Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) – General Information

Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) – General Information

Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is around 60 km south from the city of Chennai. It is an ancient historic town and was a bustling seaport during the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE). Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South East Asia sailed from the seaport of Mahabalipuram.

By the 7th century it was a port city of South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries : rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the Shore Temple, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva. The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet). The modern city of Mahabalipuram was established by the British Raj in 1827.

The total land area is an 8 square kilometers, situated exactly to the mean sea level. The population of this place is 12,000. The climate is moderate and breezy due to the location of the sea close to the land. Tamil and English are the two languages spoken here. There is no specific season for the tourists to visit Mahabalipuram as it can be visited in, at any past of the year. The nearest Airport is in Chennai. The nearest railway is in Chengalpattu and it is well connected by road ways. The (ECR) East coastal road which connects Chennai and Pondicherry passes through this place.

Climate

This city has a tropical climate. In winter, there is much less rainfall than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average annual temperature in Mamallapuram is 28.4 °C. In a year, the average rainfall is 1219 mm. The temperatures are highest on average in May, at around 32.6 °C. In January, the average temperature is 24.3 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year. The variation in the precipitation between the driest and wettest months is 309 mm. The average temperatures vary during the year by 8.3 °C.

History

Megalithic burial urn, cairn circles and jars with burials dating to the very dawn of the Christian era have been discovered near Mamallapuram. The Sangam age poem Perumpanattuppadai relates the rule of King Thondaiman Ilam Thiraiyar at Kanchipuram of the Thondai Nadu port Nirppeyyaru which scholars identify with the present-day Mamallapuram. Chinese coins and Roman coins of Theodosius I in the 4th century CE have been found at Mamallapuram revealing the port as an active hub of global trade in the late classical period.

Two Pallava coins bearing legends read as Srihari and Srinidhi have been found at Mamallapuram. The Pallava kings ruled Mamallapuram from Kanchipuram; the capital of the Pallava dynasty from the 3rd century to 9th century CE, and used the port to launch trade and diplomatic missions to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

An 8th-century Tamil text written by Thirumangai Alvar described this place as Sea Mountain ‘where the ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking laden as they were with wealth, big trunked elephants and gems of nine varieties in heaps’. It is also known by several other names such as Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram. Another name by which Mahabalipuram has been known to mariners, at least since Marco Polo’s time is "Seven Pagodas" alluding to the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram that stood on the shore, of which one, the Shore Temple, survives.

Mamallapuram, the city of Mamalla, is after the title of great Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman-I (AD 630-68). It was a sea-port during the time of Periplus (1st century AD) and Ptolemy (AD 140) and many Indian colonists sailed to South-East Asia through this port town. While there is some evidence of architectural activity going back to the period of Mahendravarman-I (AD 600-30), the father of Mamalla, most of the monuments like rock-cut rathas, sculptured scenes on open rocks like Arjuna's penance, the caves of Govardhanadhari and Mahishasuramardhini, the Jala-Sayana Perumal temple (the sleeping Mahavishnu or Chakrin at the rear part of the Shore temple complex) are attributed to the period of Narasimhavarman-I Mamalla.

Of the nine monolithic temples found in Mahabalipuram, the most important are Five Rathas known after the famous five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata fame. These monuments are carved out a single rock with choice of all known forms of plan and elevations. While the Dharmaraja, Arjuna and Draupadi rathas are square on plan, the Bhima and Ganesa rathas are rectangular and Sahadeva ratha apsidal.

The Draupadi ratha is a simple hut like Kutagara shrine while the Arjuna ratha is a dvitala Vimana with a mukhamandapa. The Bhima ratha is rectangular on plan with a salakara wagon-vaulted roof. The Dharmaraja ratha is a tritala Vimana having functional shrines at all the talas. The Nakula-Sahadeva ratha with an apsidal plan and elevation indicate the experimental tendency of the architect.

Though monolithic sculpturing, both cut-in and cut-out, continued even during later periods (Atiranachanda cave, Pidari rathas and Tiger-cave), the structural architecture was introduced on a grand scale by Pallava Rajasimha (AD 700-28), culminating in erection of the world famous Shore temple. The Shore temple is a complex of three temples, viz, Rajasimhesvara (a small tritala Vimana facing west), the Kshatriyasimhesvara (the larger east facing Vimana) and Narapatisimha Pallava Vishnugriha (an east facing, oblong, flat-roofed mandapa shrine) housing the reclining Vishnu. These shrines are enclosed by two prakara walls with openings constructed in later times. The inner surface of prakara walls once contained panel sculptures which are worn out now.

The notable cave temples here are the Varaha mandapa, Mahishamardini mandapa, Paramesvara Maha varaha Vishnugriha (Adivaraha cave). These are in the Mamalla style while the Atiranachanda caves temples belong to the Mahendra period.

The caves here were once plastered and painted as indicated by the remains. After Rajasimha, there is lull in the architectural activity of the place, save a few additions during late-Pallava and Chola times. The grandiose Vijayanagara phase here is represented by the Raja Gopurams and the Sthala-Sayana temple, juxtaposed to the carved boulder of Arjuna's penance.

Recent excavations to the north and south of the Shore Temple have revealed rock-cut figures representing religious themes of period prior to the construction to the temple. Besides, a monolithic Bhuvaraha, a reclining image of Vishnu, the base of Durga shrine with deer and a square socket possibly to accommodate mahastambha have also been exposed. To the south of the Shore Temple was exposed a stepped Ghat facing the sea.

All but one of the rathas from the first phase of Pallava architecture are modeled on the Buddhist 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 Pallava Mandapa to the similar rock-cut caves of Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves. Referring to Narasimhavarman's victory in AD 642 over the Chalukyan king Pulikesin II, Brown says the Pallava king may have brought the sculptors and artisans back to Kanchi and Mamallapuram as 'spoils of war'.

The fact that different shrines were dedicated to different deities is evidence of an increased sectarianism at the time of their construction. A bas-relief on a sculpted cliff has an image of Shiva and a shrine dedicated to Vishnu, indicating the growing importance of these Sangam period deities and a weakening of the roles of Vedic gods such as Indra and Soma.

Landmarks

The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture where in 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. They are located in the side of the cliffs near India's Bay of Bengal.

It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style. These five Rathas were all carved out of a single piece of granite in situ. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture made out of sandstone, which is softer than granite, under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve. The carving at Mahabalipuram must have required hundreds of highly skilled sculptors.

In 2004 the Indian Ocean Tsunami washed away tons of coastal sand exposing structures including a granite lion and an elephant relief. 

Some important structures include:

Thirukadalmallai, temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.

Descent of the Ganges or Bagiratha's Penance – a giant open-air bas relief

Varaha Cave Temple – a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century.

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.

Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled – each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.

Light House, built in 1894.

Demography

As of 2001 India census, Mahabalipuram had a population of 12,345. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mahabalipuram has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 66%. In Mahabalipuram, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Entry

Open from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Entrance Fee:

Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 10 per head.

Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head

(Children up to 15 years free)

Activities

·    Bike trips around Tamil Nadu's countryside can be organized by travel agencies in the town.

·        Chill on the sandy beach

·        Boat rides to in the Bay of Bengal with life guards.

·        Fishing trips to the sea.

·        Turtle walk at the sea shore.

·        Trekking to a nearby hill.

·   The prices for the above activities are slightly more than what it should have been. For example, boat ride with life guards for 45 minutes is Rs. 280/- per head.

·        Several Yoga camps are organized on a daily basis.

·    Solaman at Sakthi Yoga offers 1-1/2 hour drop-in classes for Rs 150 per person. Classes are offered three times a day: 7:00, 9:00 and 16:00.

·     Mamallapuram is known for its orphanages which often invite tourists to visit them (and donate). Many of them are affiliated to religious missions. So please be aware of this and enquire before donating.

·    Learn how to surf with MUMU Surf School in Mahabalipuram. If you are looking for an adventure in the Bay of Bengal

·     Stone carving Local sculptures in the main street leading to the sea (after the Tina Shell View Lodge) teach stone carving. You will learn how to sculpt a simple locket, and the longer you'll stay the more complicated things you'll be able to do. For a simple locket at least 5 hours are needed. For 100 Rs. a day you can learn/work as long as you like every day.

·    Stone sculptures made by local artists. You can see them on their work (and also learn it yourself). You can save a lot of money if you buy sculptures in small side roads and not in the main road.

Eat Outs

There are lots of food stands in the centre serving large portions for next-to-nothing prices. Look specifically at the road leading down the Shore Temple from the bus stop, early in the morning at breakfast time. Clustered around Othavadai Street and Othavadai Cross are restaurants catering primarily to tourists, which serve generally undistinguished Western food. Your best bet is often fresh grilled fish (which you can usually select yourself) served with French fries or salad.

Mamallapuram is famous for its coconuts, which are available from hawkers around all major sites.

Many restaurants serve beer though it may not be on the menu. Prices are generally 150INR per bottle, usually Kingfisher but sometimes 'Bullet' (slightly higher alcohol content).

Stay safe
India's one of nuclear reactor and much of its nuclear research program is just down the beach in Kalpakkam. Don't wander into restricted areas. Most restaurants close by 11PM and the town is basically dead post that. Loitering around very late at night is not too safe. Be careful while getting into the sea. There are sudden dips and the sea gets very rough and unsafe often.