Mahabalipuram

On the Bay of Bengal a couple of hours south of Madras (Chennai) is the World Heritage Site, Mahabalipuram, where we spent most of the day. Mahabalipuram consists of a series of rock carvings, some of which are hollowed-out caves that functioned as Hindu Temples. These carvings were executed under the Pallava dynasty, 6-9 A.D. and represent the beginning of stone temple architecture in South India. Follow this link to see a selection of shots from this spectacular site. Keep in mind that the small temple and elephant above were carved out of huge stones in situ. That's the case with all of the images in the gallery I posted. This is a breathtaking site, with intricately carved representations of stories from ancient Vedic texts. With the wane of Buddhism in India during this period the rulers at Mahabalupuram utilized the skills of stone carvers who formerly worked on Buddhist sites to begin to produce Hindu iconography. The place is simply breathtaking. The bas relief are similiar in a way to frescoe cycles in the churches of Italy. The other shots you will see in the set I posted are of the beautiful Temple Bay Resort where we've been staying, with it's meandering pool and huge stretch to beach that runs up to the Shore Temple.