Idea #389 – Discovering the antique city of Mahabalipuram
The archeological site presents the vestiges of an exceptional sanctuary, on the coast of Coromandel. It was founded between VIIth and VIIIth centuries by the sovereigns of Pallava. Dug in the rock, we can observe five big categories of monuments there: rathas (temples in the shape of processional tanks, cut in the stone, appearing from some sand), mabdapas (rupestral sanctuaries, fitted out in rooms walls of which are covered with bas-reliefs), stone temples cut (as the Shore temple, with its pyramidal tower, its high walking(steps) and its thousand sculptures, which although worn out by time, is considered as the peak of the art Pallava), monolithic rathas (of forms varied, of one in three floors) and reliefs on outdoor rock (representing the traditional iconography of Shiva). The site is registered on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1984.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, Inde