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Lost city found off
Indian coast at Mahabalipuram
(continued)
The expedition team want to return next year
"The scale of the site appears to be extremely extensive, with 50 dives
conducted over a three-day period covering only a small area of the overall ruin
field.
"This is plainly a discovery of international significance that demands further
exploration and detailed investigation."
During the expedition to the site, divers came across structures believed to be
man-made. One of the buildings appears to be a place of worship.
Jealous Gods
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.
The myths speak of six temples submerged beneath the waves with the seventh
temple still standing on the seashore. |
Structures are clearly visible in the murky waters
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.
One of the expedition team, Graham Hancock, said: "I have argued for many years
that the world's flood myths deserve to be taken seriously, a view that most
Western academics reject.
"But here in Mahabalipuram, we have proved the myths right and the academics
wrong."
Scientists now want to explore the possibility that the city was submerged
following the last Ice Age. If this proves correct, it would date the settlement
at more than 5,000 years old. |
