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The Legacy of Pallavas, Mahabalipuram-Part III: Shore Temple The third and last complex we visited at Mahabalipuram was the much acclaimed shore temple. The  shore temple  near the seashore of Mahabalipuram is the most visited amongst the group of monuments in Mahabalipuram. To tell the tales of the past, Shore temple remains as the last living Pagodas of Pallavas  It was built in the early 8 th  century (700-728 AD) by the Pallava king Rajasimha. It is located on the shores of the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The temple resembles the Dharmaraja Ratha in design, but unlike the Rathas this is a structural temple and not a rock-cut monolithic structure. The temple is partially eroded due to the salty winds and closeness to the sea. Shore temple has three shrines, two of which have pyramid shaped gopuras (temple tower) The main shrine of the Shore Temple is a five-storied pyramidal structure 18 m high and sits on a 15 m square platform which fac...

The Legacy of Pallavas, Mahabalipuram-Part II: Caves  and Sculptures The second and the largest complex at the Mahabalipuram hosts many cave temples and bas-reliefs.  The monuments in this complex are scattered across on the hillock and one have to walk for more than a kilometer to cover all the monuments. On a shorter visit, do visit the Mahishasuramardini and Varaha cave temples, Descent of the Ganges and the Krishna Mantapa. "Descent of the Ganges" - largest open-air bas-relief in the world We started with  Olakkannesvara Temple  which is built on top of the Mahishasura mardhini cave, it also served as a light house overlooking the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. During the 7 th  century Mahabalipuram served as a major port for the Pallavas. Olakkannesvara Temple on top of the Mahishasura mardhini cave Mahishasuramardini Mandapa  is a rock-cut cave temple with large exquisitely carved reliefs on its interiors, the prominent ones ...

The Legacy of Pallavas, Mahabalipuram-Part I: Rathas The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram is an UNESCO world heritage site with its monuments spread across three complex within less than 3 km, with an exception of tiger cave about 5 km north of shore temple. Shore temple is located at the seashore while the caves are distributed on the nearby hillock and the Pancha Ratha's about 1 km away. The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram are built by the Pallava kings between 630 and 728 AD using local granite rocks. Apart from the shore Temple, the Pallava period group of monuments at Mahabalipuram are mostly rock-cut structures in the form of Ratha's or Chariots, Caves/Mantapa's, and bas-relief. All of these can be visited in a single day with an entire day to spare. Pancha Pandava Ratha's/Chariots of Mahabalipuram We started with Pancha Rathas or the Five Ratha's.  These Ratha's are monolithic rock-cut monuments carved out of single piece of rock in...

A Gallery of sandstone art at Kailasanathar Temple: The entrance wall of the Kailasanathar temple with independent small shrines Kailasanathar temple is the oldest temple in Kanchipuram. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and was built between 685-705 AD by the Pallava kings in the Dravidian style of architecture. Unlike the Pallava temples at Mahabalipuram, here the Kailasanathar temple is functional. The temple is visited mostly by the tourists mainly for its architectural significance rather than its religious importance. The entire temple complex including the sculptures is built using sandstone, while the temple's foundations are made of local granite, to withstand the weight of the temple. Garbhagriha Mantapa and Vimana of Kailasanathar temple Passage around main shrine Inner court with sub-shrines The entrance wall has eight small shrines and a Gopura. The main shrine rises up in a pyramidal shaped vimana (tower). Pyramidal shaped vimana ...

The abode of trio - Kanchipuram The city of temples Kanchipuram has many popular Hindu temples, among them the prominent ones include the Ekambareswarar temple, Kailasanatha Temple, Kamakshi Amman temple, Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Vaikuntha Perumal Temple, Kachapeshwarar temple and Kumarakottam Temple. All of these temples open early morning around 6am and are closed between 12 pm to 4 pm , further after 4 pm they remain open till 8 pm. So plan your visit accordingly. The three main temples of Kanchipuram - Ekambareswarar Temple, Varadharaja Perumal Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple together is popularly known as Mumurtivasam (abode of trio). Among all the temples in Kanchipuram, the Kailasanatha temple is the most popular for history buffs and art seekers, while Ekambareswarar temple is the largest and is visited by both tourists and pilgrims, the Varadharaja Perumal Temple is most sacred for the Vaishnavites and Kamakshi Amman temple is most visited among the pilgrims. ...