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| The Famous Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram |
Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located right
on the Coromandel Coast next to Bay of Bengal and was a 7th century
port city of the South Indian dynasty of Pallavas. Around 60 Kms south from the
city of Chennai
(Tamil Nadu), this is a perfect weekend getaway with a perfect blend of
history, a beautiful beach and handicraft shops.
History
An 8th century Tamil text described this place
“Kadal Mallai” (Sea
Mountain). Another name
by which Mahabalipuram has been known to Mariners is “Seven Pagodas” alluding
to the seven pagodas that stood on the shore of which only the Shore Temple
survives now. This city was actually the 2nd capital of the Pallavas
and was named after the cruel and arrogant king Mahabali.
During the rule of Pallavas new styles of art and
architecture were pioneered, and it is believed that some areas served as the
school for young sculptors. Hence one can find various artistic and
architectural creations at this site.
Some Interesting Facts
Just before the 2004
Tsunami struck the Indian Ocean, including Bay of Bengal,
the water at Mahabalipuram pulled back exposing a straight row of large rocks.
Soon after the Tsunami and large stone lion emerged that was dated to 7th
century.
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| May have been a community bathing center or a Fountain |
Several search operations conducted by the ASI (Archaeological Survey
of India) and Indian Navy indicated that a large complex of temples were in
Mahabalipuram most of which got submerged in the water due to a Tsunami during
the 13th Century.
How to Reach
Mahabalipuram is very close to Chennai, approx 55 Kms away
from the city and is well connected by road from Chennai. You can also take a
train to Chengalpattu (the nearest railway station) and then take taxis from
there.
We were a group of 4 people and so hired a cab from Chennai that
charged us Rs 2500 for the entire trip.
What to See
After driving for almost 1.5 hrs we finally reached the site.
Surrounded by a beautiful beach, Mahabalipuram is worth seeing. You would me
amazed at the marvel of the sculptors who made this beautiful temple complex in
the absence of many modern tools and techniques.
The Shore
Temple:
The
doors of this temple are locked and one can only peep inside it. The temple is
mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva however; there are some statues of Lord Vishnu
as well.
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| A Carving of Lord Vishnu |
The Shore
Temple is best viewed
from the shores of Mahabalipuram beach. As mentioned earlier, it is the sole
surviving part of the 7 temples famously known as the “Seven Pagodas”, of which 6 have already been engulfed by Tsunamis
in past. As we stood at the site and looked around we realized how lucky we
were to witness this marvelous structure before the Bay of
Bengal swallows this as well.
At the temple complex there were multiple statues of Bulls,
some complete and few incomplete.
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| A Bull |
The monuments at the site are mostly
monolithic rock-cuts.
You can find
several styles of architecture as some monuments are modeled on Buddhist
Viharas while some resemble Dravidian architecture.
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| A Lion carved out of a single rock |
Mahishasurmardhini Cave Temple:
We climbed on top of a small hillock to reach this site.
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| View from Mahishasurmardhini Cave Temple |
You would be tempted
to click photos here as one can get a beautiful overview of the entire
Mahabalipuram site surrounded by the sea from this hillock. This temple is
dedicated to Goddess Durga and has scenes from Vedic Puranas depicted on its mandapam.
The Five Rathas:
These have been carved from single
piece of rocks and have been named on each of the Five Pandavas (Mahabharata).
Arjuna’s Penance: It is World’s largest Bas-relief and
depicts various deities, animals as well as stories from Panchatantra.
After visiting all the monuments at Mahabalipuram, we went
to a nearby cafe and had some refreshments before we could leave. While moving
around in the area, you can also find plenty of Sculpture shops displaying
beautiful carvings out of granite stones.
While our way back home, I was constantly imagining how the
life would have been when this temple complex was alive. The beautiful
carvings, organization of the monuments, the roaring sea behind… I just loved
my rendezvous with History.
