|
Mahabalipuram,
located 58 km from Chennai, was the second capital of the
Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. The place is famous for innumerable
tourist all year round from India and abroad for the fascinating
Temples in Mahabalipuram. Beside the brilliance of the rock-cut
temples, the sculptures on the walls of the temples are remarkable
for their beauty, plasticity and depiction of scenes from
day-to-day life of the people in general.
The Temples of Mahabalipuram can be categorized under four
heads of Open-Air Bas Relief, Structured Temples, Man-made
Caves and Rathas or Chariot styled from a Monolith Stone.
The temples in Mahabalipuram are a fine example to study the
gradual development from temples hewned out of rock to structural
temples. The mandaps and rathas are carved out of undressed
granite while the Shore Temple is made from dressed stone.
The Temples in Mahabalipuram are to be seen to admire the
beauty portrayed on the stone.
The important Temples in Mahabalipuram are:
Shore Temple
The Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram was first built around the
mid-7th century AD and was later re-erected by Rajasimha or
Narsimha Varman II. The temple is the masterpiece creation
of the Pallavas and represents the zenith of the Pallava architecture.
The temple is built on the seashore with one wall constantly
being washed by the sea. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva
with Shiva lingam enshrined in the two vimanas or the spires
of the temple. Built on the east west axial, the first ray
of the rising sun and the last ray of the setting sun touches
the original lingam. Another shrine, which can be dated to
a slightly earlier period, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Arjuna's Penance
Arjuna's Penance is a relief carving on the huge rock measuring
30 m X 12 m. The themes of carvings are the animals, gods
and demi-gods along with famous legendry tales from Hindu
classical Panchatantra books. The massive upright crevice
bifurcates the rock panel and is proficiently included into
the sculpture with water flowing down the crevice originally
representative of holy River Ganga.
Ganesh Ratha
Ganesh Ratha Temple in Mahabalipuram is located towards the
north of the Arjuna's Penance. It is a temple carved out from
a rock to resemble a chariot and is built in Dravidian style
of temple architecture. It was once dedicated to Lord Shiva.
But when the original lingam was removed, the temple came
to be known as the temple of Lord Ganesh.
Trimurti Cave Temple
Trimurti
Cave Temple I Mahabalipuram is located towards the north of
the Ganesh Ratha. The temple is dedicated to the three prime
gods of Hindu pantheon, namely, Lord Brahma-the Creator, Lord
Vishnu-the Protector and Lord Shiva-the Destroyer. There is
a separate section in the temple for each of them.
Five Rathas
The Five Rathas are the rock-cut temples in Mahabalipuram
carved in the shape of a chariot. Built during the Pallava
period, the temples were buried under the sand and were founded
by the British some 200 years back. The five rathas are called
the Draupadi Ratha, Dharamraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Arjuna
Ratha and Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha, named after the five Pandavas
and their wife of Mahabharata. The Draupadi Ratha is dedicated
to Goddess Durga. Within the temple, the goddess is shown
standing on the lotus with her devotees worshipping her on
their knees. The chiseled lion protects the shrine from outside.
Behind the Draupadi Ratha is the Arjuna Ratha. Dedicated to
Lord Shiva, temple also has the carved idol of the Nandi Bull,
Shiva's Mount. Many gods and goddesses are carved on the exterior
wall of the temple. Bhima Ratha is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The idol of Vishnu in Seshashyai Mudra is within the walls
of the temple. Dharamraja Ratha is the tallest and farthest
of all the temples. You can see the images of several gods
on the walls of the temple including Surya and Indra. Nakula-Sahadeva
Ratha is dedicated to Lord Indra. A finely sculpted elephant,
symbolic representation of his mount, is near the temple.
India Golden Triangle offers online booking requests for tour
and tour packages to South India Golden Triangle.For more queries or information, kindly fill up the form below.
|
