Mahabalipuram Temples,Tourist Information Centres,Fairs & Festivals,Places To See,Places To Stay,Tamilnadu

Mahabalipuram

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.

The Indian city of Mahabalipuram is easily accessible through air, road and rail from the other major Indian cities and states. Indianvisit can arrange for you all types of transport for your comfortable journey to and in Mahabalipuram and throughout the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

In order to make the travel tour to Mahabalipuram even more joyful you need to choose just the right kind of accommodation for you and your family or friends in Mahabalipuram. The various hotels packages in Mahabalipuram offer the best of facilities. You may take your pick from a range of luxury and budget hotels in Mahabalipuram besides the star categorized accommodation hotels around the landmarks of Mahabalipuram offer excellent view of the landmarks through their suites. Most of the places to stay in Mahabalipuram are strategically located in the tourist centers or near the railway station.

Planning a business trip to Mahabalipuram city or enjoying your holidays? Check out the following all-inclusive tour packages, pilgrimage tours and holiday offers that will make your travel trip to Mahabalipuram city comfortable and enjoyable. We provide a range of tour packages and holiday offers for the city of Mahabalipuram that will suit your requirements and budget. As per the nature, duration and the accommodation required during the holiday trip or business travel to Mahabalipuram city the tour packages vary.

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.

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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