CHENNAI: It was pouring cats, dogs and crocodiles in Chennai. Mobile networks came to a standstill and with that, life itself. Meanwhile, WhatsApp and other paraphernalia are being carpet-bombed with messages asking friends and family to stay safe. Rest assured as it’s highly improbable that anyone would attempt a mission impossible adventure in these circumstances! While we are totally convinced that every year is the worst that the city has ever seen in decades, history proclaims otherwise.
Unapologetic floods and furious storms have wreaked havoc over the centuries, wiping out civilisations and burying cultures. Archaeological excavations beneath serene, plain terrains have unearthed ruined cities that once throbbed with life. The people and the life they lived may have vanished without a trace, but what has remained to tell their stories long after, is the art they left behind.
With barely any written records that have survived, fragments of sculptures and artefacts provide us a glimpse into these dilapidated pasts. Poompuhar, the capital city of the early Chola kings, was a very important port during the Sangam period. Even horses were imported from Arabia through this port! Floods, tsunamis and cyclonic storms eventually took the city off the face of the earth. The city once had beautiful temples with sculptures and stupas of Buddha. Excavations have revealed a Buddha marble paadha (feet) and several coins.
Lothal in Gujarat was another city that was completely destroyed by constant floods and tropical storms. This ancient Harappan city, one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilisation, held on for several years even after the core of the civilisation had been destabilised. It was here that a new style of Harappan art and painting was pioneered. Humans and animals were realistically depicted in their natural environment and artistic imagination seemed to be at its peak until the waters washed it all away.
Most of those in Chennai head out to Mahabalipuram to enjoy a long drive or to take in a quiet evening strolling amidst rock sculptures beside the ocean shores, unaware of the mysteries that this coastal town still holds. Renowned for its temples, sculptures and monuments built by the Pallava dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries, the ancient town was greatly devastated by floods.
Although several edifices, reliefs and sculptures still stand tall, providing visitors with a peek into what was once a glorious period for art and architecture, much of a large complex of temples and other architectural structures lies under the depths of the sea. Following the tsunami in 2004, the recession of the coastline revealed exquisite treasures hitherto hidden under the sea. Not only did the receding waters throw up bronze statues and granite sculptures, but it also cleaned the surfaces of the existing structures by removing the sand that had coated them for centuries.
Places once populated and thriving may have become lost in the sands of time. Perhaps the lack of any written evidence has rendered them forgotten. Yet, time and again, the art that flourished in those abandoned buried ruins emerges from the fury of raging storms as reminders of our evolution.