Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.

Mahabalipuram is a small town situated on the southeastern coast of India, 6okm south of Chennai.It used to be a busy port around 1000 AD. These days it is famous for the World Heritage Site of a group of Temples built by the pallavas in the 7th century.

It was dawn as Kishore sir, my colleague at office and myself arrived in Mahabalipuram. The sky was a mosaic of different shades of blue mixed with red. As we walked the long stretch from where our bus dropped us to the main town the colour of the sky changed from the reddish blue to a clear blue. We searched for a good hotel and finally after a 1 hour search we found one. After taking some rest we made off for the World famous Shore Temple.

The snow white clouds were spread over the blue sky like the wild growth of moss on a moist concrete slab. The sun was shining gently, peeking over the clouds now and then. We entered the fenced and ticketed complex of the famous Mahabalipuram. The neat paved road ran along the boundary at the left while at the right a green and well maintained lawn glowed in the sun. Beyond that a section of sea could be seen.

Right ahead of us we could see the outline of the famous shore temple against the bright blue sky. Built around 700 AD this temple is almost 1300 years old. It was built during the reign of Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava Dynasty. The actual temple complex is rectangular with the main temple in at one end. We sauntered around the structure marveling at its beauty. The passage of time had done its work blunting the features of the sculptures on it.

The lawn around it was enticing us to come and sit and we promptly did so. After spending some time we left and headed over to the Lighthouse nearby. We first made our way to the maritime/lighthouse museum. This was the second lighthouse I was visiting after the one in Allepey. Interesting objects on display here were a 5000W Bulb, a lamp changer, a Morse code repeater and a number of models of ancient boats. There was also a huge buoy.

Next we moved onto the hill nearby. There is an ancient structure on top of the hill which was used as a lighthouse in ancient times. We climbed up and marveled at the spectacular views it offered. Far ahead we could spot the Nuclear Plant of Kalpakkam. The place was milling with people. Seeing the crowds we dropped the idea of climbing up the lighthouse.

We left the place and went on a stroll to the other attractions.

The short trip ended with a sumptuous Crab Masala in dinner.