Mahabalipuram – A superb Weekend getaway

Mahabalipuram also known as Mamallapuram is 60km south off Chennai in Kancheepuram district in Tamilnadu and just a few hours drive from Bangalore.  It makes for a superb weekend destination, with its ancient history and amazing view, this place is full an awe inspiring sight. 

Kancheepuram is on the way to Mahabalipuram, it is known for its temples and most of all the world renowned Kancheevaram saris. It is a petite place with huge and stunning temples and a minimal crowd which come as a welcome relief. The shopkeepers are eager to please you and if you are the six yard fan you will love it. 

Once you reach Mahabalipuram you might want to plan your visits and so that you reach the shore temple around the sunset time. The temple closes at around 6pm and hence the timing has to be perfect. The beach is the next best to visit as it is right next to the shore temple. Along the short walk to the beach it’s a shoppers paradise with a variety of conch shells and jewelry at your fingertips, bargaining is necessary. There is a wide variety of fishes for the sea food lover, all made with the local masalas. The beach is a stretch crowded by shops and people, it’s an experience to wash yourself with the sea water to play along the waves with the temple as your backdrop.

The town in itself doesn’t have much, but there is a wide array of options for the shopping thirsty, Foreigners throng the town and hence a variety of food is available which includes English breakfasts.

The temples are known world over for their monoliths and the intricacy and ingenuity can be witnessed in the variety of the rock cut architecture. The Pallava sensibility is visible in the temples.

There is the Varaha cave, the Mahishasuramardhini cave and the famous Pancha Pandava Rathas which includes the Yudhishtara Ratha , Bhima Ratha , Arjuna Ratha Nakula – Sahadeva ratha and the Draupadi Ratha .

As you engage yourself on the journey you see the Arjunas penance one of the relief carvings. Arjuna’s penance depicted on the bas relief is known for its splendid narrative and its sculptural significance, it is a ‘continuous narrative’ with the story from the one of the greatest epics of all time “Mahabharata”

The visit at last - if possible should be the shore temple with its never changing  appeal the sound of the waves beating against the beach the hustle bustle of the markets nearby , the setting sun , all this and more will help complete the trip. The grandeur of the Pallava kings their artistic bend and perseverance is evident. There is a line of Nandi (vehicle of lord Shiva) along the compound of the temple complex very similar to the Bruhadeshwara temple at Tanjore. The shore temple looks its magnificent best in the setting sun; the color of the sun on the texture of the rock is an almost dreamlike experience.

The shore temple is known to have been reassembled from the sea after it was washed off in the cyclone. The tsunami waves are also known to have brought some of the hidden sculptures to life. Its an experience you are not bound to forget easily.

Getting there -

There are plenty of buses and trains available to Chennai from where one can board a bus to Mahablipuram. If you are driving down in your own transport, it is a pleasant drive to the place from Bangalore, now with the highways maintained, the only painful part will be the Hosur road which you will have to take initially to go via Krishnagiri where you take a turn to the NH46, from there its just one straight road to Chennai. The drive on the whole will take about 6 hours and mainly uneventful, the east coast road is the scenic best and not worth missing, running along the beach, the blue of the sea consumes you even when at a distance, try and plan this stretch at sunrise or sunset just to add a bit more to your trip, a few tender coconut pit stops are needed with the ever rising temperatures as you enter into the Tamil domain. The coconut groves lush and green and the Casuarina trees [known as ‘Chouk Sabuku’ in Tamil] will welcome you into this small, wonder of a town.

Extra Info:

The weather is extreme heat and light cotton clothes advisable.

Carry lots of drinking water.

A quick read on its history will give a better picture.

There are lots of stay options from cheap stay options to the costly places.

Mahabalipuram is about 60 km to the south of Chennai.

The nearest airport is the Chennai airport.