Discovering Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is an ancient town on the outskirts of Chennai that was a flourishing sea-port for hundreds of years (1-100 AD). This town was a vital part of the trade-link between the Coramandel coast of India and the Far East - a link hidden to Arabia and Europe, who thought of India as the single source for all exotic spices. In reality, mace and nutmeg - once among the most treasured of spices - actually came from islands of Indonesia and Malaysia via Mahabalipuram and other nearby ports. This fact was cleverly hidden by Indian merchants who traded these spices to Arabs for large profits on the Malabar coast .

Mahabalipuram is also home to some of the most extraordinary stone sculptures from the ancient world, the time when the Pallavas ruled the South. India has many rock-cut architectures from even older times and in larger scale, such as those in the Ellora and Ajanta caves. However, what makes Mahabalipuram special are the free-standing monolithic temples carved out of single granite rocks and the exquisite hill-side stone reliefs - some of which sport the oldest known Devnagari scripts along with scenes from the Mahabharata.

It seems like every rocky hillside and stone formation became the canvas for these artists of old. Their ebalorate reliefs and life-like statues tell stories that have lasted thousands of years. They have lasted in spite of the assault by salty ocean sprays, the tides and the infrequent tsunamis and hurricanes.

I was attending a business event very close to this old seaside town and my host offered to be my guide to these ancient wonders. Thank you, Mani! This was a well-spent two hours that made a far greater impact than my history books at school ever did.

The large, detailed relief popularly called Arjuna's Penance shows Arjuna praying for divine support before entering the big war. One can see the Gods and demons looking on in awe. Another interpretation of this relief has Bhagirath praying to bring the goddess Ganges to the earth. On one corner, you can even see a pious cat praying to fool the mice into coming closer - some of our folk stories are that old apparently! The large elephant in the middle of this (and other reliefs) lead some to believe a Buddhist influence exists in these art-forms.


Another relief, this time within the confines of a hall with pillars - all carved out of a rocky hillside - shows Krishna holding up a hillock to protect his fellow villagers from heavy thunderstorms unleashed by Indra. In each of these detailed artwork in stone, the detailing of these popular scenes from Indian mythology is quite amazing.



We drove past a gaint granite stone balanced precariously on a hillside and got down again to stroll around the Panch Rathas i.e., the Five Chariots. These are five monolithic temples in the shape of chariots each made in a different style and named after a character from the Mahabharata.





Finally, I visited the Shore Temple which has been the landmark most associated with Chennai. Early European travellers refered to this location as the Seven Pagodas, setting off a legend about a city under the sea. Interestingly, the tsunami of 2004 uncovered more ancient underwater ruins that has given recent impetus to archeological expeditions. Who know, maybe the other six 'pagodas' are indeed waiting to be discovered under the sea after all!


By the time I returned to my hotel, it was dark. The pepper-fried squid on the in-room dining menu was particularly delicious! Try it, if you are ever at The Trident in Chennai.