Site of the first stone temples in India, hewn out of stone by the Chola dynasty; also a beach resort
1 Fishermen's village north of Mamallapuram
2 Path from hotel to beach
3 We had mosquito netting over the bed
4 The Panch (five) Rathas (processional temple chariots), named after the Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata and their wife, Draupadi; all carved out of the stone during the 7th century
5 Statue of the goddess Durga in the Draupadi Ratha
6 Arjuna Ratha
7 Nandi next to Arjuna Ratha
8 Bhima Ratha (front) and Dharmaraja Ratha
9 Bhima Ratha, showing the stone carved as if it were wood
10 Androgynous Shiva, half-male and half-female
11 Dome on the Dharmaraja Ratha
12 Left to right, Nakul Sahadeva, Draupadi, Arjuna and Bhima Rathas (plus elephant)
13 Elephant carved out of the stone
14 The Shore Temple seen from the beach
15 The Shore Temple (really two temples) is India's first cut-stone temple, dating from the 7th century
16 The temples
17 Tourists from two continents on a third
18 The Shore Temples
19 Wall sculptures in the Panch Pandava Cave Temple
20 Wall sculptures in the Panch Pandava Cave Temple
21 Arjuna's Penance (or Bhagiratha's Penance) - a representation in stone of the descent of the Ganges from heaven to earth
22 Detail showing the Ganga flowing down the crack in the rock, complete with nagas (serpents). Upper left, the rishi is standing on one leg in tapasya (austerity)
23 Bhagiratha's Penance, detail of elephants
24 Carved monkeys
25 Krishna's butterball, a curious balanced rock
26 Tiger Cave, Durga shrine
27 Curious rock near Tiger Cave
28 Bas-relief showing the goddess Durga, seated on a lion, fighting a buffalo-headed demon with her bow
29 Sandal maker
30 Doggies near the beach
31 Mamallapuram Beach
32 Mamallapuram Beach
33 Fishermen setting out to sea
34 Boats on the beach
35 Remains of pirogues destroyed by the tsunami
36 Tourists resting in the evening sun
37 We met a group of fascinating kids from an orphanage
38 They wanted to be photograped...
39 ... so they were. What actors! Must be practicing for film rolls.
