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India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava . Mahabalipuram was a busy port under the Pallavas as early as the 7th century AD. Bonfires were lit on rocks even at that time to aid the mariners. The Olakkannesvara Temple ("flame eye"; commonly Olakkanatha; also known as, "the Old Lighthouse") is in Mahabalipuram town, overlooking the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in Kancheepuram District in Tamil Nadu, India. Like the Shore Temple, the Olakkannesvara Temple is a structural temple.
Built in the 8th century, it is situated directly above the Mahishasuramardhini mandapa on a hillock which provides scenic views of the town. The Olakkannesvara Temple was built during the reign of the Pallava dynasty king Rajasimha. Location - Mada Koil St, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India
THE PALLAVA ‘MAMALLAN’
Today’s seaside resort was once a bustling port that derived its name from Mamallan or ‘Great Wrestler’ — one of the names of Narasimhavarman I, the Pallava monarch who ruled from 630 AD to 668 AD, and who commissioned much of the architecture Mamallapuram is famous for.
BIRTH OF ‘MAHABALIPURAM’. S Swaminathan, author of Mamallapuram, a book on the architectural and sculptural achievements of the Pallavas, said Mamallapuram was the original name, even though the town is also called Mahabalipuram. “The name Mahabalipuram emerged much later, some time in the Vijayanagara period (14th-17th centuries). But there is nothing to directly connect the Asura King Mahabali with Mamallapuram,” he said. The only, indirect link, he added, is the legend of Trivikrama carved in stone at Mamallapuram’s famous Varaha Mandapam (Varaha Cave Temple). “Mahabali was killed by Trivikrama, the giant form of Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu. Maybe that is the only connection that Mahabali has with Mamallapuram. But this Trivikrama panel too is just one of the many compositions there,” he said. While Narasimhavarman I is credited with excavating the stone caves of Mamallapuram, it was Mahendravarman I, Narasimhavarman’s father who ruled from 600 AD to 630 AD, who was the pioneer of Pallava rock-cut architecture. The successors of Narasimhavarman I, especially his grandson Parameswaravarman I (670-695 AD) and his great grandson Narasimhavarman II (700-728 AD), continued to build in Mamallapuram. Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimha Pallava, built the magnificent Shore Temple among others in Mamallapuram, as well as grand temples at several other places, including the famous Kailasanathar Temple at Kancheepuram.
Pancha Rathas is an example of monolithic Indian rock-cut architecture. The complex was carved during the reign of King Narasimhavarman I (630–668 AD). Pancha Rathas (also known as Five Chariots or Pandava Rathas) is a monument complex at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in the Kancheepuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
This lighthouse was commissioned at Mahabalipuram in 1887. The lighthouse with a circular masonry tower made of natural stone became fully functional in 1904. India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava stands next to this modern structure. Address: Mada Koil St, Mahabalipuram,Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India
Le Pancha Rathas (cinq chariots) à Mahabalipuram doit son nom aux cinq frères Pandava, héros du Marahbarata.
Ces temples sont taillés à même le roc et datent du 7ème siècle. Chaque temple est dédié à une divinité : Vishnou, Durga, Brahma, Indra et Shiva.
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The Pancha Rathas (Five chariots) is named afer the five Pandava brothers, Marahbarata heroes.
This temples are carved into the rock and date from the 7th century. Each temple is dedicated to a deity : Vichnu, Durga, Brahma, Indra and Shiva
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Mahabalipuram - Tamil Nadu
Each monument is cut from a single piece of rock.
The Five Rathas resemble rathas (chariots), only one is remaining, dated 630-680 CE, world heritage site.
Krishna Cave Temple (also known as Mandapa of Krishna and Krishna Mandapam) is a monument at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in the Kancheepuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is an artificial rock-cut mandapa, and one of the Cave Temples of Mahabalipuram dedicated to Lord Krishna. Part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, the temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1984. It is one of the many architecturally distinctive mandapas in Mahabalipuram with a shallow cave portico hewn into the rock face. Dating to the mid-seventh century, its excavated entry is seen with columns leading to a hall. Notable carvings inside are sculpted panels that bring out the myth of Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the cowherds and gopis (milk maids) from heavy rains and floods – the "most poetic and endearing" Indian or Angkor sculpture-based representation of this legend – and there are also scenes of Krishna frolicking with the milk maids.
It is situated on a hill slope near the Ganesh Ratha is a massive natural rock boulder in a shape of huge ball, precariously balancing on a smooth slope. Known as Krishna’s butterball, this colossal boulder, which is about five metres in diameter, is perilously resting at an angle of 45 degrees. The rock boulder is surrounded by lush greenery that immediately has a calming effect on one’s senses.
Mamallapuram, or Mahabalipuram, is a town on a strip of land between the Bay of Bengal and the Great Salt Lake, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s known for its temples and monuments built by the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. The seafront Shore Temple comprises 3 ornate granite shrines. Krishna’s Butter Ball is a massive boulder balanced on a small hill near the Ganesha Ratha stone temple
Mahabalipuram est située à 50 km au sud de Chennai (Madras) sur la côte de Coromandel dans le golfe du Bengale. Son port était déjà connu au temps de la Grèce antique. Le tsunami de 2004 a mis au jour des structures qui pourraient être liées à cette activité.
Mahabalipuram is located 50 km south of Chennai (Madras) on the Coromandel coast in the Bay of Bengal. Its port was already known at the time of ancient Greece. The 2004 tsunami revealed structures that could be relating to this activity.
Mamallapuram, or Mahabalipuram, is a town on a strip of land between the Bay of Bengal and the Great Salt Lake, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s known for its temples and monuments built by the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. The seafront Shore Temple comprises 3 ornate granite shrines. Krishna’s Butter Ball is a massive boulder balanced on a small hill near the Ganesha Ratha stone temple
Tamil Nadu . India
"The town’s religious centre was founded by a 7th-century-CE Hindu Pallava king—Narasimhavarman, also known as Mamalla—for whom the town was named. Ancient Chinese, Persian, and Roman coins found at Mamallapuram point to its earlier existence as a seaport. It contains many surviving 7th- and 8th-century Pallava temples and monuments, chief of which are the sculptured rock relief popularly known as “Arjuna’s Penance,” or “Descent of the Ganges,” a series of sculptured cave temples, and a Shaiva temple on the seashore. The town’s five rathas, or monolithic temples, are the remnants of seven temples, for which the town was known as Seven Pagodas". ( Britannica )