underwater temples

@ mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram, 60 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu is a 7th century port city of the South Indian Pallava Dynasty. It was named after either the demon king Mahabali, or the Pallava king Mamalla...or maybe both. The shore temple has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As the waves from the December 26, 2004 tsunami gradually receded, the force of the water removed sand deposits that had covered various rocky structures and revealed more carvings of animals, which included an elaborately carved head of an elephant and a horse in flight. 6 other temples still remain underwater.