M A H A B A L I P U R A M
Location : Located
in Tamilnadu, far from Chennai(58 kms)
Area :
8 sq. kms.
Population : Approx.
12,049.
Tourist Spot »
From Mahabalipuram
All the below are located between 5 to
15 kms
 Shore
Temple
Mandapas
Rathas
Light
House
Big
Stone
Beach
|
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How to reach Mahabalipuram
?
: Roadway :
Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu
and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily. The road to Mahabalipuram
is good. Tourists can also hire a taxi from Chennai.
: Railway :
The nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu (29 km)
and Chennai (58 km). From these stations one has to take
road to reach the Mahabalipuram.
: Airway :
Chennai (58 km) is the nearest airport with both domestic
and international terminus. Chennai is connected with
all the major places in India through the numerous domestic
flights. International flights operate from various parts
of the world to Chennai.
History of Mahabalipuram
The temples of Mamallapuram, built largely during the
reigns of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman,
showcase the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural
building. The mandapas or pavilions and the rathas or
shrines shaped as temple chariots are hewn from the granite
rock face, while the famed Shore Temple, erected half
a century later, is built from dressed what makes Mamallapuram
so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and
disseminates.
All but one of the rathas from the first phase
of Pallava architecture are modelled on the Budhist
viharas or monasteries and chaitya halls with several
cells arranged around a courtyard. Art historian Percy
Brown, in fact, traces the possible roots of the Pallavan
Mandapas to the similar rock-cut caves of Ajanta and
Ellora. Referring to Narasimhavarman's victory in AD
642 over the Chalukyan king Pulakesin II, Brown says
the Pallavan king may have brought the sculptors and
artisans back to Kanchi and Mamallapuram as 'spoils
of war'. |
