If you’re planning to explore Chennai’s history and its magnificent temples, then don’t forget to add another fascinating spot of Mahabalipuram to your itinerary. Religious trips are generally done with entire family, and thus opting for the newly introduced double decker trains from Bangalore to Chennai could be a better way travel with the entire group. Let’s take a quick look at the travel scenario of Mahabalipuram.
Mahabalipuram is situated about 60 kilometers south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, and is a major historical port town known for its intricately designed stone carvings and rock-cut temples. Constructed mostly between the 7th and the 9th centuries, this port city of Pallavas has been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the coastal town stands as one of the highly visited religious tourist destination in the southern part of the country. If you’re planning for an excursion to this magnificent town with your entire family, travelling in any of the double decker trains from Bangalore to Chennai could be a great experience.
Known by several names including Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram, the town was known to ancient mariners as “Seven Pagodas” alluding to the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram means ‘City of the Great Bali’ and has been adopted as a contemporary name of the town. The city is also known as Mamallapuram and there are several stories connected with the establishment of the name. One of the story says that the town got its name after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman, who organized the competition of Maha-malla (meaning a grand wrestling show) and thus, it was named Mamallapuram or ‘the city of amazing wrestlers’. Mamallapuram was ruled by Pallava kings from their capital Kanchipuram and used the port to send diplomatic missions to Ceylon and Southeast Asia. Roman and Chinese coins are found at Mamallapuram showing the port as an active hub of global trade. The city of Mahabalipuram was mainly developed by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I in the 7th century AD. The British, in 1827, created the modern city of Mahabalipuram.
For the tourists visiting, there are several quality resorts in Mahabalipuram. A lot of the hotels and resorts are near the coast and provide an unmatched panoramic view of the magnificent seashore. It is wise to make hotel bookings ahead of time, especially during peak season. Nevertheless, budget resorts are also accessible. The temperature soars highly in summers and it’d be advisable to reserve AC rooms.
Mahabalipuram is a seafood lover’s heaven with eateries offering prawns, fresh fish, lobsters and crabs abound. Yet, locating vegetarian eateries isn’t a tough task. Pure veg eateries offering hygienic and budget meals can all be found all across Mahabalipuram. A lot of the restaurants clustered around Othavadai Street cater mostly to tourists. Food is not expensive and one can get breakfast for Rs 25-45 and lunch or dinner for Rs 65-145.