Do you ever go treasure hunting? %page

Do you ever go treasure hunting?

Posted by Sophie Egge on July 2, 2011 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

Treasure worth ‘billions’ found in Hindu temple in southern India A Hindu temple in southern India seems to have delivered the mother lode. Archeologists have reportedly uncovered over $11 billion in treasure at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, according to AFP. The treasure has been found in at least 5 different vaults.

The temple The temple, which is better-known for its intricate sculptures, is located in the Kerala state, near the Southern tip of the country. MSNBC reports that the foundation for the current tower, containing the treasure, was laid in 1566.

The find The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over $11.2 billion, said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India’s richest temples. The find consists of thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones which have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the temple. Apparently, devotees have been donating to the temple for centuries. Among the treasure was what archeologists described to be an 18-foot necklace. Other pieces have included gold, silver, coins, and precious stones.

The last chamber Meantime, the searchers believe that the best may have been saved for last. According to the AFP, researchers are yet to open one secret chamber that hasn’t been opened in 140 years. The exact value of the treasure will be determined after archeologists take a closer look at the find.

Treasure hunting Treasure hunting is a legitimate means of raising money. One just needs to look at the many people who comb beaches the world over with metal detectors searching for objects that beach-goers have lost in the sand. And then there are the archeologists.

The archeologists In recent times, archaeology has included a significant aspect of treasure hunting; Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations at Troy, and later at Mycenae, both turned up significant finds of golden artifacts. Early work in Egyptology also included a similar motive. More recently, most serious treasure hunters have started working underwater, where modern technology allows access to wrecks containing valuables which were previously inaccessible.

Underwater treasure Starting with the diving suit, and moving on through Scuba and later to ROVs, each new generation of technology has made more wrecks accessible. Many of these wrecks have resulted in the treasure salvage of many fascinating artifacts from Spanish treasure fleets as well as many others, including the Titanic and other famous ships.

Buried treasure Buried treasure is an important part of the popular beliefs surrounding pirates and Old West outlaws. According to popular conception, criminals and others often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return for them later, often with the use of treasure maps.

Buried pirate treasure There are a number of reports of supposed buried pirate treasure. For example, some underground passages and structures on Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, have supposedly been excavated extensively since 1795 in the belief that one or more pirate captains had stashed large amounts of loot there. These excavations were said to have been prompted by still older legends of buried pirate treasure in the area. No treasure has ever been found.