The Monuments of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram was a port of the Pallava kings, and most of its monuments are cut straight out of the granite outcrops that break through the sand. The Five Rathas are free-standing shrines shaped like chariots and temple types, each carved from a single boulder and each left unfinished. Arjuna's Penance is a relief the size of a house wall, covered with gods, ascetics and a family of elephants moving across the rock. The Shore Temple is the exception, built from cut blocks on the beach, its two towers eaten thin by salt wind. Cave halls scattered around the hill hold carved panels, and a huge natural boulder sits improbably on a slope above them.

What you actually see

• The Five Rathas - five monolithic shrines, each carved down from a single block and never completed.
• Arjuna's Penance - an enormous rock relief with elephants, sages and a carved fissure down the middle.
• The Shore Temple - a built stone temple on the beach, weathered soft by salt wind.
• The cave mandapas - pillared halls cut into the hillside with sculpted panels on their back walls.

When to go

November to February is the sensible window; the rest of the year is hot and humid, and the northeast monsoon in late autumn can bring heavy rain. Start early, since the rocks throw off heat by ten and the coach parties from Chennai arrive mid-morning. Late afternoon light on the Shore Temple from the north side is the best of the day.

Honest expectations

The monuments are spread across town, so you walk between them in the sun with little shade. The Shore Temple is smaller and more eroded than photographs suggest, and it is fenced so you cannot get close to the walls. Ticket lines and stone-carving touts cluster at the two paid sites. The beach itself is untidy and not much for swimming.

Nearby

The Tiger Cave rock shrine is a short drive north, and Chennai is an easy day trip.