Mahabalipuram Beach

The Mahabalipuram beach is a marvelous destination to visit. It is probably one of the finest un-touched beaches in India. Situated on the coastline of Tamil Nadu, it is nearby the shores of the breathtakingly beautiful Bay of Bengal. Truly a mesmerizing beach !

The port town of Mahabalipuram along with its beaches is absolutely awesome. At the beach you can have a lot of fun which may include sun bathing, relaxing and unwinding.


¤ The Beautiful Beaches and The Magnificent Monuments

Mahabalipurm has magnificent monuments along with beautiful beaches. The rock cut art of Mahabalipuram is particularly attractive. Here one can also find some worth visiting places like the Shore temple, Rathas, Arjuna's penance, etc. Then there 's the fascinating crocodile farm, the snake venom-extracting center along with the schools of art and sculpture, which forms the prime attractions for tourists. Another major attraction here is the Dance Festival, hosted by the Department of Tourism of the Government of Tamil Nadu.


¤ Major Attractions of Mahabalipuram Beach

Dakshinachitra
Coming down from Chennai to Mahabalipuram you can visit Dakshinachitra - a heritage center. Here traditional craftspersons and folk artists work and perform in the same manner as they used to in 19th century. These skilled people were mainly residing at Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Arjuna's Penance
The world's largest bas-relief measuring 27m x 9m, is the pride of Mahabalipuram. This huge rock consists figures of Gods, Demigods, men, beasts, birds and representing the entire creation.

Five Rathas
Ratha are nothing else but five monolithic temples, each having there own style. They are also known as the "Pancha Pandava Rathas". Out of these five, four of the Rathas are supposed to have carved out of a single rock formation.

Tiger's Cave
The Tiger Cave is situated at 4-km north of the main monument complex. It was an open-air theater, where cultural programmes were held. Being very near the sea, the place is exotic and serene.

Shore Temple
One of the oldest temples in south India, the Shore Temple belongs to the early 8th century AD. It is a good example of the first phase of structural temples constructed in Dravidian style. These monuments look more beautiful at night when they are floodlit.

¤ Reach Mahabalipuram

Air : The nearest airport is at Chennai about 58-km way from Mahabalipuram which has both domestic and international terminus. Chennai is connected with all the major places in India through the numerous domestic flights. International flights also operate from various parts of the world to Chennai.

Rail : The nearest railway stations from Mahabalipuram are Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km). From these stations one has to take the road to reach Mahabalipuram.

Road : Mahabalipuram is connected with a good network of roads. There are bus available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily. One can also hire a taxi from Chennai.