Caption: The Cover Photo of Zone -4.PoI - 42.
#Mahabalipuram POIs & Accessibility - 42 - Elephant Statue - Zone - 4 - TravellerG
Dear friends,
This post is a member of the Mega - Series of 51 posts, about Mahabalipuram, created as a Total “Photo-Walk and Traveller Guide” covering all the “Tourist Destinations” of Mahabalipuram. The 51 POIs are grouped into 4 Zones & a few stand-alone monuments according to the location of monuments. In other words, if one visits 4 zones, all the important POIs can be covered.
List of POIs & Headings - Here.
| POI | POI (Monument) Name | GMaps | TG Posts’ | Heritage | Photos | Visit | Monument | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Links | Links | IMP | IMP | Priority | Type | (Minutes) | |
| ZONE -1 | ||||||||
| 1 | Murugan Temple | Here | Here | 4 | 4 | Low | Structural | 15 |
Introduction to Mahabalipuram:
Mahabalipuram is a picturesque historical coastal city in Tamil Nadu around 60 km from Chennai. One of India’s oldest cities. Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) stands at the top of the popular tourist destinations in Asia.
The previous post (POI No -41) of this series about Draupadi Chariot (Ratha) is Here
The next POI No -43 is ‘Tiger Statue’, which will be published shortly.
This POI: Elephant Statue
Location: Situated before Bhima Chariot and left side of Nakul and Sahadev Chariot.
Zone Map:
Photo - 1. Caption: India Map & the zone map of Zone - 4, Mahabalipuram.
Elephant Statue
The Elephant Statue is a part of the five chariots (Pancha Ratha) compound Monuments. These were built in the 7th century by the Pallava dynasty king Mahendravarman I & his son Narasimhavarman I continued the construction. Despite their efforts, the monuments are unfinished.
The Elephant statue is one of the three animal statues in the Pancha Ratha compound. This Statue is dedicated to “Airaavatha” (a mythological white elephant, the Vahana of Lord Indra). The Elephant Statue is behind the Tiger Statue when viewed from the entrance. It is a huge Elephant (Life size), without tusks and the Statue is done with a lot of care.
Taking photos by standing adjacent to the elephant is a craze for many tourists.
Photo.2 - Caption: The Elephant Statue.
Photo.3 - Caption: Closeup of the statue.
Photo.4 - Caption: side view of the statue, where we can see the broken tusk.
Photo.5 - Caption: An elegant view of the statue.
Photo.6 - Caption: Another side view.
Photo.7 - Caption: A rearview.
Accessibility: It is difficult to push the wheelchair through the sand dunes.
- The Google Maps link of the POI = Here
- Reference Link (Wiki) = Here
- Heritage Importance = 4/5
- Photographic Importance = 5/5
- Visit Priority = Very Important
- Monument Type = Statue
- The Duration to see the POI = 4 minutes.
- Entry: Adult = INR40, Foreigner = ₹350 & Camera – INR 20.(Kindly reconfirm the entry fee & visiting hour before your trip).
- Official Visiting hours: 9 am to 5:30 pm.
- Photography: Open-air structure and hence comfortable to shoot almost at any time; however, HDR in ON position may help you to some extent. From 11 am to 3 pm it will very hot and also better to avoid photography.
- How to reach: By Railways: Nearest Railway stations are Chengalpattu (29 km) and Chennai (48 km) well-connected with many Indian cities. By Airways: Chennai International Airport (55 km) away from Mahabalipuram. By Road: Private/Public bus services can be availed from many cities of Tamil Nadu and South India including Chennai and Chengalpattu to reach Mahabalipuram.
Flash photography is prohibited in all the monuments of Mahabalipuram.
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