Mahabalipuram/Mammallapuram - Heritage village by the sea - Part 2

After a beautiful Saturday , set the alarm for 5 AM. Bit difficult for me being an evening person but once done- worth the trouble. Checked the time for sunrise- which was about 6:30 AM. Nice cup of hot  tea made by hubby and I was all set for the day. The target for morning was to capture some sunrise shot...but alas the sun played hide and seek as it was cloudy..so was able to capture some shots only much later. Sharing the morning shots :

So sunrise photography out of the way, the plan was to visit the following in the day:

1. Arjuna's Pennance
2. Krishna's butterball
3. Light house and cave temple
4. Five Rathas

First three are in the same vicinity and can be visited together and later you could target the 5 Rathas.

There is no ticket for first three, but i think the same ticket is usable for both 5 Rathas and Shore temple.

Arjuna's Pennance :

This is an enormous relief made on 2 huge boulders. This qualifies for the biggest open air bas relief in the world. and it is truly mesmerizing. This is 31 m long and 9 m high. The carvings show the  most amazing and natural renditions of animals. It depicts one of the scenes from Mahabharta- Arjuna doing penance to obtain a special weapon for the Kurukshetra war.

Next we headed to Krishna's Butter ball..which for me was surely a photo-op. The butter ball surely defies gravity but if it decides otherwise I would be crushed to a pulp. Reminding me of those toons which show smashed flat on the surface :).

Area around the butter ball :

This is Krishna Mandapam. It has the figure of cow being milked.

From here we headed for the caves and the Lighthouse area:

There are 9 rock cut temples. This cave contrasts the Goddess fighting a demon on one side and Lord Vishnu's sleep on the other.

Last but not the least on the route were the 5 Rathas, Here there are 5 monolithic chariots dedicated to Hindu gods. The five rathas are actually a set of temples or vimanas devoted to the 5 Pandava brothers and their wife Draupadi, each built out of single rock.

The 5 Rathas are set in a sea of sand..adding to the charm of the place. Beautiful journey came to and end and we headed back home.

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

Gol Gumbaz - Bijapur

     While planning my trip to Badami caves I decided I might as well touch upon Bijapur . I mean, whenever one travels in a certain trajectory prudent to visit important places in the vicinity. But "important" is a relative term I realized when I enlightened my husband of my plan. Why the hell do you want to go to Bijapur ? The look in the eyes was as if he is face to face with a deranged woman. I said , I want to see Gol Gumbaz. The look of astonishment changed to one of appreciation and my job was done. So it was decided. We will go to Bijapur after covering Badami.

      But my cocksure   demeanor  crumbed upon entering the city. I mean depreciated and dilapidated are the words which come to my mind. The city literally cries for maintenance. And I was like- this is such an important historical city. So why the neglect? Why don't we pay some attention to our dwindling, crumbling monuments? Sad is the feeling which prevails and stays for at least some days to come till the memory fades to the lower, deeper, (low priority ) recesses of the mind.

     Bijapur is about 120 km from Badami caves.

The city was established in the 10th- 11th C by the Kalyani Chalukyas and was know as Vijaypura (city of victory). This city experienced architectural zenith under the Adil Shahi dynasty.

Bijapur is famous for Gol Gumbaz, Jumma Masjid, Bara Kamaan, Gajanan Temple, Ibrahim Rauza, Taj Bawandi, Methar Mahal, Gagan Mahal, Jala Manzil, Upli Burj etc... Leaving Gol Gumbaz all others are crying for attention and in a state of neglect.

Gol Gumbaz is a Persian word meaning a "round dome". It is the mausoleum of Adil shah, Sultan of Bijapur completed in 1656. It is made out of dark grey basalt. Its vast dome is said to be the second largest dome, unsupported by pillars,in the world after St. Peter's in the Vatican city of Rome.

Running around the inside of the dome is the "Whispering Gallery" where even the softest sound can be heard on the other side of the mausoleum due to the acoustics of the space

Entrance of Gol Gumbaz

Filled with trepidation..there at last!!

I am about to see the acoustic marvel-entrance

Canon outside the museum

Caption board with brief history

Seven stories to be traversed to reach the top of Gol Gumbaz

Inside Gol Gumbaz- Adil Shah's tomb

Seven stories high staircase

view from inside the staircase

Dome from outside

Famous "whispering galllery"

View from the top

The acoustics here are such that even a pin drop can be heard distinctly from a space of 38m  (in the whispering gallery ). A true architectural marvel indeed. Did I mention that the central Dome stands without any pillar support?? Wow..