The temple town of Mahabalipuram is located in the state of TamilNadu in India. Mahabalipuram also called as "Mammallapuram" was named after the Pallava king "Narasimha Varman I". It is an ancient sea port. The king also set this place as his capital and established center for arts and sculpture. You can see a lot of sculptures in this place and these giant works were mostly craved from single rock. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Shore Temple
The shore temple is having the complex structure and has been standing in the shore for more than 1000 years. It was built during the reign of the Pallava King Rajasimha. But most of the sculptures have been eroded due to saline action. The temple consist of three shrines one facing east and the other facing west and the other shrine placed between the two. Of these one shrine is for Vishnu known as "Sthala Shayana Perumal" - the only place where Vishnu is seen reclining on the floor but you can see this only through segments in the door. The other two shrines were for Lord Shiva. You can see the pillars of the temple bearing the Pallava Emblem and roaring lions. There is also a majestic lion a which carries a miniature Mahishasuramardini carved inside a square cavity cut in the neck of the animal.
On the weekend the temple is litup after sunset making a spectacular view.
Timings for visiting the shore Temple
9 AM to 5.30 PM
Illumination Timings at shore temple
From sunset to 8 PM
Entry Fee
The fee is around Rs 15 for Indians and Rs 250 for foreigners
How to reach
It is at a distance of 60kms from Chennai. It takes about 1.30hr to reach. All along the drive on the East Coast Road you can see food courts, amusement parks(VGP, MGM Dizzee World) and art villages.
Location
Located in the Coromandel Coast in Kanchipuram District
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