This zone is the most famous zone & never miss this area. This covers 19 POIs & 2 Parkings (In the Master, Zone -1 has POI Sl. No. 1 to 7 & here the POI Sl Nos are from 8 to 28). Out of 19 POIs, 9 are primary.
- Where to park the vehicle?
In the zonal map, the parking is shown (Sl.No: 1 & 26). The parking is not very spacious.
- What is the suggested sequence of visiting POIs?
Including the parking, kindly follow the sequence of the serial number provided in the Zonal Map. This will help you to save time & allow you to view all the POIs without missing any.
- Which are the important POIs?
All the POIs are important, but in case if you only have limited time, then according to me, the top priority POIs are:
9, 11 & 12, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23 & 27
- Photography:
All the POIs are worth capturing. 9 & 10 needs bright day/morning. No 11 & 12 need a wide-angle lens if you want to cover in one frame- this is also good for Souvenir Photography (exposed, so any part of the day is OK.)
POI 13 is facing west, hence go for afternoons, if possible (not practical, as per the sequence)
Museums (19 & 20) have poor lighting & tripod is not allowed inside.
16 also has poor visibility. Lighthouse has beautiful views and worth spending time.
22 & 23 are very important - 27 & 28 also - details in each post.
Flash photography is prohibited in all the monuments of Mahabalipuram.
| Sl | ZONE -2 | Description | Google Maps | Importance | Importance | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Link/Other | (Heritage) | (Photography) | (Minutes) | ||
| 8 | Parking area for Car | Small area, suitable for cars only | ||||
| 9 | Krishna Mandapam | Rock cut, beautiful rock-reliefs | Here | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 10 | Pancha Pandava Mandapam | Rock cut - Mandapam | Here | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 | Descent of the Ganges | Open-air Rock-reliefs - most famous area | Here | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 12 | Arjuna’s Penance | As above (Both are in one area) | Here | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 13 | Thrimoorthy Cave Temple | Rock cut temple with 3 Cells | Here | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| 14 | Krishna’s Butter Ball | Huge boulder resting on a short incline | Here | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 15 | Ganesha Ratha | Temple made of Rock | Here | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | Varaha Cave | Rock cut, with Vigrahas | Here | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 17 | Raya Gopuram | Partially completed Fort/Gopuram | Here | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 18 | Ramanuja Mandapam | Rock cut, | Here | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 19 | Heritage Museum (wrongly Named) | Ancient Maritime exhibits | Here | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 20 | Maritime Museum | Similar to the above | Here | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 21 | Mamallapuram Lighthouse | Lighthouse - needs to climb steps | Here | 5 | 5 | 30 |
| 22 | Mahishasuramardini cave | Rock cut, beautiful rock-reliefs | Here | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 23 | Olakkannesvara Temple | A rock temple on another big rock | Here | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 24 | Sri Dharmaraja Mandapam | Rock Cut | Here | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 25 | Rock Reliefs | Ancient rock reliefs | Here | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 26 | Parking area for Car & Bus | Larger Parking can accommodate a few buses | others | |||
| 27 | Sri Sthala Sayana Perumal Temple | Hindu temple, very beautiful roof | Here | 5 | 5 | 30 |
| 28 | Sculpture Museum (Govt) | Collections of ancient items | Here | 4 | 4 | 30 |
- Entry: Rs.10 for Indians & Rs.250 for foriegners (Dec 2020).
- What is the approximate duration needed to visit the zone: Min 4Hours. (Timings are given for each monument is given the table.
- Preferred time of visit: Morning (the sunlight will be favourable for most of the photography, except Trimurti Cave Temple).
Image -1; Caption: All the Numbered POIs of Zone -2 & its location
Image -2; Caption: Google Maps’Satelite Image of Zone 2
Photo -1; Caption: Trimurti Cave
Photo -2; Caption: Krishna’s Butter Ball.
Photo -3; Caption: Arjuna’s Penance & Descent of Ganges.
Photo -4; Caption: Mahishasuramardini
Photo -5; Caption: Raya Gopuram - the incomplete structure.
Photo -6; Caption: Mamallapuram Lighthouse
Photo -7; Caption: Heritage Museum
Photo -8; Caption: Maritime Museum, an adjacent building to Heritage Museum (Fully Airconditioned)
Photo -9; Caption: A tiger/Vyali face with Canines - One can insert a finger in the mouth from the sides.
After completing Zone 3 & 4, we will briefly discuss the history; thereafter, we will deal with each POI separately.
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Thanks in advance…
PS:
Request: If you find any typo/error, kindly notify me, so that I can immediately correct the same.