Mahabalipuram – The Most Visited Tourist Destination in the Golden Triangle

Just sixty kilometres away from the city of Chennai located the popular historic town of Mahabalipuram. You must have heard this name before because it is one of the most visited destinations on the Coromandel Coast line in Tamil Nadu. The town got its name Mahabalipuram from a previous informal name that was used by the people living here and it was Mamallapuram. It is located in famous Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu state of India. It is again officially renamed Mamallapuram.Situated on an elevation of 12 metres this city belonged to the seventh century. During that time it was a glorified port city with global trade channels in South India. The maximum development of Mahabalipuram took place under the dynasty of Pallavas from Dravidian civilization who gave this small town a lot of splendid monuments in the form of temples, Rathas (chariots), mandapas, chatyas, etc. all decorated with intricate carvings. Let me tell you a brief on how this place got its previous name. During the time of seventh century Pallava King Narasimhavarman I wrestling became the favourite sport of people and the king himself was nicknamed Maha- malla which means great wrestler.Thus the town got its local name as Mahamallapuram. This town crowned with most of its magnificent stone sculptures in the form of excellent monuments during seventh, eighth and ninth centuries when Pallava regime contributed in vast development of the town. That was the only time before 1827 when the town of Mahabalipuram flourished. Though Pallavas made this place their second capital and ruled here from Kancheepuram from third century to ninth century. The several monuments built here during that period gave the town a significant place in the history of South India and thus it is declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.There were seven Pagodas once in Mahabalipuram among which just one is still standing and the rest of them were gone or destroyed or demolished in the history. The one Pagoda that is still here at the sea shore is known as the Shore Temple. This is the biggest attraction Mahabalipuram. The monuments built here have the scenes from Mahabharata carved on them beautifully and in details. The maximum architecture of this place was created during the time of Pallava King Narsimhavarman who was a great warrior and his successor Rajasimhavarman.What to see here?

• Excellent rock cut monolithic structures of ancient period
• Dravidian style architecture with Buddhist elements
• Cave temples, monolithic chariots (Pancha Rathas in granite)
• Beautifully carved structural temples
• Dravidian style pillars showing Pallavas’art love
• Thirukadalmallai temple with main deity Vishnu
• Descent of the Ganges which is an open air bas relief 
• Varaha Cave temple which is a small rock temple of 7th century
• The beautiful Shore temple along the Bay of Bengal
• Serene silvery expanse of white sandy beaches 

It is said that for creating such master pieces of architecture hundreds of highly skilled workers would have worked for years. Thus we can understand that this place must had been an art dominated or art loving area of that time when people respected art to that level.The historic monuments are not the only attraction in this place but the tranquil white sandy beaches are another crowd puller here. So the natural beauty with excellent backdrop of silvery beaches and centuries old heritage can make your visit worthwhile. Shopping is another excursion in the area. Handmade crafts can be purchased from local shops as a remembrance of this outstanding place.Best time to visit MahamallapuramBetween October and March is good time to explore this place because in summers temperature is 210c to 410c which is very hot while in winters it is 170c to 330c. Thus winter is comfortable to move around.How to reach here and travel within the town?Government bus services can be used to reach here. Buses ply from Chennai, Bangaluru and Madurai to Mahabalipuram. It costs quite reasonable. Taxi or cab service can be hired from Chennai but it will cost you around Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000. Alternatively you can rent a motorbike from Mahabalipuram itself to roam around to explore the city. It will cost you Rs. 300 to Rs. 350 depending on your choice of vehicle. And the last but the best way is to explore the city on foort as it is not a very big city and the tourist sites are not very far from each other. You can also enjoy the scenic beauty of the place if opting to roam around on foot.RUCHI MAHAJANзайм на карту без отказов круглосуточновзять кредит онлайн