INDIA: Mamallapuram
The historic monuments of Mamallapuram are
located in south-east India on the Coramandel coast of Tamil Nadu .
Most notable is the Shore Temple dated between 690-715 AD and dedicated to the supreme Hindu
deities Vishnu and Shiva. It is in fact a twin-temple. One section displays
a sculpture of a reclining Vishnu the other has a Somaskanda panel -
of special reverence in the Tamil region - featuring Shiva in a seated
posture, flanked by his consort Parvati and Skanda their son. Mamallapuram`s
other monuments, set back from the beach were sculpted from huge granite
rocks under the patronage of the Pallava kings in the 7-8th
centuries. All are exceptional examples of Dravidian architecture
featuring
rathas - temples in the form of chariots and cave sanctuaries. The
most important relief depicts the `Descent of the Ganges` to Earth.
Hundreds of other rock carvings glorify the qualities of Lord Shiva.
Pilgrims especially Shaivites ( followers of Shiva) and Vaishnavites
(devotees of Vishnu) travel to worship and bathe at Mamallapuram.
Immediately before the 2004 tsunami struck land, the ocean pulled back
approximately 500 meters off the coast uncovering a long, straight row of large rocks indicating more of the 7th
century port lies beneath the water. The most famous post-tsunami finding,
a large stone lion dated by archaeologists to 7 AD now sits on the
beach at Mamallapuram. UNESCO which inscribed
the monuments as a World Heritage site in 1984 is underwriting damage to the
Shore Temple.