"Commencement of the Reservoir, in the Valley of Vehar, Island of Salsette," Illustrated London News, 1856* remnants of a church from around 1550 and artifacts like a statue of Our Lady of Amparo

                                                                  Chapel of Our Lady of Amparo

                                                             Chapel of Our Lady of Amparo 

 

*"Commencement of the Reservoir, in the Valley of Vehar, Island of Salsette," Illustrated London News, 1856*

AI Overview

When the Vehar Lake reservoir project began in the Valley of Vehar on Salsette Island in 1856, historical church and chapel ruins from the 16th-century Portuguese era—including remnants of a church from around 1550 and artifacts like a statue of Our Lady of Amparo—were submerged beneath the new artificial lake. 

History of the Vehar Project and Submersion

The 1856 Engraving: The Illustrated London News published the famous "Commencement of the Reservoir" engraving to mark the ground-breaking led by Lord and Lady Canning and Lord Elphinstone to supply water to Bombay. 
Portuguese Era Relics: The valley previously contained older settlements and religious structures dating back over 375 years to Portuguese rule on Salsette Island. 
Submerged Ruins: Construction of the dam flooded the basin, leaving older church remnants and stone foundations permanently underwater at the lake's bed, which occasionally surface during severe dry spells.