Cambay Ruins Khambhat and Dwarka

Ancient cities discovered off the coast of Cambay in India demonstrate remarkable building capabilities of an ancient people using giant granite blocks described to be fit together like sugar cubes. Two sites found date as far back as 7,500 BCE with one turning up pre-Harappan artifacts.

Fifteen miles away, the second site known as the lost ruins of Mahabaliipuram, features a completely different architectural style, lacks any sort of artifacts found as the first, and has not revealed any inscriptions to help identify it. Controversy over both sites dismisses the wooden pieces recovered by dredging and claims the pottery shards do not show any signs of being Harappan and that they must be natural formation otherwise known as geofacts. To some, the underwater images of the sites reveal distinct man-made structures believed to be the ancient cities of Khambhat and Dwarka.

There is a legend in ancient Sanskrit texts describing Lord Krishna leaving Earth after a great battle. The city of Dwarka sunk into the sea as part of a curse placed on Krishna for not ending the Kurukshetra war when he had the ability to stop it. Instead, Krishna allowed the Kurukshetra to continue and faced the wrath of Queen Gandhari for the loss of her sons.

Multiple theories propose scientific ways Dwarka submerged into the sea by natural causes. Possibilities include an earthquake that collapsed the ridge and a tsunami aftermath, or ice age melt flooding the city with rising seas. Ancient alien theories suggest UFO's were present during the Kurukshetra war through descriptions in the Mahabharata and sinking cities were a result of the conflict.

Further exploration of the ancient Cambay ruins underwater is necessary to answer the many questions now being asked. Do the megalithic stones show any signs of a seismic event capable of sinking the structures? Finding more evidence will help prove or disprove the likeliness of these two sites being Khambhat and Dwarka, but it's going to require a lot of diving and new technology in order to find out.

Image Credit: "The sacred town and temples of Dwarka", from Grindlay's 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture chiefly on the Western Side of India', London, 1826-30 PD-US