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HISTORY,
LEGENDS & MYTHOLOGY
New Pallava temple complex discovered in Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram: 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.
-April
11, 2005
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