Mamallapuram(also known asMahabalipuram[3]), is a town inChengalpattu districtin the southeastern IndianstateofTamil Nadu,best known for the UNESCOWorld Heritage Siteof 7th- and 8th-century HinduGroup of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.It is one of the famous tourist sites in India.[1]The ancient name of the place is Thirukadalmallai. It is a part ofChennai Metropolitan Area.It is a satellite town ofChennai.
Mamallapuram
Mahabalipuram | |
|---|---|
Suburban of Chennai city | |
| Mamallapuram | |
 The town of Mahabalipuram | |
  Mamallapuram | |
| Coordinates:12°37′11″N80°11′40″E/ 12.61972°N 80.19444°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Chengalpattu |
| Founded by | Kundavai Shiva |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 15,172[1] |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
| PIN | 603104 |
| Telephone code | 91–44 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-19[2] |
Mamallapuram was one of two major port cities in thePallava kingdom.The town was named after Pallava kingNarasimhavarman I,who was also known as Mamalla. Along with economic prosperity, it became the site of a group of royal monuments, many carved out of the living rock. These are dated to the 7th and 8th centuries:rathas(temples in the form of chariots),mandapas(cave sanctuaries), the giant open-airrock relieftheDescent of the Ganges,and theShore Templededicated toShiva.[1][4]The contemporary town plan was established by theBritish Rajin 1827.[5]
Etymology
editThe earliest mention of the city is found in the 1st century work calledPeriplus of the Erythraean Seaby an unknown Greek navigator.Ptolemy,the Greek geographer refers this place as Malange. Mahabalipuram is also known by other names such as Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram. The termMamallapurammeans the city of Mamalla, the other name of the famous Pallava EmperorNarasimhavarman I(630-670 CE) who built the famous temples in the city.Thirumangai Alvar,the famous Vaishnavite saint mentions this place as Thirukadalmallai, referring to theSthalasayana Perumal Temple.[6]Another name by which Mahabalipuram has been known to mariners, at least sinceMarco Polo's time is "Seven Pagodas" alluding to theSeven Pagodas of Mahabalipuramthat stood on the shore, of which one, theShore Temple,survives.[7]
History
edit
Neolithic burial urn, cairn circles and jars with burials dating to the 1st century BCE have been discovered near Mahabalipuram. The Sangam age poem Perumpāṇāṟṟuppadai relates the rule of King Thondaiman Ilam Thiraiyar atKanchipuramof theTondai NaduportNirppeyyaruwhich scholars identify with the present-day Mahabalipuram. Chinese coins and Roman coins ofTheodosius Iin the 4th century CE have been found at Mahabalipuram revealing the port as an active hub of global trade in the late classical period. TwoPallavacoins bearing legends read as Srihari and Srinidhi have been found at Mahabalipuram. The Pallava kings ruled Mahabalipuram fromKanchipuram;the capital of the Pallava dynasty from the 3rd century to 9th century CE, and used the port to launch trade and diplomatic missions toSri Lankaand Southeast Asia. An 8th-century Tamil text written byThirumangai Alvardescribed this place as Sea Mountain 'where the ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking laden as they were with wealth, big trunked elephants and gems of nine varieties in heaps'.[8]
The temples of Mahabalipuram, portraying events described in theMahabharata,were built largely during the reigns of KingNarasimhavarmanand his successor Rajasimhavarman and show the movement from rock-cut architecture to structural building. The city of Mahabalipuram was founded by the Pallava kingNarasimhavarman Iin the 7th century CE.[7]Themandapaor pavilions and the rathas or shrines shaped as templechariotsare hewn from thegraniterock face, while the famedShore Temple,erected half a century later, is built from dressed stone. What makes Mahabalipuram so culturally resonant are the influences it absorbs and disseminates. The Shore Temple includes many reliefs, including one 100 feet (30 m) long and 45 feet (14 m) high, carved out of granite.[9]In 1957 the Government College of Architecture and Sculpture was established to promote and revive the art of making sculptures and temples.
Transport
editMTCandTNSTC(Villupuram division) operate bus services between Mamallapuram/Mahabalipuram and Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Thiruttani etc. MTC's bus services available from various parts of the Chennai include Deluxe and Air-conditioned buses.[10]Mahabalipuram is 56 km from Chennai.
Climate
editMahabalipuram has atropical wet and dry climate.The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average annual temperature is 28.4 °C. The temperatures are highest on average in May, at around 32.6 °C. In January, the average temperature is 24.3 °C, the lowest of the year. The average temperatures vary during the year by 8.3 °C. In a year, the average rainfall is 1219 mm. In winter, there is much less rainfall than in summer. The variation in the precipitation between the driest and wettest months is 309 mm.
| Climate data for Mahabalipuram | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.9 (84.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
32.1 (89.8) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.6 (99.7) |
37.4 (99.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
34.9 (94.8) |
34.3 (93.7) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
32.9 (91.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.2 (81.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
32.6 (90.7) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.7 (85.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.9 (75.1) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 20 (0.8) |
6 (0.2) |
4 (0.2) |
11 (0.4) |
55 (2.2) |
62 (2.4) |
92 (3.6) |
124 (4.9) |
114 (4.5) |
240 (9.4) |
313 (12.3) |
178 (7.0) |
1,219 (47.9) |
| Average precipitation days | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 71 |
| Source: Climate-data.org[11] | |||||||||||||
Landmarks
edit
The town has a collection of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu religious monuments that has been declared as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[1][4][12]It is on theCoromandel Coastof the Bay of Bengal, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south ofChennai,Tamil Nadu,India.[1]
The site has 40 ancient monuments andHindu temples,[13]including Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna's Penance – one of the largest open-airrock reliefin the world.[1][14]The site includes several categories of monuments:rathatemples with an architecture of monolith processional chariots built between 630 and 668 CE; the mandapa viharas with halls and stone roofs with narratives from theMahabharata,ShaktismandVaishnavism;rock reliefs particularlybas-reliefsofShaivism,Shaktism and Vaishnavism; stone cut temples particularly those dedicated toShivathat also reverentially displayVishnuand others, built between 695 and 722 CE; and, archaeological excavations with inscriptions some dated to 6th century and earlier.[12][15]The cave temples and monolithic temples were built during thePallava Period.[4][12][16]The site is managed by theArchaeological Survey of India.[17]
Some important structures include:
- Descent of the GangesorArjuna's Penance– a giant open-air rock relief.[18]
- Pancha Rathas(Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after thePandavas(Arjuna,Bhima,Yudhishtra,NakulaandSahadeva) andDraupadi.Each of these is carved from one single separate large piece of stone.
- Cave Temples– over ten rock-cut temples dating back to the 7th century. These include the Varaha, Adi Varaha, Krishna, Mahishasuramardini (Durga), Ramanuja, Dharmaraja, Koneri, Kotikal, Panchapandava and others.[19]
- TheShore Temple– a structural temple along theBay of Bengalwith the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here.[20]
- Otherstructural templesincluding the Olakkanesvara temple and the lighthouse, along with rock-cut features such as the Draupadi's tank and Krishna's butterball.[21]
- Thirukadalmallai,the temple dedicated to LordVishnu.[22]
Demography
editAs of 2001[update]India census, Mahabalipuram had a population of 12,345.[23]Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mahabalipuram has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 73%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 66%. In Mahabalipuram, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.[24]
Events
editIn October 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Arjuna's Penance, the Pancha Rathas complex and the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram.[25]
Notes
edit- ^abcdefMamallapuramArchived4 December 2022 at theWayback Machine,Encyclopedia Britannica
- ^Kathiresan, Rajesh Kumar."TN Motor Vehicle Registration".Archivedfrom the original on 1 March 2009.Retrieved18 January2019.
- ^Subburaj, V. (December 2006).Tourist Guide to Chennai.Sura Books. p. 17.ISBN978-81-7478-040-9.Retrieved21 March2024.
- ^abcJames G. Lochtefeld (2002).The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M.The Rosen Publishing Group. p.399.ISBN978-0-8239-3179-8.
- ^Encyclopedia Britannica,15th Edition (1982), Vol. VI, p. 497
- ^C. 2004,p. 3
- ^abSundaresh; A. S. Gaur; Sila Tripati; K. H. Vora (10 May 2004)."Underwater investigations off Mamallapuram"(PDF).Current Science.86(9). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 November 2004.
- ^C. 2004,p. 3
- ^Ancient Discoveries: Lost Cities of the Deep History Channel
- ^"Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) Ltd".Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2020.
- ^"Climate: Mahabalipuram".climate-data.org.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved5 October2015.
- ^abc"Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram".UNESCO.org.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2005.Retrieved23 October2012.
- ^National Geographic (2008).Sacred Places of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations.National Geographic Society. p. 154.ISBN978-1-4262-0336-7.
- ^George Michell (1977).The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms.University of Chicago Press. pp. 131–134.ISBN978-0-226-53230-1.
- ^Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Dist. KanchipuramArchived29 May 2018 at theWayback Machine,Archaeological Survey of India (2014)
- ^"Advisory body evaluation"(PDF).UNESCO.org.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 October 2022.Retrieved23 October2012.
- ^World Heritage Sites - MahabalipuramArchived24 September 2007 at theWayback Machine,Archaeological Survey of India (2014)
- ^C. 2004,p. 12-3
- ^C. 2004,p. 16-17
- ^C. 2004,p. 30-1
- ^C. 2004,p. 33-4
- ^C. 2004,p. 30
- ^"Census of towns in Tamil Nadu"(PDF).Census of India.Archived(PDF)from the original on 29 September 2011.Retrieved10 June2012.
- ^"Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)".Census Commission of India. Archived fromthe originalon 16 June 2004.Retrieved1 November2008.
- ^"Narendra Modi".
References
edit- Lukas Hartmann:Mahabalipuram oder Als Schweizer in Indien. Ein Reisetagebuch.Arche, Zürich,ISBN978-3-716-01764-7.
- C., Sivaramamurthi (2004).Mahabalipuram.New Delhi: TheArchaeological Survey of India,Government of India. p. 3.
- Ayyar, P. V. Jagadisa (1991),South Indian shrines: illustrated,New Delhi: Asian Educational Services,ISBN81-206-0151-3,archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023,retrieved18 October2020.
- Bradnock, Roma; Bradnock, Robert (2009),Footprint India,USA: Patrick Dawson,ISBN978-1-904777-00-7,archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023,retrieved18 October2020.
- Pippa de Bruyn; Keith Bain; David Allardice (2010).Frommer's India.Frommer's. p. 350.ISBN978-0-470-55610-8.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023.Retrieved18 October2020.
- Hurd, James (2010),Temples of Tamilnad,USA: Xilbris Corporation,ISBN978-1-4134-3843-7,archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023,retrieved18 October2020.
- Singh, Sarina (2009),South India (Lonely Planet Regional Guide)(5th ed.), Lonely Planet,ISBN978-1-74179-155-6,archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023,retrieved18 October2020
External links
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