Posted on 04/13/2005 11:01:12 PM PDT by nickcarraway
In a major success, archaeologists in Mahabalipuram district have discovered remains of a 4th century Hindu temple built by the kings of the majestic Pallava dynasty.
Archaeologists say the uncovering is the result of the December 26 tsunami that destroyed the beaches of various South Asian countries and claimed thousands of lives.
The archaeologists inform that the newly discovered temple is a complex by itself.
"We carried out extensive diving offshore and there we found certain remains which suggested some human activity in the region. To confirm and correlate that, we carried out excavation on this land and during the process we found the remains of a temple, which is quite big, with an entrance porch, open courtyard and a big wall. Near the rocks also we are getting evidence that there was a structural temple built on the rock and we are finding its remains," said Alok Tripathi, Deputy Superintendent Archaeologist, Under Water Archaeology Wing.
Tripathi also said that all the figures discovered in the temple are over six feet tall. The recovered objects include an elaborately carved, life-sized head and shoulders of an elephant, a horse in flight, and a life-sized reclining lion.
The modern city of Mahabalipuram, also known as "Mamallapuram", has been a major tourist destination for decades now, some of the major attractions being its beautiful beaches and pristine national monuments.
The city is known for its unparalleled architecture including rock-cut and structural temples built during the times of the Pallava king. Archaeologists say since the shore temple was built on bedrock, it survived thousands of years.
But after the tsunami a large section of the beach were destroyed, and over 100 people were killed.
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My guess is, contrary to the headline, an OLD temple complex has been discovered.
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