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Temple Town Of Tamil Nadu
Located at a distance of 58-km from Chennai, Mahabalipuram has
everything that makes a site memorable; tradition, history,
piety, western annals, and current importance as a centre of
tourism.
About Mahabalipuram
The history of Mahabalipuram dates back to two thousand years,
it contains nearly forty monuments of different types including
an "open air bas relief" which is the largest in the world, for
centuries it has been a centre of pilgrimage, it figures in the
early annals of the British search for the picturesque in India
in the 18th century, today it attracts shoals of foreigners in
search of relaxation and sea bathing, and most strange of all,
it has an atomic power plant for neighbour. A small library has
been written on it. Over its history and that of its monuments
a number of scholarly controversies rage.
Mahabalipuram was already a centre of pilgrimage when, in the
7th century Mamalla made it a seaport and began to make temples
fashioned of rock. It was through Mahabalipuram that many
Indian colonists, who included sages and artists, migrated to
Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka's national chronicle, the "Mahavamsa"
testifies to this fact.
Name Of The Site
The proper name of the site is "Mamallapuram", after Mamalla,
an honorific of the Pallava king, Narasimha Varman I (630-668),
who created the earliest of its monuments. But it is popularly
called "Mahabalipuram", or "The city of Bali", whom Lord Vishnu
chastised for his pride and of whom there is a relief in one of
the excavated temples here.
Temples In Mahabalipuram
There are, or rather were, two low hills in Mahabalipuram,
about 400m from the sea. In the larger one, on both sides,
there are eleven excavated temples, called Mandapas, two "open
air bas reliefs", one of which is unfinished, and a third
enclosed one. Out of a big rock standing free nearby there is a
"cut out" temple, called a "Ratha". This type is unique to
Mahabalipuram.
Out of the other hill, much smaller and standing about 200m to
the south, are fashioned five more rathas, and three big
sculptures of a Nandi, a Loin and an Elephant. On the top of
the bigger hill there is a structural temple, and a little
distance the magnificent beginnings of a Vijayanagar Gopura and
also survivals of what is believed to be a palace.
The Shore Temple
The Shore Temple occupies a most extraordinary site, by the
very margin of the Bay of Bengal so that at high tide the waves
sweep into it and the walls, with their sculptures, have been
eroded by the winds and waves of thirteen centuries. The
European name for Mahabalipuram, since the first western
visitor wrote of it in the 16th century, is the "Seven
Pagodas".
There are not seven temples here. The number has been made up
fancifully and even whimsically. Some of the Europeans believed
that the sea has overwhelmed a part of the town containing some
temples. But, there is no sunken city in the waves off
Mahabalipuram. The European name, "Seven Pagodas", is
irrational and cannot be accounted for.
The Shrines In The Shore Temple
There are three shrines in the Shore Temple. That facing the
sea and another facing west into the township are Saiva. The
one between is Vaishnava, with an image of Lord Anantasayi made
of live rock. There are Vimanas over the Saiva (also spelt as
Shaiv or Shaiva) shrines, but none over the third; it seems to
have disappeared with time. There are Somaskanda reliefs on the
walls of the Saiva shrine. In front of the eastern shrine there
is a stone dhvajastambha, frequently under the waves. The light
that shone on it at night must have been the last sight of home
for thousands of Pallava citizens immigrating to South East
Asia.
The Dhvajastambha and the Balipitha, which normally stand in
front of the main shrine, are here located to the west of the
shrine. There was a Prakara here, with small Nandis on its
walls. Some of the Nandis still stand on the survivals of the
walls.
Till some decades ago parts of the temple were under sand. The
sea is an ever-present danger. A semi-circular groyne wall has
been built to the east. But what is notable is the fact that
the temple has survived all these centuries. Built by Narasimha
Varman II Rajasimha, the maker of the Kailasanatha temple in
Kanchipuram in the 8th century, this is one of the earliest
structural temples in Tamil Nadu.
Temple Of Sthalasayana Perumal
Immediately to the north of the bigger hill there is the temple
of Sthalasayana Perumal, much enlarged in Vijayanagar times. By
the very margin of the sea, with the waves often flowing at its
foot, there is a magnificent fane with three shrines in an
axial line, called the "Shore Temple".
To the west of the five Rathas there are three more rathas, two
side by side. About 600 m north of Mahabalipuram, along the
coast, is Saluvankuppam, where there are magnificent excavated
temples and, near it, a rock Mandapa with tiger heads along its
periphery, called the "Tigers Cave". Between Saluvankuppam and
Mahabalipuram, less than 200m from the sea, stands another
structural temple, the Mukunda Nayanar.
Each and every one of these monuments of different types,
structural temple, excavated temple "cut out" temple, "open air
bas relief", not to mention sculptures and Mandapas to be found
here and there, is important and interesting. The Shore temple,
the celebrated "open air bas relief" called "Arjuna's Penance",
the Mahishamardhani and the Adivaraha "Cave" temples and the
Five Rathas are the especial rewards of the visitor. All the
monuments are Pallava except that the original Sthalasayana
Perumal temple was expanded in Vijayanagar times. To the Chola
days belongs a Mandapa at the entrance to the township.
Arjuna's Penance - An Open Air Bas Relief
If a temple by the sea and, at times, in the sea is a tour de
force, the "open air bas relief" is even more so. In
Mahabalipuram alone of all innumerable sites of monuments in
India sculptor was impelled to choose a large cliff face on
which to make his carvings. What is more, he chose a scene from
the "Mahabharatha" (also spelt as Mahabharata), which a great
Sanskrit dramatist, probably then living in Kanchipuram, had
popularised.
This surface, 29m by 13m, consists of two large boulders with a
fissure in between. In the cleavage there are a serpent god and
a serpent goddess in the act of worship. Covering the surface
on the boulders on either side of them there are nearly one
hundred figures of Gods, sages semi-divine beings, huge
elephants and a few other animals.
The Depictions Of Arjuna's Penance
There have been strong differences of opinion among eminent
scholars on what this scene depicts. An old view was that it
represents Bhagiratha's penance. But the opinion that currently
holds the field is that it depicts Arjuna's Penance. This "Mahabharatha"
incident, also represented in both mural and relief in Lepakshi
and a number of other sites, relates to Arjuna's obtaining a
weapon to use in the impending war against the Kauravas.
Bharavi, the Sanskrit dramatist, who, it is believed, was
living in Kanchipuram in the seventh century, when this
masterpiece was made, has made it his theme in his "Kiratarjuniyam".
The Pallava court in that century was a nest of singing birds.
It is highly probable that it is this scene, which is depicted
here. The main scene of action is on the southern face. Here an
ascetic is performing severe penance, standing on one leg. Near
him is Lord Shiva, with His attendants. Immediately below them
there is a small shrine with a relief of Lord Vishnu inside. By
its side are many seated sages in meditation.
The fissure indicates a river. This is clear from a fact and a
suggestion. The fact, also strengthened by the presence of
water serpents, is the depiction at the edge of the southern
surface of some persons performing the rite of "Sandhya
vandhana" by the river. The suggestion is that, in Pallava
days, actual water flowed down the cleavage from the hill
behind, where there are survivals of what would be called a
water tank. The notion is similar to what is found in the
Isurumuniya in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka.
On the northern face are some huge elephants, among the very
best of their kind in the whole range of Indian sculptures.
There is, besides, the hypocritical cat which, pretending to
perform penance, draws to it a number of unfortunate
unsuspecting rats. This is a touch of humour not very common in
Indian art. There are, besides, the Lion, the Tiger, the Boar.
In the upper part off the surface there are rows of semi-divine
beings effortlessly flying, all towards the fissure. Close by
is placed an engaging composition of a monkey picking out lice
from the head of another. It was brought here from near the
Mukunda Nayanar temple.
A little distance to the south there is an unfinished attempt
at the depiction of the very same scene on another boulder.
Probably the maker of the first bas-relief initially tried his
hand here.
There is a third bas-relief, this time depicting Sri Krishna
protecting the good people of Brindavan from Indra's wrath by
interposing a mountain. This is a fine pastoral scene, which
visitors to Mahabalipuram in the early centuries would have
readily understood. Strangely enough, there are a few small
sphinxes and gryphons at the edges of the huge composition. A
Mandapa was built in Vijayanagar times in front of what
originally was an open-air bas-relief.
The Five Rathas - The Dharmaraja, The Bhima, The Arjuna, The
Draupadi and The Sahadeva
The Five Rathas, about 200 m south of the main hill, were
fashioned out of a smaller hill sloping down from the south.
From the largest part was made the biggest of the five rathas,
the Dharmaraja. Then followed onwards north, in the descending
order of height, the Bhima, the Arjuna and the Draupadi.
A little to the west of Draupadi there was a comparatively
large rock and out of it the Sahadeva Ratha was made.
Immediately in front of the Draupadi again two smaller rocks
were sculptured into an elephant and a lion. Behind the
Draupadi and the Arjuna, which stand on a common base, there is
a Nandi.
Not Exactly Temple Chariots!
These rathas (an irregular expression, for they are really
Vimanas, and not temple chariots, as the word means) perpetuate
the forms of the temple in use when they used to be made of
perishable materials. A Pallava who must have been something of
an art critic or art historian decided that these styles should
be preserved in eternal rock. Outside Mahabalipuram except in
Kazhugumalai (in Tirunelveli district), there is nothing like
these rathas anywhere in India.
There are four rathas elsewhere in Mahabalipuram so that there
are nine in all. Among themselves they represent four main
styles: the apsidal, the barrel vaulted, the domical and the
so-called "hut". The third was to dominate the future, with
some modifications. The first two are comparatively rare and
the last very much so.
The rathas with the domical sikhara are the Dharmaraja, the
largest of them all; the Arjuna, a smaller version of the
first, the Pidari and the two Valayankuttai, these three
located elsewhere in Mahabalipuram. The Bhima Ratha and Ganesa
Ratha, which is near the larger hill, are barrel vaulted, the
Sahadeva is apsidal, and the Draupadi is "hut shaped".
There are some superb sculptures on the Dharmaraja and the
Arjuna. The former contains splendid divine and secular
portraits, with labels beside some of them. The later are
certainly kings, but it is difficult to identify them. There
are some lovely royal couples on the Arjuna. Again, it is
impossible to say who they are. Nevertheless, these sculptures
show how beautifully delicate and sensitive Pallava sculpture
is, making it one of the great schools of Indian art.
The lion, Goddess Durga's mount, stands right in front of Her
shrine, here called the "Draupadi". Just alongside the apsidal
Sahadeva Ratha stands the elephant, also apsidal in shape. Such
touches are frequent in Mahabalipuram. It is very probable that
there was a school of sculpture here in ancient days. For,
probationary and incomplete sculptural and architectural
efforts are to be seen at every turn. An important point is
that not a single monument in Mahabalipuram is quite complete.
Mahishamardhani and the Adivaraha Mandapas
Of the many excavated rock temples in Mahabalipuram anomalously
called "Mandapas", two of the best are the Mahishamardhani and
the Adivaraha. The former contains on walls facing each other
two of the most superb sculptural reliefs known to Indian art,
both connected with each other in their common scriptural
source. The latter Mandapa has two groups of royal sculptures,
also facing each other. Besides, it is the only temple in
Mahabalipuram apart from the Sthalasayana Perumal, where
worship continues today, but fitfully.
The Mahishamardhini temple has been excavated in a rock on the
eastern side of the top of the hill. Right above it there is a
structural temple, one of four of a lighthouse for decades
until a new lighthouse was erected close by. Near the
Mahishamardhani temple there is a smaller rock where an
unfinished attempt at excavating a fane has been made.
There are three shrines in the Mahishamardhani Mandapa. A small
Mandapa projects forward from the central shrine. On the
northern and southern walls of the Ardhamandapa there are the
great sculptural reliefs of Goddess Durga fighting the demon
and of Lord Vishnu in His cosmic sleep. The incidents are from
two consecutive cantos of the "Devi Mahatmyam". In the one
relief the energy with which the young Goddess goes forth to
war with the buffalo headed demon is in magnificent contrast
with the cosmic sleep of Lord Vishnu on His serpent couch.
The royal groups in the Adivaraha temple are, in one, of a
seated king with two queens flanking him and, in the other, of
a standing king with two consorts standing by him. There are
many opinions but it is generally thought that the seated
monarch is Simhavishnu (574-600) and the standing one his son
and successor, Mahendra I (600-630). There are, besides,
reliefs of many divinities.
Mahabalipuram- A Classical Site Of Indian Historical
Archaeology
When the first British visitors went to Mahabalipuram in the
eighteenth century, they found the monuments under sand, a few
completely so. It must have fallen into neglect after the fall
of the Vijayanagar Empire or, at least, Vijayanagar authority.
It had prospered under the Cholas and their successors until
about the seventeenth century. Europe knew of it as early as
the 13th century when, following Marco Polo's visit, it appears
in the Catalan Map of 1275.
The first European to mention it directly, but with no personal
knowledge, of it, did so in 1582. The first English visitor was
William Chambers in 1788. Following this, earnest antiquarians
from Madras puzzled over it. One of them, Colin Mackenzie, dug
out some of the monuments from sand and deputed assistants to
collect its traditions and coins. In this way Mahabalipuram
became one of the classical sites of Indian historical
archaeology.
Fair & Festival at Mahabalipuram
Dance Festival at Mahabalipuram : The
internationally acclaimed and globally renowned "Mahabalipuram
Dance Festival" is organised by the Department of Tourism,
Government of Tamil Nadu every year in Mahabalipuram - the
renowned and ancient 7th century centre for Pallava culture and
arts.
The Dance festival starts on the 25th of December every year
and is conducted on all Saturdays and Government holidays, upto
February first week. Dancers and musicians of repute from India
and abroad thrill the crowds every year. Folk dances of India
are an added attraction.
Sit before an open-air 'stage' created 13 centuries ago, the
incredible monolithic rock sculptures of the Pallavas, next to
the sea in this ancient city of Mahabalipuram. Lovers of dance
will be treated to a very unique and unforgettably aesthet ic
event: Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi,
presented by the very best exponents of the art besides folk
dances.
How to Get There
Air : Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport
with both domestic and international terminus. Chennai is
connected with all the major places in India through the
numerous domestic flights. International flights operate from
various parts of the world to Chennai.
Rail : The nearest railway stations are
Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km). From these stations
one has to take road to reach the Mahabalipuram.
Road : Buses are available from Pondicherry,
Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily.
The road to Mahabalipuram is good. Tourists can also hire a
taxi from Chennai.
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