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Mamallapuram excavations reveal sea port, canals

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI DEC. 30. Ten years of excavation at Mamallapuram has revealed several structures including a sea port and helped in pushing its history back by 700 years, K.T. Narasimhan, Superintending Archaeologist, Temple Survey Project, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has said.

Prior to the excavation, the history of Mamallapuram was restricted only till the eighth century A.D. Mr. Narasimhan, delivering the Rao Bahadur Vemuru Ranganathan Chetty Endowment Lecture, said the excavation was carried out between 1990 and 2000.

The excavation revealed the port and canals to draw water from the sea. With this, ASI was able to conclude that there must have been flourishing activity at Mamallapuram as early as the first century A.D.

Stating that the present location of the Shore Temple must have been a hillock, Mr. Narasimhan said the "original built-up area of the temple still lies buried."

R. Kannan, Commissioner of Agriculture and Museums, said Mr. Narasimhan would lead a nine-member ASI team to conserve the Ta Proh Temple at Sem Reap in Cambodia.

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• Mamallapuram excavations reveal sea port, canals
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