Mahabalipuram City Travel
Guide - Tamil Nadu
General Information Of
Mahabalipuram
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Area 8 sq. km
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Population 13,300
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Altitude Sea level
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Languages Tamil and
English
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Best time to visit October
to March
STD code 04114
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Introduction to city
Mahabalipuram - In Tamil Nadu
A soft pearly light dims the stars and lifts the opaque veil of
darkness from Mahabalipuram and the pyramidal contours of a
diminutive temple swim into view silhouetted against a vast
cathedral sky, like a wondrous unreality spun out of early
morning magic. The colours deepen; the virginal blush of dawn
smears the sky. Delicate skeins of pale gold and searing orange
lie intertwined in intimate embrace across the smudged horizon,
suffusing the idle waters of the Bay of Bengal—an unabashed
foreplay of colours. A thin hot wedge of vivid red emerges out
of the sea, growing every moment into a flaming, pulsating disc
that soon disowns the theatre of its birth. The lone temple,
that guardian of the shore, is a becalmed spectator. It has been
an apathetic witness to this impassioned spectacle every dawn
for the last 1,200 years.
Mahabalipuram (or Mamallapuram, its ancient name) is one of
history’s intriguing enigmas. Situated just 60 km off Chennai on
the Bay of Bengal coast in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu,
Mahabalipuram was a flourishing port town of the Pallava rulers
of South India who chiselled in stone a fabulous open-air museum
of sculptures under the vault of a burning sky. That much is
known. But was this sculptural glorification a king’s fancy? A
celebration of war victories? A queen’s fantasy? No one actually
has any answer. The mystery of Mahabalipuram lingers, unravelled,
but its sculptural extravaganza is a living testament of the
virile artistic temperament of the Pallavas who were
trendsetters in South Indian art.
Sightseeing : Places to visit in destination - Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram with its picturesque location on a rocky outcrop
between the beach and a lagoon is a happy combination of
history, good beaches, hassle-free tourism and fabulous fish and
lobster! Despite the many visitors, drawn by the former Pallava
dynasty town, the place is friendly, relaxed, and the villagers
are remarkably unperturbed by their crowds of visitors.
Mahabalipuram is renowned for its series of charming rathas and
the spectacular carved relief depicting Arjuna’s Penance.
The magnificent Shore Temple, built by king Rajasimha in
the seventh century, is a unique temple that houses the shrines
of both Shiva and Vishnu while the Varaha Cave is a
rock-cut mandapam with two incarnations of Vishnu—Varaha and
Vamana—besides scenes of kings and queens. The Krishna
Mandapam has a bas-relief of Lord Krishna lifting the
Govardhan hill in his fingertips. Other important attractions of
Mahabalipuram include the Mahishasuramardini Cave, Kotikal
Mandapam, Ramanuja Mandapam, and the Dharmaraja Cave.
Mahabalipuram Sightseeing
: Places to visit in destination Mahabalipuram
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Places to visit in the city Mahabalipuram |
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ARJUNA’S PENNACE -
Mahabalipuram
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Arjuna’s Penance, an enormous relief made on two huge
boulders, is the universe itself in stone, throbbing with
a vastness of conception. This colossus of art, 27 metres
long and 9 metres high, is perhaps the world’s largest
bas-relief. The cleft in the rock depicts the descent of
the Ganga, brought to earth by King Bhagiratha to redeem
the cursed souls of his ancestors. The two large elephants
are remarkable for their artistry, and so are the scenes
from the Panchatantra. There is a forest with tribal
people and all forms of animal life, just as they would
appear in their habitat. Women are clothed in an aura of
ineffable grace, a rich inner beauty transfiguring the
plainest of them. The whole scene has a delicate edge of
humour. Juxtaposed against the ascetic is a cat doing
rigorous penance too, eyes firmly shut, even to the
delectable mice scampering around within easy reach. |
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CAVES MAHABALIPURAM -
Mahabalipuram
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The Varaha Cave, a small rock-cut mandapam (hall), is a
faceted and finished gem with two incarnations of Vishnu—Varaha
(boar) and Vamana (dwarf). Particularly noteworthy here
are four panels of the famous Pallava doorkeepers. There
is about them a mood of contemplative reverie, a lyrical
softness and subtle grace totally at variance with the
primordial machismo their role as guards of the gods
imposes on them. The Dharmaraja Cave, built in the early
seventh century, contains three empty shrines. The
Mahisasurmardini Cave (mid-seventh century) has fine
bas-reliefs on its panels of enduring beauty. The
Somaskanda sculpture radiates peace, power, and wisdom
while Lord Vishnu is shown in omniscient repose in a
masterpiece of dhwani (the art of suggestion). On the
opposite side is a huge theatrical panel showing, Goddess
Durga\’s fight with the demon Mahishasura, an episode
culled from the celebrated Sanskrit poem Devi Mahatmya.
About 5 km north of Mahabalipuram is another cave called
Tiger Cave, a rock-cut shrine possibly dating back to 7th
century. |
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RATHAS - Mahabalipuram
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A group of structures lying at the southern extreme of
Mahabalipuram, amidst casuarina trees, are the famous
Rathas (chariots). The Pancha Pandava Rathas, as they are
called, are five in number. Out of these, four are carved
out of a single rock, while the fifth on the west is
scooped out from a small rock. The square Draupadi and
Arjuna Rathas, the linear Bhima Ratha, the taller
Dharamraja Ratha and the apsidal Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha,
constitute the complex.
Besides these, there are the Ganesha Ratha to the north of
the main hill and two Pidari Rathas on the eastern side.
The hut-like Draupadi Ratha sports doorkeepers and Durga
with a worshipper offering his head. The Arjuna Ratha,
facing west, has its outer walls carved with the most
graceful figures of gods and mortals. The Sahadeva Ratha
with a huge monolithic elephant in front; the Bhima Ratha
with its two storeys and lion-based pillars; and, of
course, the Dharamraja Ratha—the biggest and finest of
them all with its eight panels of exquisite
sculptures—provide the visitor with insight into the
craftsmen\’s skill of a time long gone by. |
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KRISHNA MANDAPAM -
Mahabalipuram
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The Krishna Temple is one of the earliest rock-cut temples
of Mahabalipuram. The walls of the temples depict scenes
of pastoral life, one with the image of Krishna lifting
the Govardhan Hill in his fingertips to protect his people
from Indra. |
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SHORE TEMPLE -
Mahabalipuram
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The windswept and surf-beaten Shore Temple, the mute
tireless sentinel of the shore, is the ultimate expression
of Mahabalipuram. A three-in-one abode of God—a Vishnu
temple sandwiched between two Shiva temples—it is a visual
delight, its precincts abounding in architectural
masterpieces. On either side of it the sea spreads,
illimitable and infinite. The compound wall of this temple
is lined with charming sculptures of Nandi the bull while
the figure of Vishnu is present in the sanctum sanctorum.
The Shore Temple forms the backdrop of the Mahabalipuram
Dance Festival celebrated in the month of January/February
every year. This festival is an occasion when artists from
all over the country come together to perform.
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Excursions : Places nearby city
- Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram is a part of the Golden Triangle circuit of South
India along with Chennai and Kanchipuram. As such, it is
generally visited in combination with these two places.
Kanchipuram (65 km) is the synonym for some of India’s
finest silk saris. This dusty, small town, popularly called the
Golden Town of a Thousand Temples, is renowned for the Kamakshi,
Varadarajaswami, and Kailasanathar temples, all more than worthy
of a visit. And about the Kanchi weavers, any ode would fall
short! Vedanthangal is the site of a bird sanctuary, one
of India’s largest, while Covelong is famous for its
golden beach and other historical monuments.
Mahabalipuram Excursion :
Places nearby Mahabalipuram - Tamil Nadu
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Places to visit nearby destination - Mahabalipuram |
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Covelong
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Just 19 kilometres from Mahabalipuram is situated the
picturesque beach resort of Covelong, a quiet fishing
village with the remains of a fort. Facilities for
windsurfing, swimming and water sports are available here.
If you are in Mahabalipuram, don’t miss out on a visit to
this place. |
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Crocodile Bank
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The Crocodile bank is situated barely 14 km from
Mahabalipuram on the Chennai-Mahabalipuram road. Set up by
an American named Romulus Whitaker in 1976, the number of
crocodiles in the bank grew in its first 15 years from
just 15 to over 5,000. Located nearby is a snake farm
where anti-venom is produced for treating snakebites.
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Kanchipuram
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A 65-kilometre stretch of sun-scorched road connects
Mahabalipuram to the fabled city of a thousand temples,
Kanchipuram. There are 650 stone inscriptions in
Kanchipuram belonging to different dynasties. The temples
here reflect the maturity and efflorescence of Pallava art
and the ornate and often imposing embellishments were
produced later by the Chola, Vijayanagara and Chalukyan
kings. There is a solemn grandeur, a grandiosity of vision
and ornamental excess in the temples here. A disembodied
otherworldly stillness impregnates their vast inner
domains where time is a captive fugitive. The
Ekambaranathar temple, the Kailasanatha temple, Sri
Varadaraja temple, Sri Vaikuntaperumal temple… the names
stretch endlessly. The city itself is dedicated to the
presiding deity, Sri Kamakshi (one with eyes of love) at
the Kamakshi temple. In Sanskrit, the word Kanchi denotes
girdle, and poets have allegorically characterized the
city as a girdle to the earth
. And so it was. A seat of learning that attracted
scholars from far-flung corners of the globe. But what has
now girdled the earth is the gold-embroidered Kanchipuram
silk sari that has been for centuries a prized possession
of the South Indian woman. Shops dealing with silk and
cotton saris and material line the main street of the town
and for a demonstration of the skills of the Kanchi
weavers, visit the Weaver’s Service Centre on Railway
Station Road
Kanchipuram is the only city in South India to have played
such a dominant, decisive and continuous role in the
history of the peninsula. At one time, it was the hub of
the empire, of pomp and panoply. Today, it is a small
place that time has forgotten. Royalty abandoned it long
ago and history shifted its allegiance to other more
dramatic arenas. And in the quiet interregnum of the
centuries when life thundered by elsewhere, the ancient
city, wrapped in nostalgia, too proud to change with the
times, withdrew from the mainstream. To become what it is
today. An Arcadian fastness of beauty. A dreamy detachment
and a quaint medievalism, the lasting impression of which
one consigns to memory. |
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Muttukadu
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An ideal place for water sports, Muttukadu is 21 km from
Mahabalipuram. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation (TTDC) has a boathouse here. Visitors can
enjoy boating, canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing. The
Dakshina Chitra of Madras Craft Foundation here has
replica of an old agricultural house of Tamil Nadu,
replica of Kanchipuram weavers house and replicas of
ancient houses presenting the lifestyle of South India.
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Vedanthangal
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Located 53 km from Mahabalipuram, Vedanthangal is one of
the oldest bird sanctuaries in India. The sheer number of
birds that visit this sanctuary is amazing. It is said
that almost 1,00,000 avian species of varied shapes, sizes
and hues—including storks, egrets, cormorants, darter, and
flamingos—visit this sanctuary between October and March.
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