Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
The crowning masterpiece of Mamallapuram’s stonework, this giant relief carving is one of India's greatest ancient artworks. Inscribed on two huge,…
Must-see attractions in Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
At the northern end of the Mamallapuram Hill compound, the Trimurti Cave Temple depicts the Hindu 'trinity' amid guardian figures: Brahma (left), Shiva …
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Huddled together at the southern end of Mamallapuram, the Five Rathas were, astonishingly, all carved from single large rocks. Each of these fine 7th…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Standing like a magnificent fist of rock-cut elegance overlooking the sea, surrounded by gardens and ruined courts, the two-towered Shore Temple…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
This marshy bird sanctuary, 55km southwest of Mamallapuram (an easy day trip), is a spectacular 30-hectare breeding ground for many kinds of waterbirds,…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
At the southern end of the Mamallapuram Hill complex, the Mahishamardini Mandapa is carved from the rock, displaying very fine scenes from the Puranas …
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Home to some of Mamallapuram's most brilliant carvings, the Varaha Mandapa depicts Vishnu's boar avatar, Varaha, lifting the earth out of the oceans (left…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
About 15km west of Mamallapuram is this hilltop temple dedicated to Shiva, reached via approximately 500 steps. According to legend, two vultures (easily…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Just south of the Arjuna's Penance relief carving, the Krisha Mandapa has a fine 16th-century colonnade and contains a famous carving of Krishna…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
You can't miss this enormous boulder (and favourite photo spot), balancing precariously on Mamallapuram Hill, right opposite the compound's northernmost…
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
A beautifully carved throne or seat in the shape of a lion, a little west (uphill) from the Raya Gopura on Mamallapuram Hill.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Similarly sized to Mamallapuram's famous Arjuna's Penance, this unfinished relief carving is just south along West Raja St.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Decorated with lion-shaped pillar bases, the Ganesh Ratha is carved from a single rock and was originally a Shiva shrine.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Accessed via steep, narrow steps, Mamallapuram's lighthouse offers wonderful panoramas.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
South of the Raya Gopura the main Mamallapuram Hill path passes the Ramanuja Mandapa.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Generally thought to be an unfinished gopuram dating from the 16th century.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
This empty cave temple sits south along the road from Arjuna's Penance.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
This unfinished cave temple has just five completed lion columns.
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Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
A 16th- to 17th-century Vishnu temple, behind the bus stand.
