Places To Visit In Mahabalipuram

Locally referred to as Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram is located at a distance of about 57 km from Chennai. The historical town of Mahabalipuram has made it a distinctive place for itself amongst the most popular tourist destinations in the state of Tamil Nadu. This city is one of the greatest draws for tourists in Tamil Nadu, along with which the beaches in Mahabalipuram are also legendary attractions. Mahabalipuram Beach is one of the renowned beaches that are blessed with breath-taking beauty and jaw-dropping sites.

The Pancha Rathas are single as they are among the earliest shrines of their type in India. From the types of super-structures seen here, it seems quite likely that the artists carried out various experiments with different types of future temple roof plans here. So it is quite possible that when we look at the Pancha Rathas, we are actually looking at an early medieval laboratory field, where artists once experimented with the transition of rock-cut temples to structural ones.

A rock-cut Hindu temple complex, Tiger Cave dates back to the 8th century. It got its name from the 11 tiger carvings around the entrance.

This rock bas-relief was built by king Narasimha I. This rock is shaped like that of a huge wale. The sculpture is carved at the back portion of the whale shaped stone. It measures 27 meters in length and 9 meters in height with a crack in the middle of the rock. Arjuna is the great here of the great epic Mahabharata.

The light house of Mahabalipuram is one among its primary attraction. India’s oldest tower, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava stands next to the lighthouse. The new tower is over a century recent and still stands strong were completed in time period in-between 1887 to 1904. Next to this is India’s oldest tower that is almost of 1400 years old.

Mahabalipuram, the land of temples & mountains, is home to a few rock cut monuments, carved out of pink stone and the Ganesh Ratha is one of the ten Rathas. Back in the day, when Narasimha Varma ruled the dynasty, the temple used to be a Shiva temple, but later the ‘lingam’ was removed and it was then re-discovered as a ‘Ganesh Temple’.

If a historic destination is your thing, then Alamparai Fort near Kadappakkam is a good option. The ruins of the Fort overlook the sea and we think is a perfect day-long trip. Built in the 17th century, this fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from which salt was extracted.

The light house is perhaps the most recent structure in Mahabalipuram/Mamallapuram. It doesn’t belong to the Pallava or Sangam old-fashioned. It belongs to the British period! This light house was built in 1900 and is 26 meters tall.

The Mahishasuramardini cave, also known as the Mahishamardini mandapa, is found at the southern end of the site (known locally as Yamapuri). Excavated on the eastern scarp of a boulder on the main Mamallapuram hill, above it are the ruins of the Olakkannesvara temple.

The temple facade consists of two pillars and two pilasters recessed about 18 inches (46 cm) from the rock front. The pillared platform leads to a mandapa and a sanctum in the rear. The base of the pillar has a molded oma (protecting layer) and adhishthana. Their pedestals are lotus-shaped (padma pithas) and 2 by 2 feet (0.61 m × 0.61 m) square. Above this are seated lion-faced vyalas.