 The temple city Mahabalipuram
is sited at 58 kms from Madras in the south Indian state Tamil Nadu.
The earlier name of Mahabalipuram is Mamallapuram, created during
the reign of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman.
Mahabalipuram was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram,
internationally popular for its Shore temples. Tourists are attracted
to this spot by its miles of unspoiled beach and rock-cut art. It’s
a world-class pilgrimage spot where the carvings depict the gods
and goddesses. Mahabalipuram art can be categorized into four parts:
open air bas - relief, structured temples, man-made caves and Rathas.
Mahabalipuram, placed about 400m from the sea is festooned with
eleven excavated temples, called Mandapas. The tradition, history,
godliness, western annals, of Mahabalipuram puts another signature
to its contemporary belief of a center of tourism. Hence a tour
to Mahabalipuram has come with plethora of Pilgrimage spots in the
form of temples, Mandapas, Rathas or chariots.
Prime Pilgrimage Attractions of Mahabalipuram
The shore temple: Mahabalipuram is the only place
of Tamil Nadu rich with temples having their historical and mythological
significance. The Shore Temple is the extraordinary example, placed
at the margins of Bay of Bengal. There remain three shrines in the
shore temple. The main shrine faces the sea on the east, the gateway,
the fore count and the meeting hall of the temple lays behind the
sanctum. The temple has shrine for both Shiva and Vishnu. The main
sanctum and one of the two minor ones on the west are devoted to
Shiva. The boundary wall has a sequence of Nandi bulls on it.
As the temple existed near the ocean Bay of Bengal, the high tide waves swept
into its walls, and its sculptures have been demolished by the winds and waves
over thirteen centuries. Thus in recent times, stonewall has been included to
protect the shrine from the rising seas and further demolition.
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 Mandapas: The major hill of Mamallapuram is sprinkled
with pillared halls engraved into the rock face.
With their elegant columns and intricate figure sculptures,
these Mandapas are the example to the artistry of the Pallavan rock
cutter. Out of the ten pavilions two are incomplete, and designed
as shrines. The
shallow porticoes are bejeweled with delicate sculptures
of gods, goddesses and legendary figures. The Ganesh
Mandapa is the most active shire whereas the Varaha Mandapa, dedicated
to the two avatars of Vishnu the boar and Vamana the dwarf. Mahishasurmardini
Mandapa and the Panch Pandava Mandapa are the shines
accountable in making the spot a worthwhile travel destination.
Rathas: Out of the eight Rathas five has been
named after Pandava brothers and their shared wife Draupadi. The
name of the largest Ratha is Dharmaraja Ratha followed by other
Rathas as Bhima, Arjuna and Nakula-Sahdeva. The Draupadi Ratha is
the smallest and the charming. All the eight Rathas or Chariots
are monolithic temples having the architectural mystery and a faithful
reproduction of a structure built of wood.
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