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 Mamallapuram, situated 58 kms south of
Chennai, is a very important
tourist stop. From the thousand year old lighthouse situated there, one has a breathtaking
view of the turquoise waters of the Bay of Bengal. The lighthouse is not quite as one
would expect. It is built on a little platform beautifully carved, perched on a rocky
elevation where fires used to be lit a long time ago to guide the ships safely to port.
The Shore temple is situated right on the shores of the beach away from the hustle and
bustle of the main area. During high tides, this temple looks majestic with the gigantic
waves crashing on it.
Below this rocky outcrop and
the lighthouse, lies the little village of Mamallapuram. Built between the 8th and 10th
century AD, it was a major sea-port of the great Pallava kings. Mamallapuram is today a
marvellous open air museum displaying all the wealth of the Pallava craftsmanship. It has
rock-cut caves and carvings set amongst the shadycasuarina groves. And a perfect little shore temple, ornaments its
wide sun-drenched beach.
 Perhaps the best known of the rock carvings is the immense
27 metre long and 9 metre wide bas-relief that is sculpted from one rock. It is done in
fascinating detail on a huge whale-back shaped rock. Frozen in stone is the story of the
descent of the river Ganga to the earth. It is after a thousand year penance by
Bhagiratha, that the god Shiva agreed to let the heavenly river flow through his tresses,
so that the world would not be destroyed by its turbulent nature. A
natural
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fissure in the
rock serves as the river, and the emaciated sage Bhagiratha is pictured standing on one
foot, while all of creation - animals, humans and heavenly beings watch the descent of the
Ganga. The panel is sculpted in a vivid and authentic style, and has the power to delight
the viewer even a thousand years after it was carved.At Mamallapuram, one can see the various shapes of the
Dravidian temple as it evolved from the early cave temples to the more elaborate style of
temple architecture. This finally culminated in temples with immense gateways or
gopurams,
courtyards and thousand pillared halls. The five rathas (chariots) in
Mamallapuram represent the five Pandava heroes of Mahabharatha. Carved out in different
styles, four of them have been chiselled out of one immense rock. These rathas are the
masterpieces of the Pallava temple architecture and sculpture. There are nine rock-cut
temples excavated out of huge rocks. One of them dedicated to goddess Durga has carvings
of the goddess killing a buffalo headed demon. In absolute contrast is the Ananthasayana
panel where Lord Vishnu is illustrated as reclining peacefully on the coils of his serpent
throne. A thousand years ago, Mamallapuram was a bustling sea port with ships bringing in
riches from the distant lands. Now we are privileged to have these structures which offer
us an insight into the golden age of the Pallava architecture.
Guided tours are offered by the Tamilnadu
Tourism Development Corporation.
For bookings and other details, contact their head office:
No 25, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Mylapore, Chennai- 600 004.
Phone: 8547344,8547346, 8547335.
You can also visit their web site: www.tamilnadutourism.com
Malini.S
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