Using advanced marine LiDAR and sonar, researchers have identified the submerged foundations of an 11th-century temple belonging to the Chera Dynasty off the coast of Vizhinjam. The underwater site consists of a massive granite platform and several scattered pillars that appear to have been part of a significant coastal sanctuary before being lost to rising sea levels or tectonic shifts centuries ago.
Initial underwater photography has captured images of Vatteluttu inscriptions on the granite blocks, which tentatively date the structure to the reign of the later Chera kings. This finding is critical for mapping the ancient maritime landscape of Kerala and provides tangible evidence of the deep-rooted connection between temple architecture and the Indian Ocean trade networks of the medieval period.