Puhar, The lost town

A prosperous town that had made its way into ancient literature and mythology was engulfed by the huge sea. A tsunami converted the town into ruins. By excavating the ruins, the researchers are now connecting the dots to link up the once exotic city of Poompuhar with the destroyed city of Puhar.

The lost city of Puhar, Image source- Divine Diyaas

<p>India holds a treasure buried inside its cities. Some cities are thriving, while some are lost, but when surveys and excavations are performed, the precious history surfaces. Many thriving cities that bustled have rested under the earth, either by the wrath of nature or by the destruction of humans. Both these circumstances contributed to the fall of a civilization.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>History bears witness that every ancient city that has prospered on the coast has lost itself to the ocean depths. These depths need to be discovered to make the secrets of the lost cities float to the surface.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ca8a5e1f-7fff-694a-64f1-88da86d59cc2" type="null" position="null" reviewer_id="null">&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Located at the mouth of the Kaveri river in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, Kaveri Poompattinam (Puhar) was the ancient port city. This lively city is mentioned in various texts. Starting with Tamil epics of the Sangam literature, such as <em>Silappadikaram</em> and <em>Manimekalai,</em> and moving on to foreign works, such as <em>Periplus of the Erythraean Sea</em>. It mentions the city as the capital of the mighty Cholas. After the Cholas' reign, the Pallavas took charge of the place.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ca8a5e1f-7fff-694a-64f1-88da86d59cc2" type="null" position="null" reviewer_id="null">&nbsp;</span></p><p>There is a tale in the Silappadikaram that revolves around a widow, Kannagi. She loses her husband due to the failed justice at the court of the Pandya King. Devastated by the unfair judgement, she decides to seek revenge. This poetic epic also mentions the city's downfall. It mentions that the city was "swallowed up by the sea" as the king neglected the kingdom after losing his son. Perhaps all this was part of Kannagi's revenge.&nbsp;</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ca8a5e1f-7fff-694a-64f1-88da86d59cc2" type="null" position="null" reviewer_id="null">&nbsp;</span></p><p>According to the poem, the city had everything needed to be a flourishing town. It developed through trade by merchants; large ships carried goods from ports to palaces. It had historic towns, marketplaces, houses, and gardens too. But now, when one walks through the town, one can hardly see any trace of the buzzing city.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to Radhika Seshan, the port city declined after the fall of the Cholas and the rise of the Pallavas. They shifted all the trade to the new capital, from Puhar to Mahabalipuram.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>But it is widely accepted that a tsunami drowned the city to its depths. This tsunami hit Puhar around 300 AD. According to marine archaeologists, this was the result of sediment erosion. The Tamil poem Manimekhalai refers to a tyranny of nature in which it describes how the town of Kveripattinam, or Puhar, was consumed by the sea. Archaeological discoveries of submerged remains of the coast of present-day Poompuhar confirm this occurrence. This tsunami caused the town of Kveripattinam to vanish in 300 AD.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The underwater archaeological excavation in the new Puhar region was led by KV Sondurajan. The research has yielded square coins of copper with the tiger emblem carved on them. It was the regal symbol of the early Cholas. Other discoveries included pieces of vases, typical Roman pottery, and beads made of semiprecious stones. The underwater excavation also discovered some stone structures that suggest an ancient port and temples that were buried about 30 feet in the sea. The crew concluded that it was the ancient city of Puhar.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If we think today, it seems hard to even imagine how a beautiful town became a victim of the wrath of tranquil water. Centuries ago, a city that housed hundreds of inhabitants is sleeping underwater today. However, Puhar's name would always remain glorious in the annals of history.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ca8a5e1f-7fff-694a-64f1-88da86d59cc2" type="null" position="null" reviewer_id="null">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

India holds a treasure buried inside its cities. Some cities are thriving, while some are lost, but when surveys and excavations are performed, the precious history surfaces. Many thriving cities that bustled have rested under the earth, either by the wrath of nature or by the destruction of humans. Both these circumstances contributed to the fall of a civilization.

History bears witness that every ancient city that has prospered on the coast has lost itself to the ocean depths. These depths need to be discovered to make the secrets of the lost cities float to the surface.

Located at the mouth of the Kaveri river in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, Kaveri Poompattinam (Puhar) was the ancient port city. This lively city is mentioned in various texts. Starting with Tamil epics of the Sangam literature, such as Silappadikaram and Manimekalai, and moving on to foreign works, such as Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. It mentions the city as the capital of the mighty Cholas. After the Cholas' reign, the Pallavas took charge of the place.

There is a tale in the Silappadikaram that revolves around a widow, Kannagi. She loses her husband due to the failed justice at the court of the Pandya King. Devastated by the unfair judgement, she decides to seek revenge. This poetic epic also mentions the city's downfall. It mentions that the city was "swallowed up by the sea" as the king neglected the kingdom after losing his son. Perhaps all this was part of Kannagi's revenge.

According to the poem, the city had everything needed to be a flourishing town. It developed through trade by merchants; large ships carried goods from ports to palaces. It had historic towns, marketplaces, houses, and gardens too. But now, when one walks through the town, one can hardly see any trace of the buzzing city.

According to Radhika Seshan, the port city declined after the fall of the Cholas and the rise of the Pallavas. They shifted all the trade to the new capital, from Puhar to Mahabalipuram.

But it is widely accepted that a tsunami drowned the city to its depths. This tsunami hit Puhar around 300 AD. According to marine archaeologists, this was the result of sediment erosion. The Tamil poem Manimekhalai refers to a tyranny of nature in which it describes how the town of Kveripattinam, or Puhar, was consumed by the sea. Archaeological discoveries of submerged remains of the coast of present-day Poompuhar confirm this occurrence. This tsunami caused the town of Kveripattinam to vanish in 300 AD.

The underwater archaeological excavation in the new Puhar region was led by KV Sondurajan. The research has yielded square coins of copper with the tiger emblem carved on them. It was the regal symbol of the early Cholas. Other discoveries included pieces of vases, typical Roman pottery, and beads made of semiprecious stones. The underwater excavation also discovered some stone structures that suggest an ancient port and temples that were buried about 30 feet in the sea. The crew concluded that it was the ancient city of Puhar.

If we think today, it seems hard to even imagine how a beautiful town became a victim of the wrath of tranquil water. Centuries ago, a city that housed hundreds of inhabitants is sleeping underwater today. However, Puhar's name would always remain glorious in the annals of history.