Mamallapuram Things to Do

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From late december and january (from 23.12.2013 until 25.1.2014...) for a month every day from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm, a perforemance of 3 to 4 different groups or solo artists each one having 3 to 4 dances in plain air, free entry.

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" Panch Rathas " " Five Chariots " The Rathas shrines are reminiscent of the wooden processional Charriots , vehicles of Gods and Heroes models , which exist in all the temples of South India
By the sea , in the sand , which covered these sculptures for many years and in a place which were located the right size stones , are the results of the R & D of the Palava culture , made in the seventh century
They built these " Rathas ", each in a single rock with different forms and styles, to use as models or prototypes of the temples they were going to build and with the remains of stone left over they made ​​figures like the Leon , the ox Nandi or the elephant ( in the pictures you can figure the dimensions )
They carved figures like Durga with her four arms and surrounded by her supporters , where one of them appears cutting his head as a sacrifice to the Goddess, we can see also the figure of Shiva Ardha Narīshuar ( Half man, half woman), half Parvati and half Shiva. You may notice clearly the contrast between the shoulders , breasts , hips, legs ... that in a side are male and in the other female

"Panch Rathas" "Cinco Carrozas" Las Rathas son santuarios que recuerdan a las carrozas de madera procesionales, vehículos de los Dioses y delos Heroes, que existen en todos los templos del Sur de la India
Al lado del mar, en un arenal, que cubrió estas esculturas durante muchos años y en un sitio en que localizaron las piedras de tamaño adecuado, se encuentran los resultados del I+D de la cultura Palava, realizado en el Siglo VII
Construyeron estas "Rathas" cada uno en una sola roca con distintas formas y estilos, como maquetas o prototipos de los templos que iban a construir y con los restos de piedras que les sobraban hicieron figuras como el León, el buey Nandi o el elefante ( En las fotos se pueden ver sus dimensiones)
Tallaron figuras como la de Durga con sus cuatro brazos y rodeada de votos, donde uno de ellos aparece cortándose la cabeza como sacrificio a la Diosa , también podemos ver la figura de Shiva Ardha Narīshuar ( Mitad hombre, mitad mujer ), mitad Parvati y mitad Shiva . Se puede ver claramente el contraste entre los hombros, los pechos, la cadera las piernas... que a un lado son masculinos y al otro femeninos

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This "mandapa" (Rock Temple) is dedicated to Vishnu in his avatar of Varaha, Wild Boar
There is a porch of pillars carved with figures of lions and inside there are some reliefs of Dradivian style, although some scholar said that in some of them there is some oriental influence.
In one of the reliefs, depicts Vishnu when rescued from the bottom of the sea , as you can see with his foot he crushes the serpent head and is worshipped by various deities
In another panels you may see :
- Lakshmi prepared for the bathroom, where the elephants are ready for the shower
- Trivikrama Vishnu avatar, in a dwarf, appears with one foot on the ground, other in the heavens and a third on King Mahabali, who gave the name to Mahabalipuram.
- Vishnu is surrounded by Brahma, Shiva, the sun and moon

Esta "mandapa" ( Templo en la roca ) está dedicado a Vishnu en su avatar de Varaha , Jabalí
Hay un pórtico de columnas con figuras de leones talladas y dentro hay hay unos relieves, de estilo Dradiva, aunque algún estudioso dice que en alguno de ellos hay alguna influencia oriental.
En uno de los relieves representa cuando Vishnu rescata a la tierra del fondo del mar , se puede ver como con su pie aplasta a la serpiente y mientras es adorado por varias deidades
En otro aparece :
- Lakhsmi preparándose para el baño, que se lo darán dos elefantes
- Trivikrama ( Avatar del enano ) , Vishnu en su reencarnación de enano aparece con un pié en la tierra , otro en los cielos y otro sobre el rey Mahabali , que le dió el nombre a Mahabalipuram .
- Vishnu está rodeado de Brahma, Shiva, el sol y la luna
En el otro panel aparece Durga sobre un loto

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Good and bad news , the bad news is that it is unclear what represents this wonderful relief of 27 meters long , with more than one thousand figures of men and animals and the good news is that we can choose between two legends, that will tell to you, in order that you choose the one you like or stay with the two
- " Penance of Arjuna " Arjuna was retired to meditate and lead an ascetic life in order to obtain from Lord Shiva the most powerful weapon to defeat their enemies , the " pasupata astra " , that he never used it because if used it against a mortal it could destroy the world
- "Descent of the Ganges" , which is represented as nagas at the intersection of the two great rocks, when the river Ganga was descending on the earth and Lord Shiva used her hair to spill the water gently and not shred the entire Earth. The King Bhagirtha tried to please the Ganga Godess in order that she should come down to the Earth to purify his ancestors
People and animals are held celebrating around either event
In both cases Arjuna or Bhagiratha is represented by a man , a hermit , which is on one foot , with the arms raised and a yoga posture .
As amusing details we can see a cat in the same position as the ascetic figure and mice around him, the deer scratches his head , the little elephant asleep , the monkeys ...
Some say that the most important thing is not to try to understand , but keep on always looking

Una noticia buena y una mala , la mala es que no está claro que representa este maravilloso relieve de 27 metros de largo, con más mil figuradas de hombres y animales y la buena es que podemos elegir entre dos leyendas que las vamos a contar para que puedas elegir la que más te guste o bien quedarte con las dos
- " La Penitencia de Arjuna " Arjuna se retiró a meditar y a llevar vida de asceta para que Lord Shiva le concediera el arma más potente para derrotar a sus enemigos , la " pasupata astra" , que nunca utilizó pues pues si la usaba contra un mortal podría destruir el mundo
- El descenso del Ganges, que se representa en forma de nagas en la intersección de las dos grandes rocas, donde el río Ganges desciende sobre la tierra y Lord Shiva utiliza su cabellera para que el agua se derrame suavemente y no destroce a toda la Tierra . El Rey Bhagirata pretendía agradar ala diosa Ganges para que bajara a la tierra y purificara a sus antepasados
La gente y los animales que están alrededor, celebran cualquiera de los dos sucesos
En ambos casos Arjuna o Bhagirata están representados por un hombre, anacoreta, que está sobre un sólo pie, con los brazos levantados y en una postura de yoga .
Como detalles graciosos podemos ver también a un gato en la misma postura que el asceta y a los ratones alrededor de él, el ciervo que se rasca la cabeza, el pequeño elefante dormido, los monos...
Hay quien dice que lo más importante no es intentar comprender, pero seguir mirando siempre

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They say that with the stone shaped as a "butter ball" Lord Krishna played and he lost it
Among the pranks of child Krishna , it was to steal the butter when her mother was doing it and it is told in a story that on one occasion his adoptive mother opened her mouth to see if he was actually taking the butter and she saw the whole world within it
They also say that they was throwing them to the "gopis" (shepherds) to make them rage
Balance"Stable, unstable and indifferent" is what we study in his day and here have tested our knowledge, before this great marble that could not move or kings.
It appears that these rules of physics does not much care for goats that only worry for shade
Dicen que la piedra, con forma de "bola de mantequilla", es una con las que jugaba Lord Krishna y que se le perdió
Entre las travesuras que hacía Krishna de niño, estaba la de robar la mantequilla a su madre cuando la estaba haciendo y se cuenta en una historia, que en una ocasión su madre adoptiva le abrió la boca, para comprobar si efectivamente le estaba cogiendo la mantequilla y vio al mundo entero dentro de ella
También dicen que se las tiraba a las "gopis" ( pastoras ) para hacerlas rabiar
Equilibrio "estable, inestable e indiferente" es lo que estudiamos en su día y aquí se han puesto a prueba nuestros conocimientos, ante esta gran canica que no han podido mover ni los reyes . Parece que estas reglas de la física no le preocupan mucho a las cabras que solo se preocupan de tener sombra

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This is one of the eight Mandapams that we will enjoy in Mamallapuram
The Mandapams or Halls are rock-cut temples made at the time of the Palava dynasty and the sculptors carved the stones with impressive realism
Above the cave are large boulders and in front of the cave is a portico of columns carved with mythological animals
In one of the walls are carved reliefs in which depicts young Lord Krishna , when he saved the farmers and their livestock from drowning, since Lord Indra had decided to punish them with torrential rains, so with one finger raised Govardhana hill and thus protected them and gave them shelter
Lord Krishna and many more figures also appears in another scene with beautiful detail as a shepherd milking a cow that is licking her calf, a shepherdess with a pitcher of curd in the head, a man with a child on his shoulder, a woodcutter with his ax and many more figures
Este es uno de los ocho Mandapams que vamos a poder disfrutar en Mamallapuram
Los Mandapams o salones son templos excavados en la roca , en la época de la dinastía Palava y que los escultores tallaron las piedras con un impresionante realismo
Encima de la cueva hay grandes piedras redondas y delante de la cueva hay un pórtico de columnas talladas con animales mitológicos
En las paredes están tallados unos relieves en los que se representa a Lord Krishna de joven, cuando salvó a los campesinos y a su ganado de morir ahogados, pues el Dios Indra había decidido castigarles con unas lluvias torrenciales, así que con un sólo dedo levantó la colina de Govardhana y así los protegió y les dio cobijo
También aparece Lord Krishna en otra escena que con todo detalle se ve a un pastor ordeñando a una vaca que está lamiendo a su ternera, una pastora con una jarra de cuajada en la cabeza, un hombre con un niño al hombro, un leñador con su hacha y muchas más figuras

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We are in the "territory" of Lord Vishnu and this is actually the most important living temple in town
It is included in one of the 108 temples that are referenced in the Holy books Azhvar (It was a group of South Indian mystics, who traveled between the seventh and tenth centuries visiting all the temples, singing hymns worshipping to Vishnu)

Estamos en "territorio" de Lord Visnu y de hecho el templo activo más importante de la ciudad es este
Está incluido entre uno de los 108 templos que están referenciados en los libros Santos de los Azhvar ( Era un grupo de místicos indios del Sur de la India , que recorrieron entre los siglos VII y X los templos cantando himnos de adorando a Vishnu )

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The Bay of Bengal caresses and hits to this great temple , which is probably not alone because it could be part of the legend of the seven pagodas. In fact during the 2004 Tsunami when it lowered the water level it could be seen buildings that could be the basis of some other temple and as the sea removed and took a lot of sand , also carved rocks with animal shapes that had never seen were uncovered
There are two slender towers, the first to be built was higher and it was looking to the sea, but they realized that this was not very orthodox as the temple should face to the village , so they built the new chapel.
The two altars shrines are dedicated to Shiva, you may see Nandi rows surrounding the temple, the Lingams , but between the two temples you can may see a carving of Vishnu
They are making a great effort to preserve this master piece of inclement weather , They have built a wall to protect it from flooding , have been surrounded by gardens and figures are treated with pulp paper to prevent their damages . ..
El golfo de Bengala acaricia y también golpea a esta maravilla de templo, que posiblemente no esté solo pues podría ser parte de la leyenda de las siete pagodas. De hecho durante el Tsunami de 2004 cuando bajó el nivel del agua se pudieron ver construcciones que podían ser la base de algún otro templo y al retirarse el mar y llevarse mucha arena, también quedaron al descubierto rocas labradas que nunca se habían visto
Son dos torres esbeltas , una la primera que se construyó es más alta y se hizo mirando al mar, pero dicen que se dieron cuenta que esto no era muy ortodoxo pues el templo debería mirar hacia el pueblo construyeron la otra capilla .
Los dos altares altares están dedicados a Shiva , vemos las filas de Nandis que rodean el templo , el Lingam , pero entre las dos se puede ver también una talla de Visnu
Se está haciendo un gran esfuerzo para conservar esta obra de arte de las inclemencias del tiempo, se ha hecho un muro para protegerla de las inundaciones , se han hecho jardines en los alrededores, se tratan con pulpa de papel las figuras para evitar su deterioro ...

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Tiger's Cave Temple, Mamallapuram

Tiger cave is around 5 Kms from Mahabalipuram at a place called “Saluvankuppam”. And as you can see in pictures the carvings of Tiger heads on the mouth of a cave thus it gets its name. And this cave temple again built by Pallavas around 800 AD. And its also called as Yali Mandapam and its said that the animal depicted is the mythological Yali. And apart from this we have Shiva temple around corner where you will find rock cut cave templewith Shiva Linga and Nandi is at a corner and this temple is carved belowe ground level. And there are two big boulders amidst this permises. The mandapam is open air theatre and hosts some cultural events. And lawn at this site is really good and its kinda picnic spot too.. but I found its more like lover’s spot.

And no entrance fees to this place.

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Varaha Mandapam, Mamallapuram

I have uploaded photos in order.

Varaha Mandapam is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and its one of his avatar or role known as “Varaha”. It’s the best Mandapam of all in Mamallapuram and its almost complete. And in front of Mandapam we can see a small tank. There are four sculptures on wall of this Mandapam from Hindu Mythology. Out of which “Varaha” and “Trivikrama” are the two incarnation of Lord Vishnu, other one is of Goddess Laxmi and last one is of Goddess Durga.

VARAHA AVATARA:-
Varaha means “Wild Boar” and Lord Vishnu took the form of wild boar and rescued the Earth from the great depth. On this panel in the center we can see Varaha holding Goddess Earth( Bhudevi) in his lower hands and supports Goddess on his right knee, his right leg is placed on snake.

Gajalakshmi:-
Next panel on the right is of Goddess Lakshmi and its also called as “Gaja Lakshmi”.In the center we can see Goddess Lakshmi sitting on lotus and her two legs resting on lotus leaf. And we can see female attendants around her. The female attendats carrying jugs also we see heads of two elephants above. And this sculptures actually related with the mythology where Gods and Demons where churning sea to get magical things out of it.

Durga:-
The four armed Durga is seen standing under umbrella standing on a lotus, She is seen holding conch and discus in her upper hands and her lower left hand resting on thigh and lower right hand in Abhaya Mudra. On the top left corner we can see head of a lion, the vehicle of Durga and on the right is the head of a deer. These two animals are connected with Durga in both mythology and art.

Trivikrama:-
This sculpture is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the Vamana Avtar, who came as a dwarf to subdue the arrogant asura “Mahabali”. And interesting thing is even though Mahabali was demon he was known for charity and justice and he is considered to be the founder of Kerala, God’s own country.

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The Shore Temple, a World Heritage Site, was built by Pallava King Rajasimha in the 7th century. Made from sandstone with a granite base, it is the earliest important structural temple in Southern India. It is a good example of temples constructed in the Dravidian style. The temple's three sanctuaries are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The temple has two tall pyramid-shaped towers topped by octagonal domes. The temple walls are topped by large sculputes of Nandi, Shiva's bull mount. Unlike the Panch Rathas, the Shore Temple was complete and functional.

The Shore Temple overlooks the Bay of Bengal and is so near the sea, it has suffered considerable erosion, most recently
from the tsumani in 2004.

Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entry fee (valid for Panch Rathas complex and the Shore Temple): Rs 250 (adults), Rs 10 (Indians & children)
Video charge: Rs 25

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The Nakula Sahadeva Ratha is named after the Pandava twins. This smallish shrine has a barrel roof and is apsidal in shape, or U-shaped. In India, the architectural term is gajaprishta, which literally means an elephant's behind. As if to prove the point, a large sculpted elephant stands next to the ratha, with the back of the ratha lining up to the backside of the elephant.

Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entry fee (valid for Panch Rathas complex and the Shore Temple): Rs 250 (adults), Rs 10 (Indians & children)
Video charge: Rs 25

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The Dharmaraja Ratha is a larger version of the Arjuna Ratha. It has three storeys and an octagonal dome roof, the shikhara. Similar to most temple roofs in India the roof covered with repeating elements. Sculpted panels are carved in the upper storeys of this ratha.

On the lower level there are beautiful scupltures of Harihara, a composite form of Shiva and Vishnu. The left side of the body is Vushni, with a tapering crown. On the right is Shiva with matted locks of hair.

Along with Harihara, another hightlight of this rathan is a sculpture of King Narasimha, a Pallava king shown wearing a crown, a silk garment, and jewellery.

Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entry fee (valid for Panch Rathas complex and the Shore Temple): Rs 250 (adults), Rs 10 (Indians & children)
Video charge: Rs 25

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Bhima Ratha is the largest of the five rathas. This rectangular ratha has a barrel-vaulted roof, long columned porch, and an unfinished lower level. It's named after the Pandava bother who was known for his strength.

Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entry fee (valid for Panch Rathas complex and the Shore Temple): Rs 250 (adults), Rs 10 (Indians & children)
Video charge: Rs 25

Part of the complex but not a ratha, the life-size sculpture of Nandi (Shiva's bull mount) was carved from a single rock. Temples that honor Shiva will have a stone image of a seated Nandi that face the main shrine. That is why you'll find Nandi here facing the Arjuna Ratha.

Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entry fee (valid for Panch Rathas complex and the Shore Temple): Rs 250 (adults), Rs 10 (Indians & children)
Video charge: Rs 25