The tsunami and the Seven Pagodas
When the sea drew back before the tsunami of 26 December 2004, people at Mahabalipuram saw carved rock structures, with animals, appear on the shore, revived the legend of the 'Seven Pagodas', six of them drowned.
2004 CE · 12.62, 80.20 · status: official
The account
Mariners since Marco Polo's time called Mahabalipuram the Seven Pagodas; only the 8th-century Shore Temple stands above water, and local legend says the gods sank the others out of jealousy. The Archaeological Survey of India told reporters the newly exposed pieces seemed to belong to the 7th-century Pallava port. Underwater surveys with navy divers followed in 2005, and earlier work in 2001 had already found walls and pillars offshore. The story is a rare case where a drowned-temple legend met fresh evidence.
The sceptical view
The finds point to a real Pallava port and coastal erosion; claims of a far older drowned civilisation are not supported.