A Story by Archaeologist Dr. Anjali Rao

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More about A Story by Archaeologist Dr. Anjali Rao

It was the third day of the dry season when the waterline of Madurai Lake finally fell.
Dr. Anjali Rao stood at the edge of the marshy shore, her gaze fixed on the steaming veil that floated above the surface like a breathing creature. Her shoes sank into the soft mud with every step, but she felt no resistance—only anticipation. In her hands, she held an oiled-covered notebook, the edges of which bore the mark of a life lived. "If she's here," she murmured, "it's today." Madurai Lake had been a still body of water for centuries. Locals spoke of a curse at its bottom. Fishermen avoided the center, and children were warned: If you go too close, the god will look at you. But it was that very gaze that captivated Dr. Rao to southern India. An ancient text, written on palm leaves, which she had found in a monastery near Tiruvannamalai, spoke of a sunken city: Vimana Nagar. A city of golden domes, whose center was said to have been a Vishnu temple as tall as a seven-story tower. The text ended with a sentence: "And when the water holds its breath, the god raises his head."

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