Sunken Cities
Mahabalipuram, the Seven Pagodas
Submerged structures · 5 to 8 m · Off the Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu, India
Permit divesThe prize. The drowned six of the legendary seven pagodas
Where. Off the Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu, India
Status. Permit dives
Where. Off the Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu, India
Status. Permit dives
The account
Sailors called this the Land of the Seven Pagodas, and only one, the Shore Temple, still stands above the surf. When the 2004 tsunami sucked the sea back five hundred metres, it bared carved lions, an elephant, and temple walls on the seabed, and divers from the National Institute of Oceanography have since mapped masonry and a flight of steps offshore. The legend the locals kept for a thousand years turned out to be a map.
Leads, where the trail points now
- Pin down the most specific last-known position in the record before going; the search centers on Off the Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu, India.
- What you are chasing is The drowned six of the legendary seven pagodas. Work the documented record of Mahabalipuram, the Seven Pagodas back to primary sources and separate what is attested from folklore.
- Indian antiquities waters (ASI), survey diving by permit; nothing may be disturbed.
The full hunt kit is in the fellowship
The starting brief, the gear, the legal picture for this exact ground, and a GPS chart pack you can load and go. The map stays free.
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