Located just a couple hours south of the south Indjan megacity of Chennai along the scenic East Coastal Road (ECR) , the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mahabalipuram/Mamallapuram are surely worth a day trip from Chennai.
The easiest and most flexible way being, to charter a taxi.( Public transport available from places like Koyambedu Mofussil Bus Terminus Chennai- CMBT).
These are amongst the first signboards to greet you at the place.
Tha Mamallapuram/Mahabalipuram temples date back to the 7th-8th century , established by the Pallava dynasty…
The Pancha Rathas meaning ‘5 chariots’ ; each for the 5 Pandava brothers (Dharmaraj Yudhishthir, Arjun, Bhim, Nakul and Sahadev) from the Indian epic Mahabharata are a favourite attraction for the tourists.
After exploring that and the famously mystical ‘Krishna’s Butterball’ - a spherical rock perched ever-so-precariously on the side of a hillock…one can enjoy a traditional lunch on a plantain leaf at a local restaurant…like I did.
Then…it’s onwards to the Krishna Mandapam and the Mahabalipuram lighthouse for fascinating views of the surroundings…
From the lighthouse…
One can end the day watching the sunset and the Malabar coast from the Shore temple.
It is worth noting that M’puram was a major port in the ancient times, with traders from ancient Rome to Ancient China coming here. The beauty of this place is truly unparalleled. An exemplary embodiment of my #IncredibleIndia !
(P.S. this was also the site of a meeting between India’s hon’ble PM Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Xi Jingping a couple of years ago)