Mahabalipuram: Exhibiting An Open Museum

With a mood of exploring several other prominent destinations in south India, I planned to visit Mahabalipuram. I got into a deluxe coach bus from Chennai (55 km) and reached Mahabalipuram very comfortably in one and a half hour. After a short survey, I booked a room in Golden Sun Hotel & Beach Resort. The three star hotel was built at a prime location offering wonderful views of the Coromandel coastline. This small city in the state of Tamil Nadu, next to the Bay of Bengal, was basically a well established sea port during the 7th and 10th centuries of the Pallava dynasty.

I asked for a guide from the managing authorities of the hotel to explore this beautiful sea-side town. Rajan, the guide, accompanied me throughout my stay in Mahabalipuram. He told me that the city was named after the rude, cruel and arrogant King Mahabali who was killed by Lord Vishnu. He further told me that various new styles of art and architecture were introduced to Mahabalipuram during the rule of the Pallavas. Therefore you can see rock-cut caves and temples in every nook and corner of the city.

Rajan took me to some of the finest monuments and temples that are predominantly monolithic, apart from the beautiful sandy beaches of the city. Krishna Mandapam (a bas relief dedicated to Lord Krishna, notable for its realistic representation), and Arjuna's Penance (world's largest bas relief, containing figures of gods, demigods, men, beasts, birds and almost all of the entire creation) are considered as the major architectural marvels of Mahabalipuram. Besides, you can also treat your senses to the architectural beauty of the Shore Temple (one of the oldest temples constructed in pure Dravidian style, houses shrines for both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu) and the Five Rathas (the five monolithic temples carved out of a single rock, known as the Pancha Pandava Rathas). Tirukalukundram is another famous site for religious minded people. This tourist spot has a Shiva temple situated on the top of the Vedagiri hill. Due to the architectural and heritage values attached to these structures, UNESCO has crowned this historical city as a 'World Heritage Site'.

We also had a few fast food items from the roadside shops. Although the day was tiring, but I was really overwhelmed by visiting the rich heritage of this scenic destination. Rajan asked me to get ready the next morning by 7 am as we were slated to visit Kanchipuram, the land of silk sarees. Kanchipuram (65 km) is popularly known as the 'Golden City of Thousand Temples'. Rajan told me earlier that it would not be convenient to visit all the temples in one day. So, we decided to have glimpses of a few major temples. He took me to the Ekambaranathar temple, the Kailasanatha temple, Sri Varadaraja temple, Sri Vaikuntaperumal temple and the Kamakshi temple. These all temples reflect the world's best architectural patterns, and the maturity and efflorescence of Pallava, Chola, Vijayanagara and Chalukyan art.

While having lunch in a pure vegetarian restaurant, Rajan told me that the city has a flourishing handloom industry. About 75% of Kanchipuram's population is dependent on the Silk Saree industry. He also told me that Kanchipuram organizes a 'Silk Tourism Festival' in the month of October. I bought a few marvellous silk sarees woven from pure mulberry silk in vibrant colors and decorated with fine gold thread (zari) for my mother and granny. It was already 7 pm and we decided to drive back to out hotel in Mahabalipuram. Visiting these two historic places was a true delight to me.