Mahabalipuram

Day Two - Tuesday 5th February

Mahabalipuram
We began the day by ordering some comfortable clothes for F. in a local dress shop.  This was an enjoyable experience, though the male partner was not offered a drink as he waited!  We returned later in the day to collect the clothes.  I too had planned to acquire some locally made clothes, but it was several days before I made my purchase.  Meantime, the dhobi kept up with many changes of clothes.

And then it was time for some serious sightseeing.

The Five Rathas

The Five Rathas

Our first stop was the five rathas, five temples (the elements, fire, water, earth, light and ether) which have been carved out of single rocks to form a chariot. The temples are said to be dedicated the the 5 Pandava brothers, the hero’s of the epic Mahabharata, where they symbolise righteousness in various aspects, much like the attributes of the elements.

We had already walked some of the way, looking at the numerous stone carvers along the road. Today, they use more modern means to cut through granite, yet most of the finer works are accomplished like millennia ago. Even the subjects of their workmanship hasn’t changed, Idols of Shiva, Ganesha and other gods are in high demand and created in all shapes and sizes. 

So,we chose to go by tuk tuk, which we paid off on arrival. Tuk tuks are motorised rickshaws which weave in and out of the traffic at an alarming pace, but are an ideal way of travelling when it is too hot to walk - and it was!  We were told later by our hostess that the fare would be "Rs50 for you, but Rs30 for me" for a particular journey, which was telling.

We then encountered our first pushy guide.  I took a dislike to him, and was punished as he followed us, looking sulky, and complaining to the guide that we did hire.  Our new man had pinned on his badge as we bought our tickets, and removed it soon afterwards, so I am sure how 'official' he was.  However, he was informative and was keen to take photographs of us using our cameras.  We realised later that the more time he spent taking photographs, the less time there was for telling us about the the history and heritage of the sites.  maybe that was his plan?

Somehow, we were persuaded the he was to be our guide for the Shore Temples (and more). And so we climbed on the back of his scooter.  Sadly, there is no photographic record of this, and we reminded ourselves of warnings that we had given to our children about riding without helmets, etc.

Shore Temple

Shore Temple

Although the Shore temple stands within a fortress of stone, shielding it from the waves of the Bay of Bengal, it was still swamped by the 2014 tsunami, which took the lives of many local fishermen. 

Standing like a magnificent fist of rock-cut elegance overlooking the sea, surrounded by gardens and ruined courts, the two-towered Shore Temple symbolises the heights of Pallava architecture and the maritime ambitions of the Pallava kings. Its small size belies its excellent proportion and the supreme quality of the carvings, many now eroded into vaguely Impressionist embellishments. Rows of Bulls (Nandi the mount of Shiva) decorate the complex. Built under Narasimhavarman II in the 8th century, it's the earliest significant free-standing stone temple in Tamil Nadu.

After a siesta - we were still catching up after our long journey - we returned to Arjuna's Penance to view several other cave temples and the 'Butter Ball'.  But first we stopped for some chai.  The spices used vary from region to region and among households in India. The most common are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Indian chai produces a warming, soothing effect, acts supposedly as a natural digestive aid and gives one a wonderful sense of well being. But, given my own digestive situation in the first few days, maybe it did not work for me.  

The locals immediately gave up their seats for us, something that happened a lot. But there was space for one more, and a very talkative gentleman soon sat down beside us.  We took the opportunity of asking how we might go about buying train tickets to our next destination, Chettinad.

We knew that there was no rail station in Mahabalipuram and so expected to take a bus or taxi to somewhere we could.  However, trains appeared to be fully booked, and so we were booked onto an overnight bus for the following night.

Checking out of the hotel a day early was to prove to be no problem, with the 'missing' day being deducted from our bill. But first, we wanted a day in Kanchipuram.  

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