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Lost Chola Glory Found: Underwater City Discovered Off Poompuhar Coast!
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News18•03-10-2026, 21:07
Lost Chola Glory Found: Underwater City Discovered Off Poompuhar Coast!
- •Ancient building walls, ring wells, and foreign pottery shards discovered 1.8-2.2 km off Poompuhar beach, 10-12 meters deep.
- •Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, Indian Maritime University, and National Institute of Ocean Technology are conducting the deep-sea excavation.
- •Fragments of 'Torpedo Jars' and ring wells (60-65 cm diameter) found, confirming ancient Asian-Western maritime trade.
- •Poompuhar, the ancient Chola capital port, is celebrated in Sangam literature like Silappatikaram and Manimekalai.
- •Evidence from Poompuhar dates back to 316 BCE, confirming ancient Tamil Nadu's global maritime trade connections.
Key Questions Answered
During the deep-sea excavation off the coast of Poompuhar, researchers discovered ancient building walls, ring wells measuring 60 to 65 centimeters in diameter, and foreign pottery shards including famous 'Torpedo Jars' used in ancient maritime trade.
Archaeologists and geologists believe that the ancient port city of Poompuhar gradually submerged into the sea due to a severe marine disaster, tsunami, or continuous coastal erosion.
The discovery of underwater 'Torpedo Jars' and ceramic fragments confirms that ancient Tamil Nadu maintained active global commercial trade networks with West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean countries.
