Lost Under Water Cities

Excerpt from Egyptian antiquities By George Long (Published in 1832)

After the 2004 tsunami receded, a naval diving team assisted the Archaeological Survey of India in looking for some structures which were revealed in Mahabalipuram. They found some temple shaped structures covered with marine growth leading archaeologists to believe that it was the remains of the other six pagodas.

Under water archaeology in Dwaraka and the dating of the retrieved artifacts have revealed that the debris is related to the ruins of a city dated to 2280 BCE. Previous under water excavations revealed about 120 anchors. These anchors often had three holes of which the upper one was used for tying a rope and the other two holes for holding wooden flukes.

There seems to be evidence of a submerged city, similar to Dwaraka, near the island of Yonaguni Jima in Japan. Masaaki Kimura, a marine geologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan, who has been diving there for more than fifteen years has found submerged stone structures which look like a monolithic stepped pyramid. (photos)

Similar to the story of the lost continent of Atlantis and Lemuria, there is an Asian tale of the lost continent of Mu. According to one concept, it was the survivors of Mu who found the Mayan civilization and some folks believe that the structures found near Yonaguni Jima is evidence of Mu.

Sceptics think that these pyramid like structures are natural formations, but Kimura says that he has found quarry marks and characters etched into the carved faces. He believes that the ruins are 5000 years old based on the date of  stalactites, which is around the same time as the ruins found in Dwaraka.

A similar under water city has now been found under the site of present day Alexandria, the city found by Alexander of Macedonia. The city, dated to around 1000 BCE, seems to be the remains of Rhakotis, a town mentioned in histories, but never found.

As evident from the archaeology at Dwaraka, Mahabalipuram, Yonaguni Jima and Alexandria, there is always some historical basis for certain “mythologies”. Any decent archaeologist would investigate the sites before jumping to conclusions, unless of course they report to Ambika Soni or T  R Baalu.