Mamallapuram Travel

This ancient port city was the capital of the Pallava Kings around the seventh and eight centuries. Looking at Mamallapuram one could say that the Pallavas viewed even architecture as selicate sculptures. This town boasts some of the finest rock-cut caves and sculptures in the world. The Shore Temple is an architectual wonder. The sculptures here were created between 600 to 750AD. The rock-cut monuments of Mamallapuram belong to the earliest phase of the Dravidian temple Architecture.

Five Rathas
To the South, a hillock reveals the cave temples. Each of the monolithic ratha or chariot was chiseled out of a single rock and is known otherwise as Pancha Pandava Rathas. Each of the rathas is considered to be prototype in the evolution of Dravidian temple architecture. They are the Draupadi Rratha, dedicated to Durga, Arjuna Ratha with its two-storied pyramidal roof, the Bhima Ratha that replicates to Buddhist Chaitya, the Ratha dedicated To Nakul-Sahadev and the Dharmaraja Ratha which is a square temple with a three storied pyramidal roof. The stone sculptures of Mamallapuram are a part of the World Heritage site.

Arjuna's Penance
It is one of the world's Largest and finest bas-relief measuring 27m x 9m. As we look at this huge whaleback-shaped rock a story unfolds. It depicts Arjuna's petitioning Shiva for the life-giving and mighty river Ganges. On one side are the majestic elephants, a fissure split the sculpture down the middle and other side is filled with celestial beings, men, animals and birds. Arjuna's Penance constitutes a rich and engrossing tale of Hindu mythology.