Great find at Mahabs

Archaeologists have found "structures" buried in the sea off the coast of Mahabalipuram that show evidences of "human activities", and could lend credence to the age-old myth that seven temples existed in the area, five of which are believed to be under the sea.

Mahabalipuram, which was recently ravaged by the killer tsunami, is known as the land of 'Seven Pagodas'.

Archaeologists say they have found stone blocks and pottery under the sea, and are examining whether the site is that of the fabled temples that went under water.

"Some of the rocks we found undersea bore definite signs of human activities. We have already found remnants of a temple offshore. This new finding is not in isolation and we will have to compare and correlate it with the onshore structures," said Alok Tripathi, deputy superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The ambitious expedition, jointly conducted by the Indian Navy and the ASI, began in early 2001 with the aim of clearing the mystery behind the seven temples in Mahabalipuram, where only one temple exists now.

"We have recovered artefacts and structures which resemble the shore temple, during the expedition which lasted more than three years," Vice-Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, told reporters here.

The ASI undertook preliminary search of the area in 2001 and based on the results, a team of Navy divers and ASI officials carried out extensive exploratory work in the area with INS Darshak, a hydrographic survey vessel, providing administrative support. (Agencies)