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M. Somasekhar

Hyderabad , Sept. 7

IN an effort to reconstruct the story of civilisation based on the exciting marine archaeological finds in the Gulf of Cambay off the coast of Gujarat, the Department of Ocean Development (DoD) has launched a national mission project with 15-lnstitutes and laboratories pooling their expertise.

The objective was to scientifically establish the antiquity of the marine archaeological site discovered by scientists of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai; and the causes for the disappearance of the civilisation, whether it was sea level rise or a massive earthquake or any other catastrophic events, according to Dr Harsh K. Gupta, Secretary, DoD.

The NIOT scientists cruising in a research vessel to conduct routine pollution studies of the Gulf of Cambay (an arm of the Arabian Sea), about 20 km West of Hazira had stumbled on a treasure trove of marine archaeological artefacts and other remnants like potsherds, hearth pieces, animal bones and human teeth in the sands and silts of the sea bed at about depths of 40 metres.

Analysis of these finds done using a range of scientific methods like carbon dating, thermo luminescence both at Indian and international laboratories has thrown up enough evidence that the undersea structures and the civilisation was about 8000-9000 years from now, Dr Harsh Gupta told Business Line.

He said along a stretch of 9 km, fantastic discoveries of conglomerates (normally found in fresh water) and structures 300 to 400 m on either side were found at depths of 110 m lower than now and at least 23,000 years old as per the Indian glacial history.

The major tasks of the national mission project are to map the entire area on a 1:2000 scale by the end of 2003 and carryout repeat surveys using underwater scans through sound waves, echo sounding and other methods. Since, the currents are high in these waters, there was no possibility of sending a submersible probe, the DoD Secretary said.

The NIOT is co-ordinating the ambitious project with Institutes as the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad; the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa; the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad actively involved.

The NIOT scientists, Dr S. Kathirole, Mr S. Badrinarayanan and Mr D. Venkata Rao, Mr B. Sasisekaran and Mr K.M. Sivakilundu have already concluded that their finds were the first record of possible prehistoric human activity discovered on the seabed at a depth of 20-40 m below the present sea level. Further, they stated that human habitation was present along the then existing river channel, which appears to have been submerged due to sea level rise and earthquake events.

Substantiating these interpretations, Dr Gupta said earthquake impact in the region, especially the 1819 Kutch event which left a 6 m bund structure, 90 km in length, the Bhuj earthquake of 2001 have cause major upheavals under the earth. An earthquake 1,000 years ago has also shown a one-metre upheaval. Similarly paintings at Sundri Fort in Gujarat, which were at 9 m above in 1808, were found to have sunk to 3-4 m height above earth.

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