TNSDA completes the first phase of underwater survey off the Poompuhar coast

The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has concluded the archetypal signifier of an underwater archaeological survey disconnected the seashore of Poompuhar successful Mayiladuthurai district.

The past Sangam-era larboard metropolis was erstwhile known arsenic Kaveripoompattinam. The survey was aimed astatine identifying the imaginable archaeological remains submerged successful the Bay of Bengal.

Underwater visibility

R. Sivanantham, Joint Director, TNSDA, said a squad of 10 divers had carried retired the survey, which began connected September 20 and continued for 12 days betwixt 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. “We restricted the cognition to these hours arsenic sunlight is indispensable for underwater visibility and the oversea turns unsmooth successful the evening,” helium said.

The squad surveyed the seabed up to a extent of 23 metres utilizing precocious marine exploration instruments, including a remotely operated vehicle, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and multibeam scanner. These tools helped to representation the water level and observe structural anomalies, helium said.

The survey was conducted with logistics enactment from the section fishermen. The squad enactment retired to oversea connected mechanised boats and past utilized smaller fibre boats to scope survey points. The TNSDA had conducted a 10-day underwater survey astatine Korkai successful Thoothukudi territory successful 2022, utilizing Sagar Tara, a coastal probe vas of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

TNSDA archaeologists and a four-member squad of trained divers from the Indian Maritime University took portion successful the survey, which was carried retired disconnected the seashore betwixt Thirumullaivasal and Neithavasal. Earlier, they had undergone a peculiar grooming programme conducted by a backstage agency. The divers and the experts examined the seabed to place anomalies and find whether they were earthy formations oregon man-made remains linked to the past larboard city.

‘Data being analysed’

Mr. Sivanantham said the squad had traced respective underwater locations identified by seasoned archaeologist S. R. Rao, who had led a akin survey disconnected the Poompuhar seashore astir 3 decades ago. “We are present analysing the information collected during this phase. Owing to oversea conditions, the survey could not beryllium conducted continuously on the full stretch. The section is readying to transportation retired 1 much signifier of exploration erstwhile the conditions are favourable,” helium added.