A rare 11th-century manuscript written in the Tigalari script has been discovered in a temple library in Udupi, Karnataka. The text, titled Stambha-Vigyan, provides detailed technical instructions on the construction of 'anti-seismic' foundations using layers of lead, mercury, and river sand.
Architectural historians noted that the techniques described in the manuscript match the structural elements found in some of the most resilient medieval temples of the Konkan coast. This discovery proves that ancient Indian engineers had developed sophisticated seismic dampening methods to protect monolithic structures from regional geological activity.