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India's underwater
heritage
By Uttara Gangopadhyay
 NEW DELHI - Scientists from Chennai's National
Institute of Oceanography (NIO) were routinely going
through some underwater sonar pictures taken while
monitoring marine pollution in the Gulf of Cambay, off
the coast of Gujarat, a couple of years ago. Much to
their surprise, they came across the ruins of a city.
Initially, the news received mixed responses. While some
believed that it was the lost city of the mythical
Dwarka mentioned in ancient scriptures, others dismissed
it as a probable shipwreck. The scientists launched a
more intensive search last year and came up with plenty
of interesting finds.
The ancient city is
located at a depth of 40 meters and spread over a
nine-kilometer stretch with relics from a typical Indus
Valley civilization - pools with sunken steps, a
granary, house foundations, drainage systems, mud roads
as well as broken pots, figurines, semiprecious stones,
ornaments, fossilized remains of wood and human body
parts. Carbon dating of wooden pieces has revealed even
more interesting facts. One piece tested by the Birbal
Shahni Institute of Paleobotany in Lucknow shows it
belonged to 5500 BC, while one tested by National
Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, belonged to
7500 BC. Although yet to be conclusively proved whether
the pieces were washed to the place or belonged to the
city, the findings are intriguing.
Despite its
gloomy association, a shipwreck is interesting as a
piece of history. It is a documentation of life on
board, boat building, trade routes, cargo, etc. The
wrecks turn into homes for a number of marine fauna.
Divers love shipwrecks because of the challenge they
offer. The luxurious ocean liner Andrea Doria that sank
near Nantucket off Long Island in the Atlantic Ocean in
July 1956 is now considered the "Mount Everest of
shipwreck diving". Experienced divers have died in their
quest to explore the ship. The UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage adopted in
2001 has now laid out a set of rules for the
preservation of underwater sites and wrecks.
International Heritage Day observed on April 18 had
"Underwater Cultural Heritage" as its theme, aimed at
raising people's awareness and to foster conservation of
underwater heritage.
Throughout history,
seafaring explorers have rewritten the boundaries of
land many times. On the other hand, maritime trade
routes have been a bone of contention between nations.
The strategic location of India encouraged maritime
trade and commerce as well as expeditions to foreign
lands in the past. Foreigners from across the seas
influenced India's history in the post-Mughal period.
Hence, many people believe that the Indian seacoast can
provide important shipwrecks and lost cities.
The recent findings near Mahabalipuram in Tamil
Nadu seem to vindicate that belief. A joint expedition
by the Scientific Exploration Society of the United
Kingdom and NIO revealed an extensive series of
structures at a depth of five to seven meters. The
ruins, consisting of masonry walls, rock-cut structures,
stone platforms with steps etc, are probably the remains
of six of the seven pagodas built by the Pallava rulers.
There is a popular legend among local fishermen that the
beautiful city was devastated by floods unleashed by
some jealous gods which caused the six pagodas to be
submerged. An account by British traveler J Goldingham
in 1798 referred to the place as the land of the Seven
Pagodas. It was he who also recorded the myth. Some time
ago, British author and television presenter Graham
Hancock was inspired by the legend and it was at his
initiative that the expedition took off last year.
"Despite these interesting findings, underwater
exploration for archeological sites and shipwrecks is
still lagging in India," feels Dr Prateep Sen of
Kolkata. A certified diver, Sen often goes diving in the
Southeast Asian seas. "Whether it's the flora and the
fauna or heritage findings, like ancient cities and
shipwrecks, the underwater world is no less interesting
than the world above. The heritage findings are time
capsules that lie far away from curious eyes, preserved
for posterity," he says. Although the screening of the
film Titanic created deeper interest in wrecks,
India is yet to join the bandwagon. Mitali Kakar of Reef
Watch Marine Conservation, a non-governmental
organization involved in promoting diving and reef
conservation, agrees, "There're several wrecks and
submerged cities around the Indian subcontinent which
could be landmarked as heritage sites if managed in a
proper manner."
Even though underwater
exploration is costly and thus difficult for individuals
to finance, Sen says it is high time exploring the deep
was taken seriously. "Amateur divers go down searching
for hidden treasures and often come up with lovely
booties." Local fishermen and boat people are well aware
of such sites. Often amateur divers work on these bits
of information and strike gold. "The fishermen's tales
of the submerged pagodas ultimately came true in the
sense that ruins were discovered here."
Sen also
highlights the recent findings of a 300-year-old
shipwreck now being explored by the Indian Navy off the
Lakshadweep islands. "I heard about the wrecked Princess
Royal lying on the seabed quite some time ago," he
recalls. "It's also mentioned in the book Diving in
the Indian Ocean, published in 1999 by Rizzoli of
New York. According to local people, amateur divers have
been down to the wreck site. The navy divers have come
up with interesting findings like canons, an anchor,
iron objects, porcelain as well as a bell with the
ship's name inscribed on it."
Countries such as
the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand have converted
shipwrecks found off their coasts into diving
attractions, in the process reaping the benefits of
niche tourism. The warm waters of the tropical seas are
the favorite haunts of divers from all over the world
and the shipwrecks have increased the attraction.
Local people reap the benefit of direct and
indirect employment opportunities. According to Kakar,
if the sea conditions permit visibility and people have
the opportunity for scuba diving in the area, the lost
city off the Gujarat coast could serve as a premier
archeological site for exploration. "The income earned
from this kind of eco-tourism could flow into
preservation and conservation of the site and benefit
the communities living along the coast."
Who
would have though that the land of the famed Taj Mahal
and palaces could also throw up attractions like
underwater lost cities?
(Trans World Features
TWF)
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