Mamallapuram is located 58 kilometers away from Chennai, the capital City of Tamilnadu, India. It is world famous for its historical monuments, built in the reign of Pallava dynasty. The giant open air reliefs, shrines in the form of rathas (chariots) and mandapas are some of the most exciting monuments in this place. Most of these monuments were built by Narasimhavarman, who was also known as Mamalla. Mamallapuram has been declared as one of the World heritage centers by UNESCO.

 

What to see:

Mamallapuram was a port city of the Pallavas in 7th century. It has been an important tourist spot for centuries. You can enjoy an overwhelming view of the turquoise waters of the Bay of Bengal. The rock cut and monolithic monuments in this spot are marvelous and they stand as a great symbol of Dravidian style of architecture.

 

The shore temple is located on the shores of the beach. It is a five storeyed structural temple that was constructed with granite blocks. This temple looks splendid, when the gigantic waves splash on it. It boasts of three shrines; the main one and a small shrine are dedicated to Lord Shiva and the third shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

 

Thirukadalmallai:

Thirukadalmallai is a small temple in Mamallapuram, which has two main shrines for Lord Sthalasayana Perumal (Lord Vishnu) and Nilamangai Thayar (Goddess Earth). You can also find a separate shrine for Lord Narasimha.

 

Descent of Ganges:

Descent of Ganges is one of the most important monuments. It is a giant open air relief that depicts the story of the descent of the Ganga River from the heavens to Earth. Lord Shiva agreed to let the sacred river flow from his hair, after a thousand year penance by Bhagiratha. You can also view the humans, animals and heavenly beings, watching the descent of Ganga in this relief. The rock’s natural fissure serves as the river. This is an amazing example for the imagination power of the sculptors in the Pallava dynasty.

 

Arjuna’s penance:

Arjuna’s Penance is another exquisite open air bas relief monolithic in Mamallapuram. It portrays the story of Arjuna, one of the heroes of the great epic Mahabharatha. Arjuna is standing on one leg, performing penance to receive a boon from Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is giving him Pasupata, the most powerful weapon to help him in fighting the Mahabharatha War.

 

Varaha Cave:

This is another stunning monument in Mamallapuram. It represents the Vamana and Varaha avatars of lord Vishnu. The side walls of the cane have structured panels depicting varaha (Lord Vishnu) holding up Boomidevi (Goddess Earth). In the Mahishasuramardini cave, you can view Goddess Durga killing a buffalo headed demon Mahisha.

 

Pancha rathas:

King Mahendravarman started the construction of the Pancha rathas shrines and they were completed by his son Narasimhavarman. The five rathas shrines are dedicated to Draupadi, Yudhishtra, Bhima, Arjuna and Nakula Sahadeva. These rathas were carved out in different styles. Though these rathas are not assembled, they were carved out of a large single stone. They are the masterpieces of Pallava architecture.

 

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