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The little seaside town of Mammalapuram, an hour's drive from
Chennai, has a beautiful beach spanning 20 km. The 7th century
town is famous for its rock-hewn temples, sculptures and the
world's largest stone bas relief. A crocodile farm, snake
venom extracting centre, schools of art and sculpture and
a wide choice of resorts along the beach draw holiday-seekers
all round the year, especially during the Dance Festival held
in January-February.
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Caves
There
are nine rock cut temples. The Mahishasuramardhini cave,
depicting the goddess fighting a demon on one side and Lord
Vishnu's cosmic sleep on the other, is a particularly remarkable
one.
Krishna Mandapam
A bas relief, notable for its realistic representation. The
panel relates to one of the stories of Lord Krishna.
Arjuna's Penance
This is the world's largest bas relief measuring 27m X 9m.
This huge whale-backed rock contains figures of gods, demigods,
men, beasts, birds and almost all of the entire creation.
And, this is easily the pride of Mamallapuram.
The Five Rathas
There are the five monolithic temples, each created in a different
style. They are also known as the Pancha Pandava Rathas -
and four out of the five rathas are supposed to have been
carved out of a single rock.
The Shore Temple
This is one of the oldest temples. Unique about this temple
is the fact that it houses shrines for both Lord Shiva and
Lord Vishnu. This belongs to the early 8th century AD and
it is a classic example of the first phase of structural temples
constructed in pure Dravidian style.
The Government College of Architecture and Sculpture
Here training is imparted in the various branches of temple
art and architecture, according to Silpa Sastra.
Crocodile Bank
Is situated about 14 kms. away from Mamallapuram. Over 5000
crocodiles representing 6 different species are maintained
here. There are also numerous other types of rare reptiles.
Covelong
The remains of the fort have now been converted into a luxury
beach resort which offers facilities for windsurfing and swimming,
an ancient Catholic Church, a mosque and the ruins of the
fort make interesting viewing from this 5 Star hotel.
Tirukalukundram
This tourist spot has a small Shiva temple situated on the
top of the Vedagiri hill which is 160m high. Just before noon
everyday, two White kites stop at the temple and are fed by
the temple priests. Legend has it that these two birds are
actually saints who daily make a stop to rest at the temple
on their flight between Varanasi and Rameswaram. There is
also a larger Shiva Temple in the town below. At the South-East
end of the town is a spacious tank whose waters are said to
have curative powers. Once every 12 years, a conch is discovered
in this tank and thousands of devotees flock to bathe in the
tank at this auspicious time. A collection of the conches
is displayed in the larger Shiva Temple.
Muttukkadu
This is an ideal picnic spot. T.T.D.C, runs a Boat House,
where facilities for boating and wind surfing are available.
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