Mamallapuram
The Mamallapuram is one of the temple city, located at a distance of 60Km, from Chennai in TamilNadu.
History
Mamallapuram is one of the historic city and the UNESCO world Heritage site in India. This place was called the “Land of Seven Pagodas”, by the ancient travelers. This place lies on the Coromandal Coast, which is towards the Bay of Bengal. During the 7th to 10th centuries, at the Pallavas Period, this place was a famous sea port. The Mamallapuram was the second capital of the Pallavas, the Kings of Kanchipuram. This Mamallapuram was known as the Mahabalipuram earlier.
Who had built the Mamallapuram?
The King Narasimhavaraman 1 of the Pallavas Dynasty had built this shore temple. He was the founder of the Mamallapuram in the 7th century AD. The rathas(chariots) and the mandapams(pavilions) are made out of the granite rocks. Then the shore was built from the stones. It is believed that many parts of the Mamallapuram went into the sea, due to some large waves that had hit the shore.
Special Things
This place is best known for the sculptures and rock monuments. The Mahabalipuram Beach, Shore temple, Arjuna’s penance, Thirukadalmallai Perumal Temple, Krishna’s butterball, Crocodile farm, cave temples, India seashell museum and the Mahabalipuram Dance Festival are very popular here.
Other nearby places to visit
The Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Thirukkazhukundram and the Thiruporur Murugan Temple are the other famous sites nearby this place.
Best time to visit
The Dance festival will be held every year, from December month to January month. this program invites the artists from all the parts of the country, which is arranged by the Tourism Department of Tamil Nadu. Then many types of classical dances like the Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchupudi, and the Kathak are performed before the Pallava rock sculpture.
Climate
This place always has the driest and tropical wet climate. The monsoons shed the average rainfall in this place.
Summit
On 12th October 2019, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping met informally at the Mamallapuram. Then both the leaders visited the places like the Pancha Rathas, Shore Temple and the Arjuna’s Penance. They took a snapshot near the Krishna’s butterball.
Transport facilities
To visit the Mamallapuram, you can choose any mode of transport. Many buses are available from Chennai frequently. The Mamallapuram is at a distance of 95Km from Puducherry and 65Km from Kanchipuram, so you choose a road transport. If you wish to travel through the train, the nearest railway station is Chengalpattu. From there, you can take a road transport to reach this site. In Chengalpattu, there are frequent buses, to Mamallapuram. All the trains will stop at the Chengalpattu railway station. Then the nearest Airport is the Chennai Airport only, which is at 52Km from this place. So the visitors coming through the flight, must reach the Chennai International Airport. Then pick a cab to reach the Mamallapuram.
Location: Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu.
Timings: 6.00a.m to 6.00p.m – Open in all the days.
(But timings may occur in different occasions)
Best time for Visit: All holidays
Total Area – The total area covered by the Mamallapuram is 8 Sq.Km.