Māmallapuram/Mahabalipuram

An hour or two out of Chennai, at the edge of the Bay of Bengal, lie the temples of Mahabalipuram dating back about 1300 years. Mahabalipuram was a port city during the 7^th Century.

Mamallai, with its stone elephant and various temples known as the Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots), is remarkable because each piece of work is carved from a single piece of stone.

Legend has it that there were originally seven temples by the shore but six have been swallowed by the sea. For many years, parts of this temple were buried in the sand. Despite the battering of sea and weather, the beautiful stonework of this ancient masonry temple survives.

One scene, carved as a huge bas-relief in the rocks near Māmallapuram, depicts the descent of the River Ganges from the Himalayas. Dating from the 7^th century AD this carving follows a natural crack in the rock and depicts gods and animals gathered along the sacred river’s path.