Marvels in Mahabalipuram

I woke up surprisingly refreshed despite Bubs jolting me out of my sleep a few times. I was really excited for a full day exploring Mahabalipuram! I learned yesterday that all of the monuments were incredibly close together which meant I could walk everywhere. I was going to be able to see all of the sites in my favorite fashion of wandering.

For breakfast I finally got to sit down and eat what I have been craving - Idli and sambar! I had all the options in the world from pancakes, French toast, and more and still chose idli and sambar. It throws me back to the first time my grandma made it for me and I asked why I was eating soup for breakfast. I definitely wasn't a fan of it back then but I will happy to tell her I am glad she introduced me to it.

The first monument I stopped at was the Descent of the Ganga river which I had actually seen yesterday but could spend more time marveling at today. Also called Arjuna's Penance, it is the largest bas relief in South India. The relief dates back to the 7th century and has over 150 characters depicted in it. Right next to the elephant relief was Krishna Mandapa. This temple relief depicts Krishna holding up Mount Govardhana to protect the people from the storm. Both reliefs were in such good shape and offered a lot of detail to peruse.

The temple I was most excited about today was the Shore Temple. It was too dark to see it last night properly so I thought I would give it another shot. For the Shore Temple I had to purchase a ticket in advance and I had never purchased a ticket before since I usually keep quiet so I am not charged the foreign price. But since I was alone today I had no other option. I asked for 1 ticket without saying anything so he asked for my ID and since I don't have an Indian one I showed him my OCI Card. He spent so long looking at my OCI Card debating whether to accept it and give me the 40 Rs price or 600 Rs price. He kept asking for an other form of ID and I said I did not have since I am a NRI (non-resident Indian) but work and live here. After much fuss he finally let me pass as Indian. I thought I was good until they stopped me again at the gate and I showed my OCI Card again. Three police men looked at it over and over until they let me pass. I was free! The worst part of having to prove myself was over.

The shore temple unlike the other sites in the area is built from free standing rock rather than being carved from a cave. It is joined together by interlocking rock and no concrete or adhesive was used back in the 6th century. What makes it so impressive is that considering it is located right next to the beach, it has been able to withstand centuries of erosion and weathering and it still standing! There are two temples - one dedicated to Shiva and the other dedicated to Vishnu. I could have walked around the temple a million times marveling at all of the detail there was. Visitors were not allowed in so I just had to admire the exterior. All around the temple there were statues of bulls for Shiva which I loved. Initially there were about 125 bulls but only 37 remain.

At the shore temple I was looking for people to take my photo and ran into this couple from the UK. They stood out with their loud British accents and of course appearance so I went and chatted with them. They were very sweet and the wife was obsessed with my outfit and curls. Although she did have to mention my ringlets were not "proper" since they were all facing the same direction.

From the shore temple you get very picturesque views of the beach. There was also a small market with many vendors so I went for a bit of spontaneous shopping and picked up some bangles for fun. I have banned myself from buying clothes from the street because I end up not liking the quality and upset about how the colors run.

As I was walking out I caught sight of a shikhara sticking out and wondered if it was another temple so I went to investigate. Turns out it was a sculpture museum. I walked around the rather small garden admiring all of the sculptures. It wasn't much but I enjoyed seeing the different sculptures especially since Mahabalipuram is known for its sculptures. There were even a couple rooms with paintings inside.

I had seen a couple of caves on Google maps and I realized that they were all within Krishna's Butterball complex. So I got to see Krishna's Butterball again and took a basic tourist photo of me trying to push it over. I walked around it to take in the different angles and realized just how impressive this massive boulder was to still be balancing on the steep slope. It was such a steep slope I was slipping down it and I tried to get down. I ran into the same British couple again who were being harassed by guides and they waved happily at me, grateful to recognise someone amidst the chaos.

Off to the right side of the Butterball was a rock cut sculpture representing a group of elephants, monkeys, and a peacock. The sculpture was carved from a granite rock and is still inlaid. It was very similar to the bas relief of the Descent of the Ganga. Nearby, there were two temples cut from rocks, the triple celled rock cut shrine and a Kottikal Mandapa. Both were dated to the beginning of the Pallava dynasty around 600-638 CE.

On the other side of the Butterball, I reached a Ganesha Ratha which was a monolithic temple. Dedicated to Shiva, it had a square floor plan with a picture of Ganesha inside and two lion pillars at the entrance. I love how intricate and beautiful the stone temples are. They were once colorfully painted but now only the stone remains which is still very impressive.

I passed by many other caves as I wandered down the pathway climbing rocks and stairs until I came to a large gate called the Royagopuram. The monument is an incomplete gopuram that stand atop the summit of the hill. From the Royagopuram you get a view of the city down below.

At last I reached the sight that Anjali had been dying to see - the lighthouse. It was closed for lunch so I didn’t get to climb it. On another hill was a temple so I climbed up the stairs of the temple for an even better view of the hillscape. The area had been preserved very nicely and was very lush and green. It was almost 2pm and Mahabalipuram is known for being unbearably hot. It was almost 100 degrees so I decided to cool off with a coconut before I headed back to give Anjali some respite.

For lunch Anjali and I met up at the Warf 2.0 again and split a fried masala fish dish. Norah was in such a good mood and could not stop playing and wiggling her arms. It also meant she refused and fought sleep for nearly 2 hours following lunch. When she finally fell asleep, I stayed with her while Anjali escaped for an hour to swim. We traded places and I took a nice long walk on the beach. The beach was very nice for Indian standards and the water was very warm too! Further down the beach there were many shells and I even found a starfish which I had never seen before.

I was very energized from the adventures today and felt I had my fill of the monuments that Mahabalipuram had to offer!