The Underwater City-Facts

The Underwater City-Facts interestingfactdaily.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-underwater-city.html

THE UNDERWATER CITY

BY INTERESTING FACTS DAILY *UNDERWATER CITY IN INDIA1.Underwater City of Mahabalipuram:

Mahabalipuram is an ancient city located in the Kancheepuram district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is well known for its architectural marvels and is recognized as a world heritage monument by the UNESCO. Historically speaking, Mahabalipuram was once part of the Pallava Dynasty, a Tamil dynasty that ruled over part of southern India between the 3rd and 9th centuries AD. The epigraphical sources also say that the Pallava kings had active overseas contacts with Sri Lanka, China and the Southeast Asian countries. A significant amount of coins and other artefacts excavated from this region also indicate a pre-existing trade relation with the Romans even before it became a part of the Pallava Empire.

Seven Pagodas and Shore Temple: During Pallava period, Mahabalipuram became an important centre of art, architecture 1/11

and literature. One of the architectural achievements of the Pallava kings was the construction of a complex of temples commonly known as the ‘Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram.’ Of these seven temples, only one – the Shore Temple, remains visible today. The other six temples are thought to have been submerged under the sea.Shore temple is a complex of three temples, one large and two small, located right on the shores of the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram. Built under Narasimhavarman II in the 8th century, it’s the earliest significant free-standing stone temple in Tamil Nadu. Unlike most of its neighbours at the site, it is built of cut stones rather than carved out of caves. It has two shrines, one dedicated to Shiva and the other to Vishnu. This five-storeyed Hindu monument is a pyramidal structure 60 ft high and 50 ft square at the base.

Legends

Mahabalipuram’s early history is completely shrouded in mystery. Stories passed from one generation to the next tell of a large, beautiful city that once occupied the area. The local tradition does not mention how old the city is but associates it with the King Bali, also known as Mahabali (grandson of prahlad). This king is recorded to have sacrificed himself to Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu, following which he is said to have attained enlightenment. Mahabalipuram literally means ‘city of the Great Bali’.

Myths also mention that the God Indra became jealous of of the architectural elegance of the monuments of Mahablipuram, and as a result they caused floods to occur, which submerged most parts of the city, except for a few structures that are seen now.

Underwater Investigations for the Remaining Six Temples

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Back in april 2002, an expedition team jointly sponsored by Great Britain’s scientific exploration society (SES) and India’s national institute of oceanography (NIO) made the discovery of a submerged complex of ruins off the coast of mahabalipuram. Diving in challenging conditions, the team found the foundation of walls, broken pillars, steps, and many scattered stone blocks.

During the Tsunami that struck the coast in late 2004, the sea pulled back about 500m. It was reported that “a long, straight row of large rocks emerge(d) from the water just before the waters rushed back again.” When the waters returned, these features were submerged again. Still, the force of the tsunami managed to expose some objects that were covered by centuries of silt. These objects include a large stone lion found on Mahabalipuram’s beach, as well as a half-completed rock relief of an elephant.

Since these incidents, several studies and excavations have been made and are being made by the Archeological Society of India (ASI) with the help of the Navy and in partnership with international agencies. The excavations have thrown up evidence that a large network of temples once existed along the coast of Mahabalipuram. The remains of a temple approximately one-and-a-half times the size of the still standing Shore Temple structure, plus a smaller temple on the same excavation site, have been laid bare by the excavations. Additionally, several submerged structures have been found in the sea.

The underwater exploration off Mahabalipuram shows the presence of fallen and scattered long walls and structures. A large number of dressed stone blocks of rectangular and square type of building materials were found at several places. Most of 3/11

the remains are disturbed and scattered in a large area.

Controversial historian Graham Hancock think that Mahabalipuram suffered from a great flood between 10,000 and 13,000 BCE. He was one of the core members of a team of divers who surveyed the ocean bed near Mahabalipuram in 2002. After his underwater exploration, he reportedly commented, “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.”

The presence of man-made structures of Mahabalipuram in 6–8 m water depth raises many interesting questions, such as when they were constructed and how and why they happened to be there. It is hoped that with further investigations, a greater understanding of these underwater structures can be gained and that the myth of the seven submerged temples might one day be considered as a true historical event.

2.Underwater city of dwarka/Underwater city of krishna-

Dwarka has commanded much attraction because the site is one of the four Dhamas (sacred place for pilgrimage) of the Hindu religion. As the legend goes, Krishna founded the city in Gujarat’s west coast.

The modern city of Dwarka, which in Sanskrit means ‘Gateway to heaven’, is located north-west of the state.

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Marine scientists say archaeological remains discovered 36 m (120 ft) underwater in the Gulf of Cambay off the western coast of India could be over 9,000 years old. It is believed to predate the oldest known remains in the subcontinent by more than 5,000 years.

Carbon dating on debris recovered from the site, including construction material, pottery, sections of walls, beads, sculpture and human bones and teeth, put it at nearly 9,500 years old, making it older than the Sumerian civilisation by several thousand years.

It is also older than the Egyptian and Chinese civilisations. The city is believed to be even older than the ancient Harappan civilisation.

Dwarka is mentioned in a number of texts, including the Mahabharata, the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, the Harivamsha as well as the Skanda Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.

The Mahabharata says that Dwarka had 9,00,000 royal palaces, all constructed with crystal and silver, and decorated with emeralds. It was supposed to have been built on six blocks, two on the right bank and four on the left. Whatever has been traced so far conforms to the description to a large extent.

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The city was also extremely well planned: divided into six sectors which were in turn divided into residential, commercial areas. The city was home to beautiful large roads, gardens and artificial lakes. It is said that it was submerged in the big flood 9,000 years ago.

Shi Cheng-Underwater city in china

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Shi Cheng, Chun’an County, Zhejiang, China. An ancient city, established about 1300 years ago, now lies at the 26-40 m depth underwater. The city and the valley were deliberately flooded in 1959 in order to create an artificial lake and hydroelectric power station. Now it could be a unique paradise for divers.

Surprisingly the city hasn’t eroded much and the buildings, walls, even wooden details remained. Currently a film crew is commissioned to record the ancient city. The archeologists are overwhelmed by how well preserved Shi Cheng is. However, there are no tourist facilities for diving, but hopefully in the future the site will be open for everyone to view.

The artificial Qiandao Lake, also known as Thousand Island Lake, is an important tourist attraction in the province and serves as a recreational area. The mountainous landscape is indeed beautiful and worth visiting.

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Now we wiil talk about a flood,I know this is a different topic but it might gain your attraction toward the Topic,So I hope you will like this One. VENICE FLOODThe high water that devastated Venice in recent months has flooded streets, squares and landmark churches. Tourists are still welcomed, but advised to bring waders.

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One month after Venice endured devastating high tides, The Associated Press reported on Monday that the Italian city is again facing exceptionally high-water levels. Toto Bergamo Rossi, director of the cultural foundation Venetian Heritage, called it “a prolonged emergency.”

For many, many tourists who themselves often inundate the city, the flooding has provoked a more immediate question: Can we still go to Venice?

The short answer is yes, even though some travelers appear to be worried: In November, Venice hotels reported a 35 percent cancellation rate, according to a local association, putting a dent into what is a €3 billion (about $3.3 billion) a year industry.

As the high tides swell in the Venice Lagoon, here is some basic information that anytraveler to Venice should know about in high water season.

The city was built on a group of islands and islets in a lagoon separated from the Adriatic Sea by a thin stretch of land. Two rivers empty out in this lagoon, or laguna. Three canals run through that stretch of land, allowing in ships — and Adriatic Sea water. When the tide rises, the seawater enters the laguna; when the tide falls, it exits. That happens twice a day, every day, resulting in a mix of seawater and fresh water.

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Besides being brackish, Venice’s water is also highly polluted, since sewage water continues to be dumped in the canals. Sometimes strong winds and bad weather contribute to unusually high tides, which typically last between two and four hours.

There have been floods in the past, but local officials voiced concern to The Associated Press about the increase in frequency of these high tides in recent years.

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“This is the first time in history that high waters have reached the peak of 1.40 meters five times in a year,” said Alvise Papa, head of the Venice Center High Tides, to the A.P. “The maximum until now had been two times in a year.”

On Nov. 12, Venice experienced the worst flood since 1966, with the high water reaching 1.84 meters, or 6 feet, above sea level.

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