In the quiet coastal village of Varuna near the Konkan coast, tales were passed down of a sunken temple beneath the sea—a temple so ancient that even the gods had forgotten its name. The elders called it "Neel Kshetra", the Blue Sanctuary, and warned children never to venture too deep into the waters.
Meera, a marine archaeologist with roots in Varuna, returned to her ancestral village after receiving a letter from her late grandfather. It contained an old, hand-drawn map and a message: “The ocean remembers what the world has forgotten. Find the doorway when the moon bleeds red.”
Intrigued, Meera studied the map. It marked a spot in the sea that locals called Shanti Talaav, a deceptively calm lagoon. Legends said that on certain nights, the water glowed and whispered in a language no one could understand.
On the night of the blood moon, Meera set out with a diving team. As they reached the marked location, strange things began to happen—compasses spun wildly, and radios went silent. Ignoring the warnings, Meera dove into the shimmering waters.
Beneath the surface, visibility was low, but the water pulsed with an unnatural glow. Then she saw it—massive stone pillars half-buried in coral, intricate carvings of unknown deities, and a giant serpent wrapped around the temple dome. The temple gates were sealed shut, but above them was an inscription in an ancient script she’d never seen.
As she approached, the waters grew colder. Her flashlight flickered. Then she heard it—a whisper. Not through her ears, but inside her mind. “You are not the first.”
Panicked, Meera turned back, but the water around her swirled, pulling her toward the temple. Then, a stone door slowly creaked open.
Inside, time seemed frozen. Golden idols untouched by salt or time sat in perfect rows. A massive statue with seven eyes stared down at her, and in its hand, a glowing orb pulsed like a heartbeat.
Meera touched it—and visions flooded her mind. Ancient rituals, a forgotten civilization, and the truth: the temple wasn’t destroyed by the sea. It chose to sink, to guard a secret too powerful for the world above.
She returned to the surface, but when asked, she only said, “There are things beneath that sleep for a reason.”
She never dove again.
But sometimes, on moonlit nights, villagers claim they hear chanting from beneath the waves… and see a faint blue glow where none should be.
But sometimes, on moonlit nights, villagers claim they hear chanting from beneath the waves… and see a faint blue glow where none should be.
One morning, weeks later, a fisherman found a strange object tangled in his net—a piece of black stone etched with glowing blue script, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
That same night, Meera awoke from a dream soaked in sweat. She had seen the statue again—the seven-eyed god—but this time, its eyes were open… and it spoke her name.
In the mirror, her reflection blinked a moment too late.
Far below the waves, deep within the sunken temple, the orb pulsed faster… as if it were waiting for something… or someone.
