Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram
—  town  —
View of Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram / Mamallapuram
Mahabalipuram Location of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and India
Coordinates	12°38′N 80°10′E / 12.63°N 80.17°E / 12.63; 80.17Coordinates: 12°38′N 80°10′E / 12.63°N 80.17°E / 12.63; 80.17
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District(s)	Kancheepuram
Population	12,049 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 12 metres (39 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 603104 • Telephone • +91-44

Mahabalipuram, derived from 'Mamallapuram' (Tamil: மாமல்லபுரம்) is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet).

Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The name Mamallapuram is believed to have been given after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who took on the epithet Maha-malla (great wrestler), as the favourite sport of the Pallavas was wrestling. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th centuries, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

Megalithic burial urns, cairn circles and jars with burials dating to the very dawn of the Christian era have been discovered near Mamallapuram. The Sangam age poem Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai relates the rule of King Thondaiman Ilam Thiraiyar at Kanchipuram of the Tondai Nadu port Nirppeyyaru which scholars identify with the present-day Mamallapuram. Chinese coins and Roman coins of Theodosius I in the 4th century CE have been found at Mamallapuram revealing the port as an active hub of global trade in the late classical period. Two Pallava coins bearing legends read as Srihari and Srinidhi have been found at Mamallapuram. The Pallava kings ruled Mamallapuram from Kanchipuram; the capital of the Pallava dynasty from the 3rd century to 9th century CE, and used the port to launch diplomatic missions to Ceylon and Southeast Asia.

Believed to be ‘the city of great wrestler’ (Mamallavan or Mahabali), Mahabalipuram literally means ‘city of the Great Bali’. Derived from Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram is a modern name given to the town. An 8th century Tamil text written by Thirumangai Alvar described this place as Kadal Mallai, (Sea Mountain) ‘where the ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking laden as they were with wealth, big trunked elephants and gems of nine varieties in heaps’. It is also known by several other names such as Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram. Another name by which Mahabalipuram has been known to mariners, at least since Marco Polo’s time is "Seven Pagodas" alluding to the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram that stood on the shore, of which one, the Shore Temple, survives.^[1] The temples of Mamallapuram, portraying events described in the Mahabharata, built largely during the reigns of Narasimhavarman and his successor Rajasimhavarman, showcase the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural building. The city of Mahabalipuram was largely developed by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I in the 7th century AD.^[1] The mandapa or pavilions and the rathas or shrines shaped as temple chariots are hewn from the granite rock face, while the famed Shore Temple, erected half a century later, is built from dressed stone. What makes Mamallapuram so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and disseminates. The Shore Temple includes many bas reliefs, including one 100 ft. long and 45 ft. high, carved out of granite.^[2]

All but one of the rathas from the first phase of Pallava architecture are modelled on the Buddhist viharas or monasteries and chaitya halls with several cells arranged around a courtyard. Art historian Percy Brown, in fact, traces the possible roots of the Pallava Mandapa to the similar rock-cut caves of Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves. Referring to Narasimhavarman's victory in AD 642 over the Chalukyan king Pulakesin II, Brown says the Pallava king may have brought the sculptors and artisans back to Kanchi and Mamallapuram as 'spoils of war'.^[3]

The fact that different shrines were dedicated to different deities is evidence of an increased sectarianism at the time of their construction. A bas-relief on a sculpted cliff has an image of Shiva and a shrine dedicated to Vishnu, indicating the growing importance of these Sangam period deities and a weakening of the roles of Vedic gods such as Indra and Soma.^[4]

The modern city of Mahabalipuram was established by the British in 1827.^[5]

Landmarks

The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art.

It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style. These five Rathas were all carved out of a single piece of granite in situ.^[2] While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture made out of sandstone, which is softer than granite, under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve. The carving at Mahabalipuram must have required hundreds of highly skilled sculptors.^[6]

Panoramic view of sculptures

Some important structures include:

• Thirukadalmallai, the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.
• Descent of the Ganges – a giant open-air bas relief
• Arjuna's Penance – relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling an episode from the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata.
• Varaha Cave Temple – a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7^th century.
• The Shore Temple – a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.
• Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled – each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.

Demography

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[7] Mahabalipuram had a population of 12,049. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mahabalipuram has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 66%. In Mahabalipuram, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Mahabalipuram is known for its many orphanages which often invite tourists to visit them (and donate).

Panoramic view of sculptures

Bus routes

Apart from private bus operators, TNSTC and MTC Chennai operate buses to and from Mahabalipuram

Route Number	Start	End	Via
108 B	Mahabalipuram	Chennai	Thirukazhukundram, Chengalpattu
115	Mahabalipuram	Tambaram	Thiruporur, Kelambakkam
117	Mahabalipuram	Kovalam (Tamil Nadu)	East Coast Road
118	Chennai	Kalpakkam	Mahabalipuram, East Coast Road
119	Chennai	Kalpakkam	Mahabalipuram, Old Mahabalipuram Road
188 (ECR)	Chennai	Puducherry	Mahabalipuram
188 C	Chennai	Cheyyur	Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam
188 D	Chennai	Anaicut	Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam
188 K	Chennai	Kadapakkam	Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam
212 A	Mahabalipuram	Kancheepuram	Thirukazhukundram, Chengalpattu
515	Mahabalipuram	Tambaram	Thiruporur, Kelambakkam
566 B	Patur	Mahabalipuram	East Coast Road
568A/c	Mahabalipuram	Adyar, Chennai	Old Mahabalipuram Road
588A/c	Mahabalipuram	Adyar, Chennai	East Coast Road
589A/c	Velachery	Mahabalipuram	East Coast Road
599A/c	T.Nagar	Mahabalipuram	East Coast Road

Gallery

• 

  Elephant and other creatures carved in granite at Mahabalipuram.

• 

  Pancha Rathas at Mamallapuram

• 

  Light House

• 

  Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram

See also

• Seven Pagodas
• List Of Colossal Sculpture In Situ

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Sundaresh, A. S. Gaur, Sila Tripati, K. H. Vora (10 May 2004). "Underwater investigations off Mahabalipuram". Current Science 86 (9). http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/may102004/1231.pdf. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Ancient Discoveries: Lost Cities of the Deep History Channel
3. ^ http://www.pilgrimage-india.com/south-india-pilgrimage/mahabalipuram.html
4. ^ Doniger, Wendy, The Hindus, An Alternative History, Oxford University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-19-995334-7 (pbk)
5. ^ Encyclopedia Britanica, 15th Edition (1982), Vol. VI, p. 497
6. ^ "Lost Worlds of the Kama Sutra" History channel
7. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

External links

• Mahabalipuram
• Mahabalipuram travel guide from Wikitravel
• The Shore Temple stands its ground T.S. Subramanian in The Hindu, 30 December 2004
• First Amateur-Ham Radio Operation from Mahabalipuram Lighthouse on occasion of International Lighthouse & Lightship Week
• Living Rocks, Frontline, Volume 24 – Issue 25 :: 22 Dec. 2007 – 4 Jan. 200