MAHABALIPURAM (Mamallapuram)

Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram is a town in Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu.  It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th centuries, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The religious centre of Mamallapuram was founded by a 7th-century-CE Pallava king, Narasimhavarman, also called Mamalla ("great wrestler"), for whom the town was named.

Mahabalipuram is renowned for its sculpted reliefs, rathas and the magnificent Shore Temple. Among the reliefs, Arjuna's Penance is fascinating. It is a colossal art form, 27 meters long and 9 meters high and is perhaps the world's largest sculpted base. It depicts the descent of the Ganga and scenes form the Panchatantra.

The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art.

Of the nine monolithic temples found in Mahabalipuram, the most important are Five Rathas known after the famous five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata fame. These monuments are carved out a single rock with choice of all known forms of plan and elevations.

How to Reach Mahabalipuram?
 

By Air:
Chennai is the nearest airport, 58 km away and has an international and domestic terminal. Chennai is connected with all the major cities in India through direct flights.

By Road:

Mahabalipuram is connected by road to Chennai, Chegalapattu, Pondicherry, Kanchipuram and other important cities in Tamil Nadu

By train:
The nearest railway stations are Chenglapattu, 29 km  and Chennai which is  58 km away. Chennai connects all major rail junctions in India.

Sightseeing in Mahabalipuram

Thirukadalmallai -  the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.

Descent of the Ganges - a giant open-air bas relief

Arjuna's Penance - relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling an episode from the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata.

Varaha Cave Temple - a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century.

The Shore Temple - a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.

Krishna's Butter Ball - There is a hill slope near the Ganesh Ratha and on it is a huge boulder. This is amazing as it is quite natural. This is known as Krishna’s Butter Ball.

Tiger's Cave - Tiger's Cave is just 4 kilometers off to the main monument complex of the Mahabalipuram beach. The place is actually an open-air theatre, where activities and programs highlighting the cultural heritage of Tamilnadu are held.

Dakshinachitra - A must visit site on the Mahabalipuram beach is Dakshinachitra, a heritage village that is the brainchild of the Ministry of Culture. The village falls to your left when you are coming from Chennai to Mahabalipuram. The place is being developed as a model village that will have dedicated sectors depicting 19th century villages of South India. Everything right from roads to utensils will represent that era. This ambitious project will take years to complete and is currently home to hundreds of artists and masons who are working on this project.

Crocodile Bank is situated barely 14 km from Mahabalipuram on the Chennai-Mahabalipuram road. Set up by an American named Romulus Whitaker in 1976.

Covelong -  this picturesque beach resort is just 19 km from Mahabalipuram.

Distance from Mahabalipuram

Chennai - 54 km

Bangalore - 346 km

Hyderabad - 708 km

Kanchipuram - 60 km

Pondicherry - 99 km

Tamil Nadu Holiday Packages

Royal Tamil Nadu(14 days)	Tamil Nadu with Kerala (21 days)
Tamil Nadu with Karnataka (16 days)	Tamil Nadu Temple Tour (16 days)
Tamil Nadu Cultural Tour (19 days)	Six Abodes of Lord Muruga Tour (7 days)