India’s Ancient Temples Offer Clues to Earthquake Risks

News July 26, 2016

(Mayank Joshi)
SHARE:
Himalaya earthquake temples
(Mayank Joshi)

HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA—Temples built by the rulers of the Chamba Kingdom between the seventh and eleventh centuries A.D. were analyzed by Mayank Joshi and V.C. Thakur of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in an effort to assess the risk of future earthquakes in the region. Recent catastrophic earthquakes in nearby areas have killed tens of thousands of people, but the town of Chamba was unharmed. Chamba’s ancient buildings, however, do exhibit signs of earthquake damage, including tilted pillars on the Lakshmi Narayan temples and shifted rooftops on the Bharmour temple. “In case of the ground settling, there would not be a preferred orientation. It will be randomly oriented,” Joshi told Live Science. Joshi and Thakur suggest that the damage to the Chamba temples occurred in the 1555 Kashmir earthquake, whose epicenter is thought to be in the Srinagar Valley, some 125 miles away from Chamba. In fact, a temple built in 1762 showed no signs of earthquake damage. “This shows that the area has enough potential to produce great earthquakes similar to [the] 2005 Kashmir earthquake,” Joshi said. To read more about archaeology in India, go to "Oceans of Dharma."

  • Features May/June 2016

    An Overlooked Inca Wonder

    Thousands of aligned holes in Peru’s Pisco Valley have attracted the attention of archaeologists

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Charles Stanish)
  • Letter from Florida May/June 2016

    People of the White Earth

    In Florida’s Panhandle, tribal leaders and archaeologists reach into the past to help preserve a native community’s identity

    Read Article
    (Mike Toner)
  • Artifacts May/June 2016

    Medieval Spoon Finial

    Read Article
    (© Suffolk County Council)
  • Digs & Discoveries May/June 2016

    Dressing for the Ages

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology)