Guide details
Best time to visit
November to February, early morning
How to get there
About 1.5 hours south of Chennai along the East Coast Road
Highlights
Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas, Arjuna’s Penance and Krishna’s Butterball
Good for
History lovers, day-trippers and families
Price range
Free town; a small fee for the monuments
Just down the coast from Chennai sits one of India’s most extraordinary places. Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, is a small seaside town with a huge history, where 1,300-year-old temples and giant rock carvings look out over the Bay of Bengal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an easy day trip from the city, and quite simply unmissable.
The Shore Temple
The star of the show is the Shore Temple, a graceful granite structure built in the 8th century under the Pallava kings. Standing right at the water’s edge, it is one of the oldest stone temples in South India and looks magical in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon. Come early to beat both the heat and the crowds.
Rock-cut wonders
Mahabalipuram is really an open-air gallery of stone. The Pancha Rathas, five monolithic temples each carved from a single boulder, are astonishing feats of craft. Nearby, Arjuna’s Penance is one of the largest bas-reliefs in the world, a vast rock face alive with gods, animals and figures. And do not miss Krishna’s Butterball, a giant boulder that has balanced impossibly on a slope for centuries.
The town, the beach and the carvers
Mahabalipuram is still a working town of sculptors, and you will hear the tap of chisel on stone as you wander. The beach is wide and breezy, perfect for a stroll after a morning of sightseeing, and the seafood shacks nearby are a treat. There is a lighthouse and a scatter of cave temples to explore too.
How to get there from Chennai
The town sits about 55 kilometres south of Chennai along the scenic East Coast Road, a drive of roughly an hour and a half. It makes a perfect day out, and you can stop along the way at spots like DakshinaChitra heritage village or the Madras Crocodile Bank. If you would rather stay closer to the city, our guide to the best beaches in Chennai has plenty of ideas.
Best time to visit
The cooler months from November to February are ideal, and if you can time it with the annual dance festival, when performances are staged against the floodlit monuments, even better. Whenever you go, wear good shoes, carry water and give yourself a full morning at least. For more ideas around the city, see our guide to the best things to do in Chennai.
Mahabalipuram is the kind of place that stays with you. Ancient, salt-sprayed and utterly unique, it is the perfect companion to a few days in Chennai.