum),’ and an entrance porch in front facing the east towards the sea. After an open courtyard of 15 feet width, a two-metre thick prakara wall had been dug up.
“We also found a large number of architectural fragments and mouldings including parts of a shikara (the top of a temple),” carved segments form the prakara and other parts,” Mr Tripathi said, adding that the temple was 20 metres wide and 25 metres long. Excavations are also on near three rocks bearing marks of human activity.
“One of these rocks has a superstructure, which indicates another structural temple,” said Mr Tripathi. The team also found chisels, perhaps used by the workers, and a well made of terracotta rings. The walls, not surprisingly, extended into the sea. “Some rock portions get exposed during low tide,” said the ASI official, adding that the excavation generated useful information about the construction of structural temples and would also throw light on the causes of destruction of coastal monuments.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home