Mamallapuram | A journey towards history
If you are annoyed with the behavior pattern of the Bangalore autorickshaw drivers, then I must say, there is nothing to be worried about Bangaloreans, once you have experienced them at Chennai. No auto drivers can go worser than Chennai auto drivers. My Tamil friends warned me before, but I had not faced them earlier !
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At 5:30 AM, Koyambedu bus stand was really sleeping; people were sleeping on the platform, no one was there on 'May I help U' booth, nothing is written in english even. I asked one on-duty Police person about the platform number from where I could get a bus for Mamallapuram. The correct platform number was 6 and the bus numbers were 118,119 etc. My friend Anand told me that most of the buses for Pondicherry going via East Coast Road (ECR ) would touch Mamallapuram. And I know ECR is one of the few toll roads in India which has an excellent scenic beach way. I thought I should catch the bus which goes via ECR. I asked the bus conductor whether the bus was going to Mamallapuram or not. On a confirmation, I got into it heading towards Mamallapuram. Bus was running early in the morning, the weather was fantastic, little chilly, a gentle breeze passing all over us, somebody had just started looking into the local tamil newspaper; the mood was just perfect. We passed 2 KM from the bus stand and suddenly this mood turned into a heart-broken reality. When I offered the bus fare to the conductor, he gently refused it by saying that the bus was not heading towards Mamallapuram but towards Villpuram.
The day started with something really bad, we got into a wrong bus ! I decided to come back to Koyambedu bus stand again to catch another bus and then I met that horrendous auto driver. I was totally pissed off.
And this time I made sure that I caught the right bus. They still call the city as Mahabalipuram ( Ma-gaa-bali-poo-ram as Tamil people pronounce it).
ECR is supposed to be a scenic beachway , they told. Recent boom in the real estate industry has spoiled this natural beauty almost to death. You wil get the real beach sight only after you cross Covalang. Still some debris of the aftermath of Tsunami 2004, some relief villages, and the hoarding of the sponsors like World Vision can be seen on the beach way. It gave me a mixed feeling while going through the ECR , I must admit. My expectations were more, I imagined the road something and it turned out something else.
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After we boarded at the guest house, we decided to go to the beach and take bath first. But I was hungry too. So before going to the beach, I had to search a tiffin centre for something to eat. Masala Dosa would have been the right choice, but as it was already 10 o'clock we had only plain dosa to eat.
I read about this bas relief earlier. It is hard to believe that this magnificent relief was carved in the mid-seventh century, probably the oldest one , I had ever seen. A story of obtaining Lord Shiva's weapon by Arjuna from Mahabharata or the descent of Gangas or probably the both depicted in itself. Furthermore, both stories were interpreted in a manner flattering to the Pallavas; the heroic Arjuna as a symbol of the rulers, and the Ganges as a symbol of their purifying power. I forgot to mention that , Pallava dynasty was the ruler of that time of Ancient southern India. And most of these sculpture works were done by them.
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Rather
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So we had our lunch at Mamalla Bhavan,with a typical South Indian Thali while so many foreigners were trying to eat with fingers and having a Coke bottle next to their lunch plate! And we started for the site seeing after that. As I told earlier, Mamallapuram is such a small place that one can actually travel by walking; we decided to walk too. Those ancient monuments, Rathas, Caves and Relief were standing out as a bare evidence of the history.
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Krishna's butter ball is a huge single granite round shaped stone hanging for years just next to Ganesh Rath near Arjuna's penance. It is more of a tourist attraction. The stone is so huge that people can even take rest sitting/lying on the shadow of this stone. I found school children were playing nearby. Before going back to home after the last school bell , they used to come here for a play. I was enjoying their presence around me. They were so vibrant and full of energy, it reminded me of my school days.
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Marimutthu told me, it would take 7 days to make a finished medium size sculpture and the cost of that in a market would come around Rs 5000/-. I don't know the exact figure, but I assume there are more than 250 stalls in Mamallapuram who earns money from this art work. They make the idols within the shops, sell them out from there. There is a chance for you to get in touch directly with the sculpture artists.
Read next part here ...
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22 Comments:
Beautiful write-up... Have been to Mahabalipuram some 10-15 times during my long stint at Chennai.
And yes, you won't get a response if you speak in any language other than Tamil. Yo can see some french speaking guys beacuase of the french colonies in Pondy...
and about photos - can not comment on them as I can't see them - flickr is blocked in office :'(
well written and nice shots!
Niceone :)Photos are also nice.
Bon travail !!!The 2 picture are really good(rated 5 out of 5 the girl`s Portrait and the bicycle man)
The Mahabalipuram is a places of mystery’s and myth right place for an archaeological photography.
lots of interesting stories to say...
Local lore has long held that the area once boasted seven magnificent temples,but that six of these were swallowed by the sea.the seventh, and only remaining temple, still stands on the shore .The legends say the ancient metropolis was destroyed by the gods who were jealous of its beauty, and sent a flood to bury it beneath the waves.
sandeep you always choose the right place ..great job!!keep it up!!
Really nice one...
Sandip.... as always... beautiful both the artical and pictures .... way to go dada... always liked your work and will always coem back for more..
As rightly said you will not find any one talking any other language other then Tamil, it is a nightmare if you dont know the language. Mamallapuram is a bealutful place and not many are aware of its history which is rich and well blended in your story.
good one indeed. keep doing these with the travelogue flavor. cheers
This is one more nice work dude :) Looks like you are heading into professional travel journalist and as usual the photos are fantastic.
Make some more trip like this. i guess i would take you south down with me to make some more photos and travel writings like this :)
Keep it up the good work :)
A very nice photo gallery depicting the story\blog....keep up the good work.
I have been there once.. planning to come again maybe by end of the year.. you have an impressive write up! Excellent dedication.. I am sure, the next time i come around, i can expect quite many photographic opportunities. Thanks for visiting Sandip!
Excellent ...Very good one.
Keep it up sandip
Really nice shots. Excellent!
lovely trip you have had.A nice set photographs too. loved the cycle shot.
PS:- u have got to know tamil in TN.. otherwise survival wud become a doubt! heheheh
A very nice essay Sandip.. I really don't know what happpened with my other mail..
It's really well written and very nice to see the illustrations going with it. Nice work
I love your work. Excellent.
I had been to Mahabalipuram during early eighties but came to know about the new name from your piece. Thanks for updating. I do remember the beautiful road from Chennai to this Shore Temple township. I repent for having lost the photos I took of the artisans, the rathas and also the big butter ball. For more information you may please read "Ramyani Bikhya (Tamil Parba)" by Rahul Sankrityan in Bengali. A beautiful travelogue.
Good Snaps and good taste. Seems like Sandip, you are heading towards a wonderful life of professional photgraphy as your second occupation!
cute photos of the ancient monuments. have been into mahabalipuram one time and love the place for its majesty and cultural beauty.
kerala photos
kerala elephants
Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.
Hotels in Koyambedu
Ramyani Bikkhya is not written by Rahul Sankrittayan. It is written by Subodh Chakraborty.
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