Shore Temple Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram - The Official UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India- Visit, Travel Guide

Shore Temple Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram – The Official UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India- Visit, Travel Guide

– pallava dynasty architectural tour photo coverage

CasualWalker’s Rating for Shore Temple Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram :

8.9 – Great / Excellent

The Shore Temple, from the name itself the temple lies on the shore of the mahabalipuram beach. The temple is a standing testimonial to the majestic heritage of India and is one among the numerous “Heritage Sites” in the world as classified as UNESCO. The architectural creations were initiated by the King Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty in mid-7th century starting with the Cave temples and the monolithic Rathas. The architecture of the Shore Temple was continued by the Cholas (in the temples that they built) who ruled after defeating the Pallavas. The temple is with three shrines is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The temple is a combination of three shrines.

The entire structure of the temple with several sculptures and carvings explain the art work of Pallava dynasty. The temple is made of 2 small structures. Architecture is ancient and seemed as it left incomplete before it got buried under sand. And so it is no more living temple. This structure has withstood the ravages of time and still stands. The cool proximity to the beach adds to the serenity and the surroundings have a nice view of the beach just behind the temple. Overall it’s a pleasant place to spend some time.

The Tsunami of 2004 struck this coastline of the temple and the surroundings, the shore temple wasn’t badly damaged and the maintenance also considerably improved after tsunami. In recent a stone wall has been constructed to protect the shrine from further sea erosion. The unique feature of the temple is whereas viewing from north end the temple seems like a replication of “Dharmaraja Ratha”, which adds in explaining art and structural work of Dravidian Architecture, keeps additional attention-grabbing and enthralled in gaining information of our ancient architecture.

The Mamallapuram Dance Festival “Indian Dance Festival” is held every year during Dec-Jan organized by Tamilnadu Tourism Department. It’s a one month long festival, one must visit at this time to witness the enormous all types of Indian dances on the backdrop of Pallavas sculptures.

Update:

This historical coastal town of Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram is planned to host Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and China President Mr. Xi Jinping meeting in 2019 October 11 and 13.

Travel Tips for Shore Temple:

Address: Mahabalipuram, Chennai, Tamilnadu.
Date built: 700–728
Creator: Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty.
Visiting Hours: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Entry Fee: Indians: INR 10, Foreigners: INR 340, Children (below 15 years): Free

How To Reach Shore Temple:

Easily Reachable at a distance of 5 Kms from Mahabalipuram.

Through Roadways: Mahabalipuram Town is well connected to the cities in and around the region including Chennai via both private tourist buses (that operate from Chennai Central) as well as Tamil Nadu Public Transport bus services. Mahabalipuram is connected by a number of interconnecting roadways to Chennai, Chengalpattu, Pondicherry and Kanchipuram. You can take a bus to Mahabalipuram from Kanchipuram, Pondicherry and other nearby tourist areas. Once you reach Mahabalipuram you can easily walk or cycle your way through the small town.

Through Railways: Chengalpattu Junction railway station ( Station Code CGL) is of 22 kms is the nearest railway station. It connects Chennai and various parts of Tamil Nadu by express and mail trains. On arrival at the station, one can hire a cab to travel a distance of around 29 km to reach Mamallapuram.However, Chennai railhead (60 kms) is the nearest major station having trains to Mahabalipuram from major cities of India like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Through Airways: Chennai International Airport (Code MAA). Chennai Airport (52 kms) is the nearest airport to Mahabalipuram, which is well connected to all major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata.

Check out and enjoy my photo captures of Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram:

View Photos : Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Also check out More Interesting Photo captures in Mamallapuram:

Pallava kingdom’s Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram – The Official UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India- Visit, Travel Guide (Part 2)

Pallava kingdom’s Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram Pallava kingdom’s Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram – The Official UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India- Visit, Travel Guide (Part 3)