History  of  Mahabalipuram:-  Mahabalipuram    is    one    of   history's   intriguing   enigmas.   The   ancient Mamallapuram, as Mahabalipuram was formerly known, was flourishing port town of the Pallava rulers of south India who chiseled in stone a fabulous "open-air museum" of sculpture under the vault  of  a  burning  sky. Apart from  this, nothing  is  known  of  the  place. What  was  the  purpose  behind  this  whole  exercise,  and,  more important, why all the  royal  patronage  this  place  enjoyed  suddenly  disappeared,  no o ne  actually  has  any answer. Experts say that there were seven pagodas or temples on the  shores  of  Mahabalipuram. All  but  one were pillaged by the rapacious sea, though there is little underwater evidence to substantiate their existence.

Most of the temples and rock carvings of this place were built  during  the  reigns  of  Narsinha  Varman  I  (AD 630-668) and Narsinha Varman II (AD 700-728). Though the initial kings of Pallava dynasty were followers of Jainism, the conversion of Mahendra Varman (AD 600-630) to Shaivism  led  most  of  the  monuments  to  be related with Shiva or Vishnu.

Places of Interest:-

The Five Rathas - The five Rathas include The Dharmaraja, The Bhima, The Arjuna, The  Draupadi  and  The Sahadeva. The Five Rathas,about 200 m south of the main hill,were fashioned out of a smaller hill sloping down from the south. From the largest part was made the biggest of  the  five rathas, the  Dharmaraja. Then  followed onwards north,in the descending order of height,the Bhima,the Arjuna and the Draupadi. A little to the  west  of Draupadi there was a comparatively large rock and out of  it  the  Sahadeva  Ratha  was  made. Immediately  in front of the Draupadi again two smaller rocks were sculptured into an elephant and a lion. Behind the  Draupadi and the Arjuna,which stand on a common base,there is a Nandi.

Mandapas - The main hill at Mamallapuram is  dotted  with  pillared  halls  carved  into  the  rock  face.  These mandapas, with their graceful columns and intricate figure sculptures bear witness to the artistry of  the  Pallavan rock cutter. The ten pavilions at Mamallapuram, of which two are  unfinished, were designed  as  shrine, with  a sanctum and on outer hall. The shallow porticoes are adorned with exquisite sculptures of gods, goddesses  and mythological figures. The Ganesh mandapa is an active  shrine  even  today, with  the  idol  of  the  elephant-god being revered by the faithful, fourteen centuries after it was first  consecrated. Beyond  the  circular  rock  called Krishna's Butterball is the Varaha mandapa dedicated to the  two avatars of  Vishnu  as  Varaha  the  boar  and Vamana the dwarf. The pillars of this  pavilion  are  perhaps  the  earliest  to  display  a  motif  that  became  the signature   of  southern   architecture-the   lion  pilaster,  where  a  heraldic  lion  support  ornamental  pillar. The Mahishasuramardini mandapa has the goddess Durga in  bas  relief, slaying  a  buffalo-headed  demon, and  the Vishnu Sayana Mandapa shows Lord Vishnu lying  unde r the  protective  hood  of  the  seven-headed  serpent Adishesha. Of  the other mandapas, the  Panch  Pandava  mandapa, that  is  unfinished,  has  a  more  elaborate facade. Its pillars are adorned with  rearing  lions  springing  from  the  capital, and  the  shrine  is  the  only  one surrounded by a passage which allows circumvolutions.

Krishna Mandapam - One  of  the  earliest  rock-cut  temples  on  whose  walls  is  carved  a  pastoral  scene depicting Lord Krishna lifting up the Govardhana mountain to protect his kinfolk from the wrath of  Varuna,  the god of rain.

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