Experts survey seabed off Gujarat for Dwarka evidence

New Delhi, Aug 17 : A group of archaeological experts and Indian
Navy divers have conducted the first scientific survey off the
Gujarat coast to establish whether or not the ruins on the seabed
are of the mythological city of Dwarka, the capital of Hindu god
Krishna.

"The area off the Samudranaraya temple at (present day) Dwarka is
known to contain structures which have been widely reported and
interpreted by renowned scholars. However, no scientific study of
the area had been conducted so far," Alok Tripathi of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) told reporters here Friday.

"We found building blocks and collected samples. These have been
sent for dating to establish the antiquity of the site," Tripathi,
who is the ASI's only marine archaeologist, added.

A 21-member team conducted the survey in January-February. It
comprised 10 specialists from the ASI and 11 divers of the Indian
Navy. A report on the survey will be presented at a seminar on the
Maritime Heritage of the Indian Ocean here Aug 23-24.

"While the ASI has the requisite data and archaeological expertise,
the Indian Navy has the necessary wherewithal and expertise for
subsurface search, exploration and recovery of artefacts," Rear
Admiral, S.P.S. Cheema, assistant chief of naval staff (Information
Warfare and Operations), explained of the collaboration.

"Before the excavation, naval divers were indoctrinated by ASI
experts on the procedures and method to be followed during the
investigation. These included aspects like documentation, controlled
digging, and the retrieval, packaging and transportation of
samples," Cheema said.

"The idea was to achieve maximum extraction without damaging the
environment," he added.

Before commencing diving operations, a specialised naval
hydrographic team systematically surveyed the area off Dwarka with
the help of multi-beam sonar and side-scan sonar. The navy had
deployed its survey ship INS Nirdeshak for this in November 2006.

"This enabled us generate a 3D model of the seabed so we could
narrow down the area of search. We initially marked out a 200 metre
by 200 metre area and eventually narrowed this down to 50x50 metre
area," Tripathi explained.

This is the third time such a joint operation has been undertaken.
The first was in 2002 off Bagram in the Lakshwadeep Islands in the
Arabian Sea to unearth the remains of the Princess Royal, a British
passenger ship that sank in the 19th century.

In 2005, submerged remains off Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu were
unearthed.

--- IANS