Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram – The World Heritage Sites of India
Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram, the city of Mamalla, is named after the title of great Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman-I (AD 630-668). It was a sea-port during the time of Periplus (first century AD) and Ptolemy (AD 140) and many Indian colonists sailed to South-East Asia through this port town. While there is some evidence of architectural activity going back to the period of Mahendrayarman-I (AD 600-630), the father of Mamalla, most of the monuments like rock-cut rathas, sculptured scenes on open rocks like Arjuna’s penance, the caves of Govardhanadhari and Mahishasuramardini, the Jala-Sayana Perumal temple (the sleeping Mahavishnu or Chakrin at the rear part of the Shore temple complex) are attributed to the period of Narasimhavarman-I Mamalla.
The monolithic Dharmaraja, Arjuna and Draupadi rathas are square on plan, the Bhima and Ganesa rathas are rectangular and Sahadeva ratha apsidal. Though monolithic sculpturing, both cut-in and cut-out, continued even during later periods (Atiranachanda cave, Pidari rathas and Tigercave), the structural architecture was introduced on a grand scale by Pallava Rajasimha (AD 700728), culminating in erection of the world famous Shore temple. The later period witnessed a few additions during the late-Pallava and Chola times. The grandiose Vijayanagara phase here is represented by the Raja Gopurams and the Sthala-Sayana temple, juxtaposed to the carved boulder of Arjuna’s penance.
