Mahabalipuram/Mammallapuram - Heritage village by the sea - Part 1

                The drive to visit Mahabalipuram arose as the sculptures here are monolithic . This coupled with the fact that it is bang on the Bay of Bengal makes it an irresistible package. This is an ancient seaport named after Mammala, the Pallava ruler who set up his capital here and  created many marvellous monuments with sculptural panels, caves,  monolithic rathas and temples. Sounds enchanting- believe me they are!!

                 This heritage village by the sea is about 330 km from Bangalore- which made it a weekend getaway for me. It can be a day trip for Chennai folks- barely 60 kms away.

                 Started my journey early at about 5:45 am on a Saturday morning. Took the Hoskote- Chittor-Kanchipuram- Chengalpattu route. Traffic was manageable. The road pretty good with only 2 toll stops. There is also an entry fee (Rs 40) at Mahabs (local call it this).
             
                 There are plenty of staying options in this town ranging from budget to high end. First thing I wanted to do is book a hotel room overlooking the sea and eat some lunch.
We found a guest house bang on the sea where the balcony overlooked the sea. They also had a roof top restaurant . The rooms were very basic but clean. Cost was Rs 900 (non-ac) .
               Lunch was simple for me. Some fish curry and rice. chicken roast with potatoes. I skipped the rice (trying to loose some weight!!)

Roof top restaurant

Fresh local produce can be cooked

After getting the room and eating light lunch, the Plan was as follows:

Saturday :  1.  Shore temple visit
                   2. Enjoy the beach in the evening

SHORE TEMPLE : The shore temple is an amazing sight on the edge of the sea where the waves can sweep right in.  It signifies the peak of Pallava art and architecture (Dravadian style). It was built during the reign of Rajasimha in the 7th century AD. This structure is built of stone rather than being cut out of stone (granite) .It is speculated that this temple was created as work of art rather than as a place of worship. The shore temple is listed in the UNESCO world heritage sites of India.

The Tsunami of December 2004 that struck the coastline of Coromandel laid bare an old temple built of granite rocks. This has renewed speculation that Mahabalipuram was a part of the Seven Pagodas described in the diaries of Europeans. As the temple foundation is on hard granite rock it could sustain the Tsunami waves, The groynes erected around the temple area also aided in its protection.

I returned to our guest house and looked forward to enjoying the beach in the evening. We had a cup of tea in our balcony overlooking the sea with Shore temple in the backdrop. By now an amazing breeze was blowing. I felt truly blessed and at total peace with the world (nature has that impact on us)

Following are some shots taken from my balcony and then frolicking on the beach. Also the market in which the guest house was located stored some cotton beach wear, leather footwear, the ubiquitous granite and soapstone artifacts. Could see hoard of foreign tourists far outnumbering Indian- kind of reminded of Mcleodganj/Dharamshala area (HP). 

Guest house details:
Santana Guest House
# 178, Othavadai Street , Fishermen Colony,
Mamallapuram 603104