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Mahabalipuram is a city of state of Tamil Nadu, situated
around 60 Kms from the capital Chennai. Also known as
Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram is a 7th century port city of
the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It is believed
that the city have been named after either the demon king
Mahabali or the Pallava king Mamalla. Several historical
monuments built between 7th century to 9th century stand at
Mahabalipuram, and these has been listed as UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Most of the monuments are rock-cut and
monolithic, which portray the early stages of Dravidian
architecture, in addition Buddhist elements of design
are largely visible. |
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The monuments are comprised of temples
inside the cave,monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted
reliefs and structu01ral temples. The pillars are carved in
Dravidian order, while the sculptures are fine examples of
Pallava art. British traveller J. Goldingham who was told of
the"Seven Pagodas" first of written about Mahabalipuram,
when he visited the place in 1798. Mahabalipuram set on a
rocky surface, between the beach and a lagoon is famous for
its scenic beauty. The town presents a good combination of
history with expanded beaches and fabulous fish and lobster. |
Despite a large number of tourists the environment of the
town is friendly and relaxing. Mahabalipuram is best known
for its series of spectacular rathas and the nicely carved
relief depicting Arjuna's Penance. Tourists visit the town
to enjoy their vacation in its miles of unspoiled beach and
watching rock-cut art. The sculptures of the Mahabalipuram
have are quite interesting because it depict scenes of one's
day-to-day life, instead of depicting gods and goddesses.
Mahabalipuram is a favourite shopping destination for South
Indian Artefacts, both wooden and granite based
Attractions :
Arjuna's Penance - The 27 metres long and 9
metres high, Arjuna's Penance is perhaps one of the
biggest open-air rocksculptures in the world. The
skillfully carved edifice is named after Arjuna, the
Epic hero of the Mahabharata. It is said that the sight
have aroused the curiosity of the animals of the world,
which gathered around the soaking God. Some of the
famous fables from the Hindu Panchatantra books are
depicted here. There are more than 100 images of gods
and flying celestial creatures, birds and animals
including giant elephants, human beings andsaints in
this beautifully sculpted surrounding
Caves Mahabalipuram -TheVaraha
Cave, a small rock-cut mandapam (hall) portrays the
twoAvatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu as Vishnu Varaha
(boar) and VishnuVamana (dwarf). Four panels of the famous
Pallava door keepers are must seeing here. They are in a
mood of contemplative reverie, a lyrical softness and
subtle grace, totally in their respective role as guards
of the gods imposeson them. The Dharmaraja Cave of early
7th century comprises three empty shrines. The
Mahisasurmardini Cave built in mid 17th century has
finebas-reliefs on its panels. The Somaskanda sculpture
depicts peace, power,and wisdom while Lord Vishnu is shown
in a pose of masterpiece of Dhwani (the art of
suggestion). A huge theatrical panel located on the other
sideshows fight of goddess Durga with the demon
Mahishasura. Another rock-cutcave of 7th century called as
Tiger Cave lies 5 km north of Mahabalipuram.
Rathas - Rathas(chariots) are a famous group of
structures, lying amidst Casuarina trees, at the southern
tip of Mahabalipuram. The Pancha Pandava Rathas are five
in number, in which four are carved out of a single rock,
while the fifth on the west is scooped out from a small
rock. They are in different forms like the square Draupadi
and Arjuna Rathas, the linear Bhima Ratha, the taller
Dharamraja Ratha and theapical Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha. In
addition there are Ganesha Ratha and twoPidari Rathas. The
hut-like Draupadi Ratha depicts doorkeepers and Durga with
a worshipper offering his head. The Arjuna Ratha has its
outer walls carved with the most beautiful images of gods
and mortals. The Sahadeva Ratha has a huge monolithic
elephant in front, while the Bhima Ratha has two storeys
and lion-based pillars. The biggest Dharamraja Ratha have
eight panels of massive sculptures, provide the visitor
with insight into the craftsmen's skill.
Krishna Mandapam -The temple is one of the oldest
rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram. The walls of the
temples portray images of pastoral life. One image of
Krishna shows him lifting the Govardhan Hill in his finger
tips to save his people from Indra.
Shore Temple - The Shore Temple situated at the
sea-shore is the ultimate expression of Mahabalipuram. A
Vishnu temple positioned between two Shiva temples
reflects an architectural grandeur. Oneither side of the
temple the sea spreads endlessly. The surrounding wall of
this temple is lined with beautiful sculptures of Nandi,
the bull of Vishnu while the figure of Vishnu is also
present. The Shore Temple is the venue of annual
Mahabalipuram Dance Festival held every year in the month
of January/February every year. In the occasion artists
from all over the country come at a platform to perform.
Nearby Attractions :
Covelong - The beautiful beach resort of
Covelonglies about 19 Kms from Mahabalipuram. This is a
calm fishing village with the remains of a old fort.
Facilities like wind-surfing, swimming and watersports,
attract the tourist to visit here.
Crocodile Bank - Situated around 14 Kms from
Mahabalipuram, the Crocodile Bank lies on the Chennai-Mahabalipuram
road.Founded by an American , Romulus Whitaker in the
year 1976, the number of crocodiles here increased in
its first 15 years from 15 to over 5,000.Nearby the bank
a snake farm stands, where anti-venom is produced
fortreating snakebites.
Kanchipuram -Kanchipuram,also
known as the city of thousand temples, is located 65 Kms
away from Mahabalipuram. In Kanhipuram around 650 stone
inscriptions are present that belong to different dynasties.
The temples here depict the maturity and beauty of Pallava
art. The ornate and often imposing embellishments were built
later by the Chola, Vijayanagara and Chalukyan kings.
Muttukadu - Situated at a distance of 21 Kms from
Madurai, Muttukadu is perfect place for water sports. The
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has a boat
house here. One can enjoy boating,canoeing, kayaking, and
wind-surfing here. The Dakshina Chitra of Madras Craft
Foundation has replica of an old agricultural house of Tamil
Nadu,replica of Kanchipuram weaver's house and replicas of
ancient houses presenting the lifestyle of South India.
Vedanthangal - Vedanthangal is one of the oldest bird
sanctuaries in India, located 53 Kms away from Mahabalipuram.
A large number of birds visit the sanctuary every year. It
is assumed that around 1,00,000 species of bird including
storks, cormorants, darter, egrets and flamingos visit this
sanctuary between October and March.
Accessibility :
Mahabalipuram is easily accessible, both by Road and Rail.
The town has notits own airport, nearest airport is the
Chennai Airport (58 Kms).
Road - Regular bus service is available from Chennai
( 58 Kms), Kanchipuram (65 Kms), Chengalpattu and
Pondicherry.
Rail - The nearest Railway Stations from
Mahabalipuram are Chengalpattu (29 Kms) and Chennai (58 Kms).
From these station you have to take road journey.
Air - Chennai (58 Kms) is the nearest airport with
both domestic and international services. Chennai is
connected with all the major cities in India by several
domestic flights. |
Mahabalipuram
Travel Packages:
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