Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram is an ancient town and a UNESCO world heritage site in the state of Tamilnadu, approx. 60 km from Chennai. Being only one and a half-hour drive away from the hustle and bustle of Chennai, this quintessential small town is a quite popular weekend destination among city dwellers. Even a short one day tour in Mahabalipuram from Chennai can cover most of the tourist spots of this beach town, if not all.
The city offers a wide array of attractions to be explored in a day. Apart from a golden beach, this city has mesmerising temples, amazing rock sculptures and unique museums, attracting several visitors every year.
Therefore, our one-day itinerary in Mahabalipuram is not about visiting every single tourist spot in the town, rather a selection of places that you should not miss at any cost while you are making a quick stop there.
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Prelude
It was the end of November. We had planned our first vacation in Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry.
After landing in Chennai by a morning flight from Kolkata, we headed straight to Mahabalipuram, as Chennai was not on our list this time.
It took 2 hrs to get there from the airport. Drive along the four-lane ECR (East Coast Road) was very comfortable. Though there are some interesting places on the road, we did not stop there as we planned to visit them during our journey back.
We reached our resort at 3 pm. It was right beside Pancha Rathas and had a fantastic private beach in front.
We quickly checked in but lacking in time, we had our delayed lunch and started our journey to explore Mahabalipuram town. We went to Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) first, which was merely 100-metre walking distance from the resort.
About Mahabalipuram (a.k.a. Mamallapuram) – an ancient town
Mahabalipuram was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984. During the reign of the Pallava Dynasty between the 3rd century to the 8th century, this place was in its full glory, an important centre of art, architecture and literature. And it was already a thriving seaport even before the 3rd century.
The name Mahabalipuram came from mythical King Mahabali, the demon king who was defeated by the dwarf Vamana (a Vishnu avatar). Whereas Mamallapuram, as called by locals, came from the word Mamalla which means great wrestler, refers to the 7th-century king Narasimha Varman.
Most monuments in Mahabalipuram were mostly built back in the era of Pallavas. These monuments are a fusion of religion, culture and legend relating to the Hindu religious idols.
They are not just monuments rather an assembly of expressions through rock, on a grand scale, integrating nature and sculpture. Mahabalipuram has about forty monuments in varying degrees of completion. Broadly, these monuments can be categorized into five groups:
- Rathas: chariot-shaped temples
- Mandapas: Cave temples
- Rock reliefs
- Structural temples
- Excavations
It is believed that there were seven pagodas built back in the 6-7th century, as mentioned in many colonial-era publications. But at present, there is only one temple, the famous Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram.
Locals believe that the rest of the temples are still submerged in the sea. And this perception gets strengthened after December 2004, when just before the disastrous Tsunami, a vast stretch of beachfront was exposed momentarily, revealing large structures in seabed about a kilometre offshore, which archaeologists speculate may be the ancient Mahabalipuram.
A “Lost City” – that we might find someday.
Things to see in one day in Mahabalipuram
Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots)
Opening Hours: 6 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: ₹10 for Indians, ₹250 for foreigners, no fee for visitors below 15 years of age
Location: Google Map
Attention, please!!
- Entry to all the ASI maintained monuments in Mahabalipuram are ticketed.
- You can purchase a single composite ticket from any of the ticket counters in front of these monuments that will allow you to visit all the monuments with that one ticket.
- The price of the composite ticket is ₹40 for Indians and ₹600 for foreigners.
- But remember, the validity of this ticket is only for the day it has been issued. Therefore, you can not visit another monument on the next day with this ticket, even if it is within 24 hours.
Pancha Rathas are monolithic monuments that are freestanding temples cut of solid rock. There are five temples and popularly known as Pancha Pandava Rathas (Chariots) after the Pandava brothers, the heroes of epic Mahabharatha.
Although the symbolism and grouping of the temples have led to these populist names, they are neither true Rathas nor dedicated to Pandavas. Instead, they are temples dedicated to deities and concepts of the Shaiva (Shiva), Vaishnavi (Vishnu) and Shakti (Durga) traditions of Hinduism.
That is why these Rathas (chariots) do not have any wheels. These five monolithic temples were carved out of a hillock, an incredible job done by Pallava artisans.
The first temple from the northern end is Draupadi Ratha. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga. The temple looks like a simple south Indian hut. There are decorations all over the exterior with images of Goddess Durga.
The next temple to the south is Arjuna Ratha. It is an octagonal structure with a stone lion carved in the front yard. It is very much identical to Dharmaraj Ratha, except it has one less tier at the top. This Arjuna Ratha shares a common platform with Draupadi Ratha.
Next is Bhima Ratha, which is elongated on a rectangular base and supported by lion pillars. It resembles Buddhist cave structures. The roof section looks like a boat.
Dharmaraja Ratha is the largest of all. This is also octagonal in shape with a pyramidal-shaped roof. It has three floors above the ground floor.
It is open on all four sides. Pillars support the facade of the structure. Small-sized model shrines make up the ornament of the upper part of the tower.
There are many sculptures of Shiva on the corners of the sanctum. Sculptures depicting Harihara, Brahma-Sasta, Skanda, Brahma, Ardhanarisvara (half Shiva half Parvati) and Krishna alongside an inscribed portrait of a king indicated that Narasimhavarman I, who commissioned the temple, are also made in different walls of Dharmaraja Ratha.
The last temple is Nakula Sahadeva Ratha. Though it is part of the Pancha Rathas, it is situated separately from the other four rathas.
The Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha faces south, while the Dharmaraja, Bhima, Arjuna and Draupadi rathas face west. There is a large elephant sculpture next to this Ratha.
Mahabalipuram Shore Temple
Opening Hours: 6 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: ₹10 for Indians, ₹340 for foreigners, no fee for visitors below 15 years of age
Location: Google Map
Shore Temple is the most visited place in Mahabalipuram. Located right beside the seashore, this magnificent temple is believed to be one of the seven pagodas built back in the 7th century.
It consists of a large temple, two smaller temples and many minor shrines, open halls and gateways. The deity of this temple is Shiva, a Hindu God.
Numerous statues of Nandi, the bull surrounds the main temple from the front side. There are intricate bas-reliefs all over the temple wall and other cuts out monolithic structures around the main temple.
The roofs of the temples have ornamentation similar to the Pancha Rathas and finials at the top.
Arjuna’s Penance
Opening Hours: 6 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: ₹10 for Indians, ₹340 for foreigners, no fee for visitors below 15 years of age
Location: Google Map
This massive piece of art is one of the most beautiful and complex bas-reliefs seen anywhere in India. Many of the figures carved are life-sized.
There is one prominent carving of a yogi doing penance in front of a God. It is said that this is Arjuna, the hero of the epic Mahabharata, performing penance to get a weapon from Lord Shiva.
There is another opinion about that same carving. The man doing the penance is actually Bhagiratha, trying to please God Shiva to bring the river Ganges to earth.
The large cleft or perpendicular fissure at the centre of the rock, dividing it into almost two equal parts, indicates river Ganges flowing down to earth from above and creating life in this world. That is why this bas relief is also known as Descent of Ganges.
There are so many stories associated with all these intricate carvings, and all are as intriguing as this wonder of art.
Krishna’s Butterball
Opening Hours: 6 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: ₹10 for Indians, ₹340 for foreigners, no fee for visitors below 15 years of age
Location: Google Map
Krishna’s Butterball is not a monument built by Pallavas rather a natural rock formation, a fascinating sculpture of nature itself. A huge piece of boulder placed so precariously on a rock that it seems the boulder will roll down any time. But it did not. It is in the same position for centuries.
There are many stories related to this giant boulder. It is said that even The King. the great wrestler Narsimhavarman also failed to move this giant stone.
In 1908, the Governor of the city, Arthur Havelock, attempted to move the stone for safety reasons by a unified force of seven elephants, but that effort was unsuccessful too.
Mahabalipuram seabeach
Opening Hours: 6 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: Included in the entry fee of Shore Temple
Location: Google Map
Don’t forget that this beach town has a beautiful shoreline also. So, keep aside an hour to relax on the golden sand beach of Mahabalipuram. The access road to the beach is right beside the Shore Temple.
In the afternoon this place gets really crowded. Fun rides, food stalls and souvenir shops along the beach road become filled with locals and tourists.
There are a few more monuments and unique museums that we could not visit during our day trip to Mahabalipuram. I have made a pictorial depiction of the locations of popular tourist spots in Mahabalipuram. You can use it as a guide so that you do not miss anything. But the most important thing is you must stay for at least 2 days to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where to stay in Mahabalipuram
We stayed in Chariot Beach Resort during our one day tour in Mahabalipuram. This resort is located at the southern end of the town. It’s a beautiful property with a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar, a gym, an activity room, a spa and wellness centre, a large swimming pool and a private beach.
Chariot Beach Resort; Address: Behind Five Rathas Monument, Mahabalipuram- 603104, Tamil Nadu, India; Contact: +91 86 6809 5606; E-mail: sales8@chariotbeachresorts.com; Website: chariotbeachresorts.com; Location: Google Map
Booking.comHow to reach Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram is approx 60 km south of Chennai and 90 km from Pondicherry. It is right on East Coast Road en route to Pondicherry. There are plenty of buses available from Chennai, which take one and a half hours to reach Mahabalipuram.
The nearest airport to Mahabalipuram is Chennai.
Tell me about your experiences in Mahabalipuram. Have you been to those places that I have missed? Have you tried local food? Which souvenir did you buy here?
If you have any suggestion, advice or any specific question. feel free to write below or you can drop me a mail here.
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Book your trip: Resources
- Flight
Use Skyscanner or Google Flights to book your flight.
- Accommodation
Tripadvisor and Agoda are perfect for booking your hotel. If you want to stay in a hostel, then Hostelworld would greatly help you find one at your convenience.
- Travel Insurance
World Nomads is perfect for travel insurance. You can get comprehensive protection from them. Let them take care of unexpected situations while you concentrate on your trip.
- Package Tour and Activities
You can book a package tour from G-Adventures and Viator. They are a reputed company arranging small group tours and customising them per your requirements. You can also use Get Your Guide to book your private transport, city tours, heritage walks, food walks and other experiences like a cooking lesson or a Yoga session.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. You will be directed to another third-party website when you click those links. If you purchase anything via those links, I will earn a referral bonus without any extra cost to you.
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