Mahabalipuram Travel Guide - http://www.ixigo.com/travel-guide/mahabalipuram page 1 It is hard to imagine that this small tourist- Max: Min: Rain: 29.79999923 20.70000076 20.7999992370605 friendly town was once a bustling port- 7060547°C 2939453°C 47mm Mahabalipura capital of the Pallava dynasty, some 1,400 Feb years back. Mammallapuram, or Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen. Mahabalipuram as it was earlier called, was Max: Min: Rain: 15.0mm m 31.70000076 21.70000076 named after ‘Mammala’, a title of King 2939453°C 2939453°C Housing one of the oldest carvings Narasimha Varman I, the Pallava ruler who Mar in granite, this city close to Chennai set up his capital here and established a Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen. centre of sculpture and art in the 7th is popular among tourists and Max: Min: Rain: history buffs alike. Walk between Famous For : Weekend GetawaysCity century CE. The striking feature of the 33.90000152 23.60000038 23.2999992370605 sculpture here is that it is all monolithic — 5878906°C 1469727°C 47mm carved stones and temples and Named after the cruel mythical King giant temples carved from single rocks. The Apr experience the open, fresh air Mahabali who was slayed by Lord Vishnu, town still harbours those fabulous ancient Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen. along sprawling gardens and parks. the city came to prominence with the carved structures, worthy of its UNESCO Max: Min: 26.0°C Rain: 35.70000076 23.7999992370605 Take home souvenirs from a Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th Centuries. World Heritage Site status, and made doubly 293945°C 47mm multitude of shops, hawkers and An archaeologist's delight, this city boasts a atmospheric by its seaside location. May roadside vendors. large collection of ornate stone-carvings, Mammallapuram is also a great destination Hot weather. Carry Light clothes, umbrella. made on uncut rocks, which lay scattered in for a lazy beach holiday, and has all the Max: Min: Rain: 53.0mm the complex and make it seem like an open essential ingredients — sea, sand, sun, 38.09999847 27.39999961 4121094°C 8530273°C museum. Destroyed to a large degree by souvenirs and seafood. There are plenty of soil and wind erosion, the magnificient cheap lodges and hotels, but if you want to Jun Hot weather. Carry Light clothes, umbrella. Shore Temple has been recognised by spoil yourself, then there are many Max: Min: Rain: UNESCO for revival and restoration. The luxurious beach resorts here that you can 37.20000076 26.89999961 87.3000030517578 prominent carvings, carved straight out of check into. 293945°C 8530273°C 1mm stone are Arjuna's Penance, Varaha Caves Jul dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, When To umbrella. Mahishamardini Cave dedicated to Lord Max: Min: 26.0°C Rain: Shiva, Parvati and Garuda from Hindu 35.70000076 108.900001525878 mythology. The Tsunami in 2004 exposed VISIT 293945°C 9mm several submerged temples and a whole Aug new layer to the history of Mahabalipuram. http://www.ixigo.com/weather-in-mahabalipuram-lp-1139151 Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, Take soothing walks amidst green, lush umbrella. Max: Min: 25.5°C Rain: This Pdf and its contents are copyright © parks and enjoy the fresh sea-breeze 2013,ixigo.com, all rights reserved. ixigo logo, the Jan 34.79999923 136.600006103515 character and all other marks displayed herein are 706055°C 62mm registered and/or common law trademarks of coming in from the Bay of Bengal, that runs ixigo.com and/or third parties. Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen. parallel to the city. Sep Mahabalipuram Travel Guide - http://www.ixigo.com/travel-guide/mahabalipuram page 2 Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, umbrella. Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India Max: 34.5°C Min: Rain: India 25.20000076 134.300003051757 Panch Rathas in Mahabalipuram are 2939453°C 8mm stupendous monolith shrines dedicated to Built as a testament to Mamallapuram’s Oct  each of the Pandavas from the epic might as a busy port during the times of Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, saga of Mahabharata. Created by the umbrella. Pallava king Narasimhavarman, Shore Pallavan kings, King Mahendravarman and Max: 32.0°C Min: Rain: 336.5mm Temple in Mahabalipuram, is one of India’s 24.29999923 King Narasimhavarman, his son, and 7060547°C oldest structural stone temples. Built in the labelled World Heritage site, each shrine 8th century out of massive slabs of granite, Nov here has been carved out of a single block of the temple is really a religious complex Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, pink granite and intricately sculpted into umbrella. housing three temples, situated on the existence. Standing here since the 7th Max: Min: Rain: 374.0mm coastline of the Bay of Bengal. 30.10000038 22.89999961 century A.D., and having weathered the 1469727°C 8530273°C Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram houses the wrath of nature and time over the years, the main shrine, which is a five-storied temple Dec Rathas, though appearing slightly dedicated to Lord Shiva. In between the Pleasant weather. Carry Light woollen, unfinished, are grand exemplars of Pallavan umbrella. main temple and the other smaller temple rock-cut architectural style.  Max: Min: Rain: 152.5mm dedicated to Lord Shiva as well, is the shrine 29.20000076 21.29999923 2939453°C 7060547°C dedicated to Lord Vishnu, represented in his reclining form. The entire complex and the Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India temples themselves are glorious exemplars What To of Dravidian architectural style and are As you enter the complex of replete with incredible ornamentation, Quintessentially an Indian aspect, there is a Panch Rathas, Draupadi’s ratha is on you carvings, sculptures and mythical figures. 96 feet long and 43 feet wide humongous SEE right. Shaped like a hut, Draupadi’s ratha is Circling the complex is a wall carved with open air relief in Mahabalipuram, classified 5 Sights also dedicated to Goddess Durga. Next up is images of Yali (mythical tiger like creature), a World Heritage site, with every millimetre http://www.ixigo.com/places-to-visit-see-in-mahabalipuram-lp- Arjuna’s rath, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Varahas (boar) and Nandi, the bull (Lord of the monolithic rock carved intricately with 1139151 Nakula and Sahadev’s rath, in front of Shiva’s mount). scenes and characters that no one has been Arjuna’s, has a number of beautiful, stately 1 Shore Temple able to make up their mind about. Believed sculptures of elephants.  Fittingly, the 2 Pancha Rathas by some to narrate the tale of river Ganges biggest rath is that of Bhima’s. It is descent from heavens, the other humongous and has lion sculptures interpretation leans more towards the story surrounding it and carved on its pillars. of Arjuna’s Penance in Mahabalipuram in Finally, towards one end of the complex is order to seek a boon from Lord Shiva. Yudhistra’s rath, eldest of the Pandavas. 3 Arjuna's Penance Made on a scale of grandeur and symbolic Mahabalipuram Travel Guide - http://www.ixigo.com/travel-guide/mahabalipuram page 3 significance that immediately points to its the 8th century.With its foundation 1st Floor, Grande Bay Resort , Pallavan origins, the relief is divided into two 4 Thirukadalmallai threaded in mythological lores and tales of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India halves by a natural cleft. To the left is the devotional zeal, Thirukadalmallai is disputed figure of a man standing on one mesmerizingly beautiful. Surrounded by a +91-27443060 leg, arms upraised and standing behind him canopy of evergreen shrubs and trees, is Lord Shiva. Considered to be either King casuarinas, there are a number of tiny A fine example of how metropolitanism Bhagiratha doing tapasya to bring River villages settled near the temple where you seems to be catching up with Ganges to Earth or Arjuna doing penance in can pick up unique handicrafts and Mamallapuram where Pallava dynasty still order to seek Pasupata, Lord Shiva’s most antiques. reigns in spirit, L'Attitude 49 is powerful weapon, to fight the epic war of one of the few rare places in Mamallapuram Mahabharata. 5 Varaha Cave Temple Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India where alcohol is on the menu apart from its Surrounding the figure are scenes and excellent, wide range of seafood. depictions of mythological characters, Known to its devotees as Sthalasayana creatures, celestial world with practically life- Perumal Temple, Thirukadalmallai is one of If you think you have had enough of seafood sized bas-reliefs of elephants and their the 108 Divya Desams (108 Vishnu temples for one trip, then take a break only after you calves lyrically carved into the monolithic that find reference in the literary works of have indulged in at Latitude 49. While its rock in immortalized narration. Tamil saints, Azhvars) dedicated to Lord mostly seafood on menu, Latitude 49’s Vishnu in his Sthalasayana Perumal avatar distinguishing factor is the range of ways as well as in his epic avatar, that of Lord and styles seafood is prepared. You will find Arjuna’s Penance in Mahabalipuram is Narasimha, and Mother Shakti in her fishes, prawns, calamari, lobsters and considered the largest open-air bas-relief in Nilamangai Thayaar avatar. Yet another prawns done in thai, chinese, malaysian and the world. Carved on the side of a cliff is an Pallavan architectural marvel, singaporean style, each as delicious as the elaborate depiction of one of the scenes Thiruadalmallai has two separate shrines, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India next with a great view of the sea to whet from the Mahabharata — Arjuna doing one dedicated to Lord Sthalasayana your appetite even more.