Mahabalipuram
Most of Monuments at Mahabalipuram were built by Pallavas , These are named as UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.
All of these places can be visited in one day and are very close to each other I travelled these places on the first day of my 31 days Tamil Nadu Journey on my Motorcycle .
These are not the all of them but these are the major monuments .
Shore Temple
Shore Temple Was Built By Pallavas Under The Reign Of Narasimhavarman 2 In 8Th Century, It Is One Of The Oldest Rock Cut Stone Temple In South India, It Is Built With Granite.
Shore Temple Is Also Called As Seven Pagodas, As The Temple Looked Like A Pagoda, Ships In That Time Used Them As A Landmark For Navigation.
Temple Is A Combination Of Three Shrines, Main Shrine And Two Small Shrines Dedicated To Lord Shiva And Vishnu.This Temple Complex Was The Last One In Group Of Temples That Seemed To Exist In The Submerged Coastal Line.
Shore Temple Has Been Classified As A Unesco World Heritage Site In 1984 Under The Group Of Monuments In Mahabalipuram.
Mamallapuram Dance Festival Takes Place Every Year During December To January, Dancers Will Be Performing At The Temple.
Temple Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
Entry Fee - 40 Rs - Indians ; 600 Rs - Foreigners ; Video - 25 Rs
Things Photographers Should Know
This Is Unesco World Heritage Site , Most Of The People Visit Mahabalipuram Just For This Place What I Am Trying To Say Is Its Crowded Most Of The Days Especially Weekends , So If You Want To Get Some Wonderful Shots Go Before Everyone Else By Sunrise Or Stay Late Till Evening And Request The Guard To Take Some More Shots .
Sunrise
To Get Inside The Temple You Need To Wait Till The Gate Opens And Take Tickets And Get Verified By Guards But You Can Get The Perfect View Of Sun Rising Above The Temple Tower From The Gate Itself But You Need To Use Zoom Lens 70 - 200 Mm Or 300 Mm.
Sunset
Sun Sets Infront Of The Temple
Temple Complex Has A Pond On The Left Side Of The Temple Which Can Give You Some Good Reflection Shots Of Shore Temple.Although Availability Of Water Is Not Consistent There Is A Chance If It Rains.
Temple Is Surrounded By Walls On Which Nandi’s Are Carved, You Can Get A View Through Entrance From The Opposite Of Temple Entrance.
Descent Of Ganges - Arjuna Penance
1 Km From Shore Temple There Is This Giant A 96 By 43 Feet Open Air Relief Carved On Two Monolithic Rock Boulders With Around 146 Structures.
“ The Panoramic View Of The Life In The Forest Is Aptly Sculptured Here In The Two Large Boulders, The Cleft Between These Two Boulders Is Brilliantly Utilised To Show The Flow Of The River Ganga Which Is Evinced By The Presence Of Nagas And Naginis, The Great Event Of Obtaining The Weapon Pasupatha From Lord Siva By Arjuna, Is Portrayed Here.” - Asi
We Stand On Side Of The Road To See These Rocks We Cannot Go Close To Structures Creating A Steep Well Like Stricture Between People Standing On Road And Structure.
If You Want To Fit The Two Rocks In One Frame You Will Be Needing An Ultra Wide Lens Like 14 Mm.
Timings - 24 Hours Open
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Krishna Mandapam
30 M Walk To The Left Of The Arjuna Penance There Is This Mandapam With 7 Pillars On Each Side With Lion Face Carved On Them Called As Krishna Mandayam.
A Pillared Mandapa With Notable Carvings Inside Are
Sculpted Panels That Bring Out The Story Of Krishna Lifting The Govardhan Hill To Protect People Of Mathura From Heavy Rains And Floods Built In Around 7Th Century Which Was Enclosed Later In 17Th Century By Vijayanagara Empire
Lighting Is Little Bit Low In The Evening But If You Can Be There In Morning Or Afternoon Rocks Are Like Glowing.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Rock Cut Ganesha Temple
100 M Walk To The Right Of The Arjuna Penance, There Is A Small Temple Like Structure Called Ganesha Ratha Which Is Opened Daily And Rituals Are Done In The Morning.
“Monolithic Temple Dedicated To Lord Shiva Which Is Known As Atyantakama Pallavesvaram Later On Temple’s Idol Changed To Ganesha “ - Asi
Temple Is Rectangular In Plan And Carries A Sala Sikhara, There Is Also A Horse Shoe Like Structure On The Sides Of The Ratha.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Varaha Cave Temple
100 M Walk To The Left Of Ganesha Ratha, We Get To See This Rock Cut Architectural Beauty With Carvings Of Lord
Vishnu In The Incarnated Form Of A Varaha Or Boat Lifting Bhudevi, The Mother Earth Goddess From The Sea
And Gajalakshmi Panel Is On Rear Wall Which Represents Lakshmi, The Goddess Of Prosperity
“ Temple Has An Arcade Hall With A Shrine Cut Into A Back Wall, The Shrine Is Projecting Into The Hall, The Facade Is Marked By A Moulded Base, A Stepped Entrance With Balustrade And A Pair Of Pillars With Vyala Base Typical Of An Narasimhavarman Style” - Asi
It's A Small Temple But It's Filled With Architecture And Lighting Are Low To Take The Photos With All The Details.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Unfinished Raya Gopuram
100 M Walk To The Right Of Varaha Cave Temple, We Get To See This Unfinished Raya Gopuram As The Name Suggests It Was Left In The Middle Of The Construction.
“This Is Monument Is An Incomplete Gopuram With A High,Moulded Adhisthana And Door - Jambs Erected Over The Summit Of The Hillock, Possibly Of Vijayanagara Period “ - Asi
There Are Four Pillars With Snakes Carved On Them And Four Other Pillars Carved With Different Structures On Them.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Krishna’s Butter Ball
400 M Walk To Left To Rayagopuram Will Lead Us To Butter Ball, The Interesting Giant Rock Hanging On A Steep Surface.
1908, Governor Of The Madras Arthur Havelock Made An Attempt To Use Seven Elephants To Move Due To Safety Concerns, But It Didn’t Work.
The Boulder Is Bigger And Heavier Than The Monolithic Stones Of Ollantaytambo And Machu Picchu
1969, A Tour Guide Is Said To Credit Its Present Name, Krishna’s Butter Ball To Indira Gandhi Who Was On Tour Of The City
People Do Try To Push The Ball And Take Photographs Here, Its Slippery To Get To Top To Touch The Giant Rock.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Thirumurthi Cave
Triple Celled Rock Cut Shrine With Gopis Churn In Front Of It
There Is A Pair Of Dvarapalakas Guarding The Entrance Of Each Shrine, One On Either Side. Over The Entrance Depicted Are Hara Elements, The One Usually Occurring On The Talas Of Structural Temples. The Northern Most Cell Dedicated To Subrahmanya In The Form Of Brahmasasta, The Central Standing Shiva And The Northern Most To Vishnu.
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
No Entrance Fee Or Camera Fee
Pancha Rathas
Built By Pallavas Under The Reign Of King Mahendravarman 1 And His Son Narasimhavarman 1 In 7Th Century.
These Structures Are Named After The Pancha Pandavas And Their Common Wife Draupadi Of Epic Mahabharatha.
In The Order Of the Size, They Include Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Nakula Sahadeva Ratha, Draupadi Ratha .
Timings - 6 Am To 6 Pm
Entry Fee - 40 Rs - Indians ; Video - 25 Rs
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
