They believe the "structures" could be the remains of an ancient and once-flourishing port city in the area housing the famous 1200-year-old rock-hewn temple.

Three pieces of remains, which include a granite lion, were found buried in the sand after the coastline receded in the area following the tsunami. "They could be part of the small seaport city which existed here before water engulfed them. They could be part of a temple or a building. We are investigating," says T. Sathiamoorthy of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Archaeologists say that the stone remains date back to 7th Century A.D. and are nearly 6-feet tall. They have elaborate engravings of the kind that are found in the Mahabalipuram temple. The temple, which is a World Heritage site, represents some of the earliest-known examples of Dravidian architecture dating back to 7th Century A.D.

The monument also has gigantic open air reliefs hewn out from granite.