The ancient port city of Mamallapuram under Pallava dynasty in Tamil Nadu flourished with a number of marvellous architecture. This seventh century Pallava sites have been declared as UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1984 by the name “Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram”.
Ratha temples or Pancha Ratha: Also known as Pandava Rathas, they are the earliest rock-cut temples in India, comprising of Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Nakula and Sahadeva Ratha, and Draupadi Ratha, dated around 7th century AD. Dharmaraja Ratha is the largest structure among the five.
Rock-cut caves: which include Varaha Cave Temple, Krishna Cave Temple, Panchapandava Cave Temple, and the Mahishasuramardini Mandapa (Bas-relief of Goddess Durga killing Mahishasura).
Open Air Rock Reliefs: which include Descent of the Ganges which is also known as Arjuna’s Penance or Bhagiratha’s Penance carved on two huge boulders. It narrates the story of the descent of River Ganga on earth from heaven by the efforts of Bhagiratha.
Shore Temple complex: which includes which has two small and one large temple enclosed within a two tier compound wall studded with images of Nandi, the vahana of Shiva. The temple is predominantly dedicated to Lord Shiva with a sculpture of Anantashayana Vishnu in one of the three temples within the complex.
