Mahabalipuram - Gheos Worldguide

Mahabalipuram (மகாபலிபுரம்)

The quiet town of Mahabalipuram is famous for its beautiful wind and sea-ravaged shore temples that are included in the UNESCO world heritage list. The temples are some of the most photographed monuments in India and the oldest ones date from the 7th century.

Mahabalipuram was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram, who constructed the temples and decorated them with day-to-day scenes instead of Hindu gods and goddesses. The town is also known as Mamallapuram, as it was named after Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who was also known as Mamalla.

The town's current street plan was laid out in 1827, during the times of the British Raj, but people have been living in the area since at least the 1st century BC.

Points of interest

Arjuna's Penance is a carving on the face of a massive rock, wchich depicts the mythical story of the Ganges River.
The Cave Temples comprise a number of 7th-century temples that were cut out from the rocks. The temples include: the Varaha, Adi Varaha, Krishna, Mahishasuramardini (Durga), Ramanuja, Dharmaraja, Koneri, Kotikaland Panchapandava temples amongst others.
Draupadi's Tank.
Krishna's Butterball is also known as Vaan Irai Kal. It is a huge granite boulder that sits on a short incline on the coast.
The Lighthouse offers excellent views over Mahabalipuram.
There are 8 mandapas (shallow rock-cut halls), as well as rathas (temples in the form of chariots), which is the architectural prototype of all Dravidian temples.
The Olakkanesvara Temple.
Pancha Rathas (Five Rathas) were carved out of a rock-monolith at the end of ther 7th century. Each of the 5 monuments in the Pancha Rathas complex resembles a chariot. The monuments were inscribed into the world heritage list of UNESCO in 1984.
The Shore Temple consists of a complex of temples dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. The complex was built in the 720s. The temple was inscribed into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in 1984.
Thirukadalmallai is also known as the Sthalasayana Perumal Temple. According to religious beliefs, the temple is the birthplace of the Vaishnava Alvar saint Bhoothathalvar.
The Tiger Caves.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Mahabalipuram. The town is located on the Bay of Bengal, 1,755 km south of Delhi.

Images

The Shore Temple ©Ashwin Kumar
The Shore Temple ©Ashwin Kumar