Shore Temple - MAHABALIPURAM [மகாபலிபுரம்]
- Time of ORIGIN :
- The Shore Temple (built in 700–728 AD) is so named because
it overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It is a structural temple, built
with blocks of granite, dating from the 8th century AD. It was built on a
promontory sticking out into the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipuram, a village
south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. At the time of its
creation, the village was a busyport during the reign of Narasimhavarman II of
the Pallava dynasty.
- CREATING THE MASTERPIECE:
- A :| Atiranachanda cave-Main credit of the architectural elegance
- R :| Relic- A symbol of pallav dynasty
- C :| Creation- For the glorification of the DESTROYER Shiva
- H :| Hirnyakashyapu- base of the legend revolving around the temple
- I :| Indian culture- Style inherited for construction is "Dravidian Archyptal decor"
- T :| Time required- 700-728 AD i.e 28 years.
- E :| Epic- consists of 3 temples and is one of the 7 pagodas.
- C :| Crown- Founded by Narsimhavarman 2
- T :| Tamil Nadu- India,TAMIL NADU, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram.12°36′59″N 80°11′55″E
- DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE:
Let me take you on a small tour of the Mahabalipuram: this historical retreat was an ancient seaport of the Pallavas who ruled from the nearby Kancheepuram between the third and eighth Centuries AD. Mahabalipuram comes under the Kancheepuram district. The temple is accessible from Chennai and is situated around 60 kms from the city. The temple is ravaged by the sea; however the sculptures speak volumes about the splendid heritage of the Dravidian art and architecture.
Layout and Geographic/relief Features:
Mahabalipuram is a temple town situated along the shores of
the Bay of Bengal in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The sheer sculptural
extravaganza of the rock-cut temples is not only reflective of the artistic
tastes of the erstwhile Pallava rulers: the temples are also regarded as the
birthplace of an entirely new style of architecture, which came to be known as
the South Indian temple architecture.
Carvings and Decor:
These 'Ratha' temples of Mahabalipuram are commonly called the Pancha Pandava Ratha. These temples are considered pioneer of the Dravidian monolith era and mark the point of transition between the earlier tradition of rock-carved temples and the later tradition of freestanding stone structures. There are actually eight Rathas at Mahabalipuram out of which five are named after the five Pandavas of Mahabharata and one after Draupadi. The five rathas that can be seen are Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha and Nakul Sahadev Ratha.
The interesting features among all these Ratha temples are the fact that all of them are monolith and are based on the Buddhist Viharas and Chaityas. The largest and the smallest among them are three-storied Dharmaraja Ratha and one-storied Draupadi Ratha respectively. The magnificent way in which these Monolithic Cave Temples were excavated by scooping out the scarp of the hill from front to back is a real treat for the eyes.
Apart from the famous Rathas, there are other magnificent temples in Mahabalipuram too. These temples are renowned for their Mandapas (cave sanctuaries). A Mandapa is an open pavilion or a hall with cells in the back wall and is cut out of a single piece of rock. The giant open-air relief such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges' and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva, are the most attractive. Both of these temples attract a lot of crowd every year.
- walking the temple in the 21st Century: I had pre
planned everything. I wanted to shoot the Mahabalipuram Temple just as the sun
began to rise. I wanted to capture the temple and the beautiful sky colours at
the dawn break. When you search for Mahabalipuram on Google you are sure to
find thousands of beautiful pictures. But, I wanted to click something
different.
The smaller Shiva temple behind the main temple is a double
storied structure with a stepped pyramidal tower with an octagonal sikhara
built over a circular griva. A kalasa and finial are fitted above the sikhara.
Kudus (horseshoe-arch dormer like projections) and small shrines are part of
the cornices at both levels of the structure. A Somaskanda panel decorates the
back wall of the inner shrine. There is no mantapa (hall) in front of this
shrine (probably damaged). The external walls display two panels. One is called
Ekpadamurti with three heads, one body and one leg, a personification of the
Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The second panel is of Nagaraja
(king of serpents) standing below a five-hooded serpent.
The entire compound wall surrounding the temples is sculpted
with large sculptures of Nandi, the vehicle or mount of Shiva, and also
with Yalis and Varahas (boars).
 |
| the carvings |
My ART: THE COLLAGE GALLERY
BEFORE PICTURES AFTER PICTURES
Standing like a magnificent fist of rock-cut elegance overlooking the sea, the Shore Temple symbolises the heights of Pallava architecture and the maritime ambitions of the Pallava kings. Its small size belies its excellent proportion and the supreme quality of the carvings, many of which have been eroded into vaguely Impressionist embellishments. Originally constructed in the 7th century, it was later rebuilt by Narasimhavarman II and houses two central shrines to Shiva. The layout is meant to resemble the perfect cosmic body, with the head and heart located over the spire that dominates the structure. Facing east and west, the original linga (phallic images of Shiva) captured the sunrise and sunset. The temple is believed to be the last in a series of buildings that extended along a since submerged coastline; this theory gained credence during the 2004 tsunami, when receding waters revealed the outlines of what may have been sister temples. The building is now protected from further erosion by a huge rock wall, and like many of Mamallapuram’s sights, it’s spectacularly floodlit at night.
Standing like a magnificent fist of rock-cut elegance overlooking the sea, the Shore Temple symbolises the heights of Pallava architecture and the maritime ambitions of the Pallava kings. Its small size belies its excellent proportion and the supreme quality of the carvings, many of which have been eroded into vaguely Impressionist embellishments. Originally constructed in the 7th century, it was later rebuilt by Narasimhavarman II and houses two central shrines to Shiva. The layout is meant to resemble the perfect cosmic body, with the head and heart located over the spire that dominates the structure. Facing east and west, the original linga (phallic images of Shiva) captured the sunrise and sunset. The temple is believed to be the last in a series of buildings that extended along a since submerged coastline; this theory gained credence during the 2004 tsunami, when receding waters revealed the outlines of what may have been sister temples. The building is now protected from further erosion by a huge rock wall, and like many of Mamallapuram’s sights, it’s spectacularly floodlit at night.How do you preserve the shore temple
This is in the list of
world heriatge site.
But, honestly, this is not
in good shape. The carving and sculpture are not well preserved. Especially
when you compared with Five Rathas and Arjuna's Penance. Perhaps this is
because this is near the ocean shore.
It costs Rs 250 to enter
(for entry to Five Rathas as well). This is not much.You can consider that for
help preserving the sight.
Otherwise, you should
still take some good photo from the entrance if you are with good camera.
There are a chain of shops
next to the temple. You can simply skip them.This is a temple which is not a
place of worship. Like other ancient monuments here this one too gives us a
glimpse into life of people here 1400 years ago. This place has a few
sculptures in Chinese and Indonesian style, done by artisans from those places
as Mahabalipuram was a trading harbor in ancient times.The guide told that this
is only one of the remaining temples out of 7 similar ones originally build. 2
more also exists but submerged in the ocean.
Very Helpful!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing insight and creative ways to depict history!!
Cheers