Sunday, July 25, 2010

The beach temples of Mahabalipuram

About 55 kms from Chennai lies the pristine and beautiful beach of Mahabalipuram which is one of only few beaches in India which is still clean and untouched. A visit to this beach will relax your mind, body and soul and rejuvenate you . Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram in the local Tamil language lies on the shore of the beautiful Bay of Bengal in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India.

Mahabalipuram has long and glorious history; It was a flourishing port city in the seventh century under the Pallavas. The Pallava rulers built some breath taking monuments along the sea which can still be seen today. This pristine beach is famous for its gigantic monuments like sculptures, monolithic Rathas, caves and temples. The monuments are so grand and well made that it is a major tourist attraction. Tourist from all over the world come to Mahabalipuram to enjoy the rich history and culture of the place and at the same time, enjoy the majestic beach.

The Mahabalipuram beach is a great place for sunbathing and the resorts near the beach offer various activities like surfing, diving and motor boating. For the adventurous people, there is a snake venom extraction center near the beach where venom is extracted from deadly and poisonous snakes like the Cobra, Russels Viper, krait to name a few. There is also a crocodile farm near the beach where crocodiles and alligators are bred and then released in the wild. Both these places are a must visit as they are unique and exotic.

As there many beautiful temple in and around Mahabalipuram, a visit to these places will make you re live the history and tradition of the place. The grandeur of these rock cut temples are to be seen to be believed. The Department of Tourism Of the Government of Tamil Nadu organizes a Dance Festival once a year on the Mahabalipuram beach, it's a must watch event.

The Mahabalipuram beach can be visited through out the year but the best time to visit is from November to February.

Mahabalipuram is well connected to all the major cities in India through air, rail and road. The nearest airport is Chennai. The nearest railway station is Chengalpattu which is 29 km from Mahabalipuram. The roads leading to Mahabalipuram are good and well connected to all the major places in Tamil Nadu.

So get ready to visit the beach temples of Mahabalipuram and enjoy the pristine beach at the same time.

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