Mahabalipuram (or Mamallapuram) highlights

Just an hour or two south of the bustle of Chennai, Mahabalipuram offers a slower pace, space, quiet, cleaner air and a beachfront location that makes it an ideal place to get over jetlag, or just to relax for a while.

Some area highlights include:

·      The monuments

The carved rock monuments of Mahabalipuram are one of the most stunning sights I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in India.  The large rock sheets and structures pulse with the life of elephants, gods, animals, vessels and human figures.    

It is easy to walk from one monument to another.  I read that the light is best in the early morning and late afternoon, so I visited during an early morning, when the combination of the light and few crowds makes it easy to see the monuments come alive in their natural surroundings. 

I started at the Pancha Rathas [open 6-6; 500 rupees for foreigners), where I purchased a ticket to the series of monuments and walked among temples featuring humans and set amidst boulders. Each were carved from a single large rock in the 7^th century and rediscovered only 200 years ago.  A single life-size baby elephant figure, when faced head on, appeared to be moving it’s large and bulky body towards me. I could imagine it moving on an ancient street. 

From Pancha Rathas, I walked up the light house for a view across the boulders and the greenery over the town and to the sea beyond.  

From there I visited the 8^th century sandstone Shore Temple, located on the shoreline.  Nearby, people streamed onto the beach on the weekend morning, adding color to the pale blue water, the beige sand and the grey-blue sky with the rainbow brush stroke of colorful clothing. 

My favorite  monument is Arjuna’s Penance, a stunning wall of carved stone that is both a work of art and an amazing human accomplishment.  Stone women carry jugs on their heads, children grasp the hands of their elders, a tall man stretches high, another wraps his arm around the shoulders of an elder. Someone milks a long-horned cow, a calf nearby.  One elephant follows another. Scenes that could take place today just as much as when the sculpture was created.

My final stop was the Ganesha Ratha park area, which includes Krishna’s butter ball, a giant stone that looks like it is about to roll on top of the strollers and picnickers that fill the park on weekends.  This is a nice place to rest or to people watch as families stroll or relax in the park.  

·      Dhakshina Chitra

Dhakshina Chitra is an ethnographic museum located north of Mahalbalipuram, making it a convenient place to stop on the way to or from Chennai. Upon paying admission (250 rupees for foreign visitors), an introductory movie in English provides some preliminary information about South India.  Then you can stroll the open-air facility, walking into exhibits as you wish, while feeling like you are stopping in at a neighbor’s house.

The main attraction is the collection of houses that show the living conditions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala by religion and type of occupation.  Many houses incorporate traditional set-ups and furnishings, or display typical objects. Most offer the option of an activity you can try for a small fee, such as weaving a small basket or decorating a handkerchief with block printing. One of my favorites was the weavers home, where a man demonstrated weaving on a giant loom. The informational signs said that weavers typically did their work in the living areas, then stored the equipment at night. It was impressive to imagine taking out and putting away such a massive contraption every day. Another favorite was a circular coastal home, unlike any living structure I’ve seen before.  It has a round, protected nucleus, a safeguard from the monsoons, then a second ring covered by the thatched roof. Typically, the residents would sleep outside.

In addition to the exhibits, the facility includes a live performance area, a craft bazaar, a playground, restaurant and art gallery, making it easy to spend several hours there. It is a popular place for local families.  

·      The Mahabalipuram beach

Visit early on a weekend morning and you’ll see people streaming onto the beach.  It is an interesting place to people watch.  Many vendors nearby sell cut fruit and food from carts.  In addition to the main beach, there are areas further north and south where you can access the beach.

·      Local resorts

I have stayed at the Intercontinental and the Grande Bay Mahabalipuram.  Both offer a tranquil retreat space, as well as a variety of local activities, including yoga. 

Facts:

·      Additional local attractions that I haven’t had the chance to explore, but may be worth visiting include: the seashell museum, crocodile bank, tiger caves, Vishnu temple, Varaha caves and Mahishasura Mardini cave.

·      Other things to do in town include ayurvedic massage and yoga. A center for serious students of yoga is Ph: 2744 2184; cell: 096772 97545; samanandayoga@gmail.com; 10/B 2nd cross Street, Venpurusham, Near Five Rathas, Mamallapuram – 603104). 

Recommendation:  Try to visit the monuments in the earning morning or late afternoon for the coolest temperatures and the best light. 

Cost: 500 rupees to visit the monuments. 

Kid-friendly: Yes

Things to keep in mind:

Travel to Mahabalipuram is quicker if you arrive on a late night flight (when traffic is light).

Indian Women - Young and Old

This afternoon we went to visit a photo exhibit by Fazal Sheikh called Beloved Daughters: Photographs. The exhibit was composed of two parts – one highlighting widows, who lived in a community where they devoted their lives to Krishna. The other was about young girls kidnapped or tricked into prostitution or women who were burned or otherwise abused in marriage.

The stories were so sad. A few of the widows had supportive families and voluntarily chose a life of abnegation and devotion to God. But others were cast out by their families, devoid of any protections once they no longer had a husband. One was married at the age of 5 to a boy who was 12. While the marriage was never consummated, when she lost her “husband” she was never able to marry again and had to live in this commune of widows. Another was thrown out by her husband after a neighbor raped her while she was home alone. Others were cast out for producing only female heirs. Another had problems when she couldn’t conceive, so her husband took a second wife. Just then, she became pregnant. The second wife was jealous. When the husband died, the second wife set the bed on fire, killing the child and burning the woman over half her body.

The second part of the exhibit focused on the younger women – the children and teenagers abused and roped into prostitution, the young wives killed or burned because of abusive husbands or insatisfactory dowries. The saddest photos were those of the very young girls, well under ten, rescued from brothels. They had greasy hair, wide eyes, glittering shoes, and traces of makeup. The exhibit also reflected the valiant work done by some NGOs, such as one founded by two women, both of whom had daughters burned to death, to offer protection and safety to the victims of these crimes.

Sheikh, the recipient of a MacArthur genius award, focuses his work on displaced peoples around the world. He reminds us, as India moves ahead into the global economy, that ancient prejudices deny rights to many and that only through awareness and activism can such injustices be halted.