Mahabalipuram Beach-Location & Introduction,Hisorty,Major Attraction,How to reach,Hotels

Mahabalipuram Beach-Location & Introduction,Hisorty,Major Attraction,How to reach,Hotels

Location & Introduction:

Place:Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Kanchipuram district, Tamilnadu

Highlight:One of the longest Beach in India and magnificent monuments besides this beach.

Best time to visit:November to February

Mahabalipuram Beach is Dakshinachitra, 28 km from Chennai, a heritage spot with exhibition and workshops of the arts and crafts as well as conventional home architecture and the stage artists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka

The old port town of Mahabalipuram also known as Mamallapuram on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, has a coastline spanning a distance of over 20 km with beautiful beaches. Located 58km from Chennai on the Mahabalipuram road, the golden sandy beach is a picturesque place bounded by the shimmering sea and rolling hills. Identified as the most pristine beaches of Tamil Nadu, the beach attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. The beach is an idle place for sunbathing and lazing around. The sea is rough and swimming is not recommended.

A crocodile farm, Snake venom extracting center, Schools of art and sculpture and a wide choice of resorts along the beach draw holiday-seekers all round the year. Mahabalipuram beaches are a good place for sunbathing and other related activities. The resorts that lay scattered all along the Coromandel offers a range of leisure activities such as diving, wind surfing and motor boating

History:

The temples of Mamallapuram, portraying events described in the Mahabharata, built largely during the reigns of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman, showcase the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural building. The mandapa or pavilions and the rathas or shrines shaped as temple chariots are hewn from the granite rock face, while the famed Shore Temple, erected half a century later, is built from dressed stone. What makes Mamallapuram so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and disseminates. The Shore Temple includes many bas reliefs, including one 100 ft. long and 45 ft. high, carved out of granite

Some important structures include:

• Thirukadalmallai, the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.
• Descent of the Ganges - a giant open-air bas relief
• Arjuna's Penance - relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling an episode from the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata.
• Varaha Cave Temple - a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century.
• The Shore Temple - a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.

Pancha Rathas at Mamallapuram

Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) - five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled — each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.

How to reach Mahabalipuram Beach:

By Air: Chennai (58km) is the adjacent airport with both domestic and international terminus. Chennai is linked with all the major places in India through the numerous domestic flights. International flights operate from a variety of parts of the world to Chennai.

By Rail: The adjoining railway stations are Chengalpattu (29km) and Chennai (58km). From these stations one has to take road journey to reach Mamallapuram.

By Road: Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mamallapuram daily. Tourists can also hire a taxi from Chennai.

Budget Hotels and Resorts in Mahabalipuram, Chennai:

Green Coconut Beach Resort Mahabalipuram

58/1 East Coast Road,

Muttukadu,

Mahabalipuram,

Tamil Nadu,

India.

Airport – 20 kms

KG Emerald Beach Hotel Mahabalipuram

East Coast Road, Mahabalipuram,

Pin - 603104, Tamil Nadu,