Travel Portal India -» Religious Places in India -» Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

Globally renown for its shore temples, Mahabalipuramwas the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. 58 kilometres from Madras on the Bay of Bengal, this tinysea - side village of Mahabalipuram, is set in a boulder - strewn landscape. Tourists are drawn to this place by its miles of unspoiled beachand rock-cut art. The sculpture, here, is particularly interesting because it shows scenes of day-to- day life, in contrast with the rest of the state of TamilNadu, where the carvings generally depict gods and goddesses

Mahabalipuram art can be divided intofour categories : open air bas - relief, structured temples, man-made caves and rathas ('chariots' carved from single boulders, to resembletemples or chariots used in temple processions).The famous Arjuna's Penance and the Krishna Mandapa, adorn massive rocksnear the centre of the village. The beautiful Shore Temple towers over the waves, behind a protective breakwater. Sixteen man-made caves in different stages of completionare also seen, scattered through the area.

History
The temples of Mamallapuram, builtlargely during the reigns of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman, showcase the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural building. The mandapas or pavilions and the rathas or shrines shaped as temple chariots are hewn from the granite rock face, while the famed ShoreTemple, erected half a century later,is built from dressed what makes Mamallapuram so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and disseminates.

All but one of the rathas from the firstphase of Pallava architecture are modelled on the Budhist viharas or monasteries and chaitya halls with several cells arranged around a courtyard. Art historian Percy Brown, in fact, traces the possible roots of the Pallavan Mandapas to the similar rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora. Referringto Narasimhavarman's victory in AD 642 over the Chalukyan king Pulakesin II, Brown says the Pallavan king may have brought the sculptors and artisans back to Kanchi and Mamallapuram as 'spoils of war'.

Temples in Mahabalipuram
There are, or rather were, two low hills inMahabalipuram, about 400m from the sea. In the larger one, on both sides, there are eleven excavated temples, called Mandapas, two "open air bas reliefs", one of which is unfinished, and a third enclosed one. Out of a big rock standing free nearby there is a "cut out" temple, called a "Ratha". This type is unique to Mahabalipuram.

Out of the other hill, much smaller and standing about 200m to the south, are fashioned five more rathas, and three big sculptures of a Nandi, a Loin and an Elephant. On the top of the biggerhill there is a structural temple, and a little distance the magnificent beginnings of a Vijayanagar Gopura and also survivals of what is believed to be a palace.

• Shore Temple
  Perched on a rocky outcrop, it presides overthe shoreline, serving, as Percy Brown puts its, 'a landmark by day and a beacon by night'. Designed to catch the first rays of the rising sun and to illuminate the waters after dark, the temple ended up with an unusual lay-out. As the main shrine faces the sea onthe east, the gateway, the fore count and the assembly hall of the Shore Temple all lie behind the sanctum.
  
  Unusual, too, is the fact that the temple has shrine to bothShiva and Vishnu. The main sanctum and one of the two lesser ones on the west are dedicated to Shiva. The enclosing wall has a series of Nandi bulls on it.
  
  Interconnected cisterns around the temple meant thatthe sea could be let in to transform the temple into a water shrine. But, in recent times, a stone wall as been added to protect the shrine from the rising seas and further erosion.
  
  
• Rathas
  The eight rathas are monolithic templesfashioned as chariots. They remain an architectural mystery, for each is apparently a faithful reproduction of a structure built of wood. In fact, even the grain of the timber beams and rafters has been simulated in stone.
  
  Of the eight rathas, five have been namedfor the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata, and their shared wife, Draupadi. The largest is the Dharmaraja ratha and it sets the tone for the others. Modelled on a Buddhist vihara or monastery, it sports a square hall topped by a vaulting roof. The Bhima, Arjuna and Nakula-Sahdeva rathas are lesser copies of the Dharmaraja ratha.
  
  The Draupadi ratha is the smallest and thequaintest. It is simple structure, fashioned as a thatched hut borned on the backs of elephants and lions. It was probably the fascimile of a portable village shrine.
  
  The fact that many of the temples andsculptures of Mamallapuram are unfinished, points to the sudden withdrawal of patronage from rock-cut temples when King Rajasimhavarman came to power.

How to get there

• Air
  Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport with both domestic and international terminus. Chennai is connected with all the major places in India through the numerous domestic flights. International flights operate from various parts of the world to Chennai.
• Rail
  The nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km). From these stations one has to take road to reach the Mahabalipuram.
• Road
  Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily. The road to Mahabalipuram is good. Tourists can also hire a taxi from Chennai.

Mahabalipuram, Religious Places in India Reservation Form

* Represents Compulsory Fields * Name : * Phone: (Include   Country/Area Code) * Traveller's Country : * E-Mail Address : * Tentative Date of Travel: Duration of Travel in India(Approx.): * Tour Budget per person : Select USD 50-74 Person/Day USD 75-124 Person/Day USD 125-174 Person/Day USD 175-224 Person/Day USD 225+ Person/Day No. of People Travelling: 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Adult      00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Children Special Interest if any : Detail of tour