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| Located about 60 Kms. south of Chennai on the shores of the Bay of
Bengal, Mamallapuram was once a thriving port of the Pallava Dynasty . Built in the
7th century A.D. , the port provided a trading point with many distant countries. The Pallavas have created masterpieces on rocks with many of the sculptures breathing life.The Pallavas appear to have perfected the art of sculpting rocks as is revealed by the marvelous Sculptural Panels, Caves, Monolithic Rathas and Temples. |
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Arjuna's penance is considered the world's largest bas relief measuring 27m by 9m. This sculptural panel shows animals, Gods and Angels contemplating the descent of the Ganges from it's source in the Himalayas and also depicts popular fables from the Panchatantra. Besides these, the Mahishamardhini Cave, .the Krishna Mandapam and Varsha Mandapam also have beautiful reliefs. These depict Lord Vishnu reclining on the coils of the seven headed serpent and Krishna as incarnation of Vishnu lifting mount Govardhana on his little finger to protect his kinsman from the wrath of the Indra |
| The monolith Five Rathas (chariots) and Arjuna's penance stand
as evidence of the spectacular sculpting techniques employed by the Pallavas. An unique shore temple which houses the shrines of both Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva stands as a living monument of the ancient Pallava architecture. These monumental splendors and sunny beach resorts attract tourists from all over the world. |
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