 Shore Temple, rescued from the sea
Mahabalipuram (after the demon king Mahabali) or Mamallapuram (after the Pallava king Mamalla) is a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th century and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The monuments are mostly rock cut and monolithic and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art.
Some important structures
- Arjuna's Penance- relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling stories from Hindu mythology.
- The Shore Temple- a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the Western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.
- Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) - five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula & Sahadeva) and Draupadi.
Recently a major find was made of a large number of underwater ruins, thought to date back to 6000 BC, older than Harappa.
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