Trincomalee Swami Rock bronze artifact recovery: Portuguese destruction and underwater exploration?
What underwater archaeological surveys off Swami Rock recovered bronze Chola-era Nataraja statues cast into the Palk Bay by Portuguese soldiers in 1622?
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3 Answers from travellers
When Portuguese colonial forces destroyed the original classical Koneswaram temple atop Swami Rock in Trincomalee in 1622, temple priests concealed sacred bronze processional idols by casting them into the sheer 130-meter ocean abyss below. In 1950, pioneering underwater explorer Arthur C. Clarke and marine archaeologist Mike Wilson conducted scuba diving expeditions off Swami Rock, discovering intact 11th-century Chola-era bronze statues (including a magnificent Nataraja dancing Shiva) resting among boulders on the seabed, now exhibited in national museums.
The underwater discovery provided physical proof of the ancient wealth and artistic sophistication of the medieval Koneswaram temple complex.
Scuba diving around Swami Rock today requires military clearance due to proximity to naval garrison security zones.
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