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Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Mahabalipuram

4.6

#1 of 37 in Things to do in Mahabalipuram

Ruin Religious Site Must See

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Carved out of rock, Monuments at Mahabalipuram deserved their World Heritage designation as the world's biggest open-air rock relief. This complex of 40 odd temples dates back to the 7th and 8th centuries. See cave sanctuaries, temples shaped like chariots made of sandstone, and thousands of sculptures of Shiva. A masterpiece of Indian art, a bas-relief depicting the goddess Durga killing a buffalo-headed demon remains among the site's highlights. Other highlights include a bas-relief called Arjuna's Penance, Descent of the Ganges, Krishna's Butter Ball, Varaha Cave Temple, Ganesh Ratha amongst others. By using our Mahabalipuram tour builder tool, you can arrange your visit to Monuments at Mahabalipuram and other attractions in Mahabalipuram.

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Monuments at Mahabalipuram Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1,652 reviews

Google

4.5

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4.4

215 likes

• By shivanka2018

  Beautiful world heritage site on the beach. Indian art and heritage at its best. Must see early mornings during sun rise.  more »

• By Dwightcr

  It deserves and has a UNESCO World Heritage designation. Built around 600 CE, the most amazing part is that many of the structures are monolithic or built from one piece of stone. That's why it has....  more »

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Google

• By Shaun Peter

  The place is very beautiful and the area is very clean. The temple there is very beautiful to see and take pictures off. The view of the beach from there is also very nice. But there's nothing else to do there except take pictures of the monuments and the scenery.

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• By Amarender Jannu

  The old temple at the beach gives a nostalgic feeling while watching the ruins. Imagining the grandeur that would have been. With the sound of waves around. A dazzling array of centuries-old ruins along the coast. It is a bit of a drive outside Chennai but is well worth it. The scale and age of these relics is hard to imagine for a westerner. There are many sites all within a somewhat contained area so be sure to set aside several hours.

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