Megalithic burial urns, Chinese coins, seven pagodas, stories from the diaries of Marco Polo and a king who was a mighty wrestler! If you are wondering where you can find all of this, then take a break from Chennai and head towards one of its most popular getaways — Mahabalipuram or Mammallapuram as it was originally known.
A seventh century port city of the south Indian Pallava dynasty, the once flourishing sea port takes its name from the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who was fondly addressed as the 'Maha-malla' or the great wrestler. Wrestling was one of the most popular sports of the Pallava dynasty. According to legend the asura Hiranyakasipu refused to acknowledge Lord Vishnu as a supreme deity. Prahalada, son of the asura, was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. When the father and son had a serious argument about the presence of Vishnu, Prahalada declared Vishnu as an omnipresent and omnipotent power. Prahalada ruled over the kingdom for a long time, till it was taken over by Mahabali, the son of Prahalada.
According to folklore Mahabalipuram also gets its name from the ancient king Mahabali. The Pallava kings of the time established maritime trade with distant kingdoms of south-east Asia including Cambodia, Malaysia, Sumatra and Java.
This treasure trove of splendid sculpture and architecture is especially known for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs and shore temples which were constructed between 600-700 AD.
Of all the structures, the most significant are the shore temples. Though mystery surrounds the existence of these temples, you may be surprised to know that Mahabalipuram was nicknamed the town of seven pagodas during the days of the Pallavas.
Today tourists can see the remnants of one shore temple with the rest said to have been buried under water. During the tsunami of 2004, fishermen of the region claimed to have had a glimpse of other buried structures under water. The processional chariots or the five rathas as they are popularly called are monolithic constructions built of diorite. They are cut from the residual blocks of diorite which emerge from the sand.
The five rathas of the south, which are the most famous, date to the reign of Naharasimhavarman Mamalla, the great Pallava king.
Most of the monuments like the rock-cut rathas, sculptured scenes on open rocks like Arjuna's penance, the caves of Govardhanadhari and Ahishasuramardini, and the Jala-Sayana Perumal temple (the sleeping Mahavishnu or Chakrin at the rear part of the Shore temple complex) are all UNESCO world heritage sites and are worth a visit if you want a peep into the glorious past of the Pallavas.