Shore Temple - Tours of South India

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 busy port during the reign of Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty. As one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a U

NESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. It is one of the oldest structural (versus rock-cut) stone temples of South India Tour.

Sailors gave the name Seven Pagodas to the Shore Temple when they saw this tall structure on the seashore, as the temple probably acted as a landmark for navigation of their ships. As it appears like a Pagoda, the name became familiar to the seafarers. This structural temple complex was the culmination of the architectural creations that were initiated by the King Narasimha Varma I (popularly called as Mammalla after whom the Mamallapuram town is named), in mid 7th century starting with the Cave temples and the monolithic Rathas.

Even though the architectural creation of sculpturing cut-in and cut-out structures continued during subsequent periods, as seen in the Atiranachanda cave, the Pidari rathas and the Tiger cave, the main credit for the architectural elegance of the Shore Temple complex in the category of structural temples goes to the King Rajasimha (700–28 AD), also known as Narasimhavarman II, of the Pallava Dynasty. It is now inferred that this temple complex was the last in a series of temples that seemed to exist in the submerged coastline; this is supported by the appearance of an outline of its sister temples off the coast during the Tsunami of 2004 which struck this coastline. The architecture of the Shore Temple was continued by the Cholas (in the temples that they built) who ruled Tamil Nadu after defeating the Pallavas.

The Tsunami of December 2004 that struck the coastline of Coromandel exposed an old collapsed temple built entirely of granite blocks. This has renewed speculation that Mahablaipuram was a part of the Seven Pagodas described in the dairies of Europeans, of which six temples remain submerged in the sea. The Tsunami also exposed some ancient rock sculptures of lions, elephants, and peacocks that used to decorate walls and temples during the Pallava period during the 7th and 8th centuries.

Chennai - Luxury Tour India

The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During 1st century, a poet and weaver named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore (a neighbourhood of present Chennai). From 1st century CE until 12th CE the region of present Tamil Nadu and parts of south India was ruled by the Cholas. Stone Age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai.

According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities resided in the settlement. The Pallavas of Kanchi built the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram during the reign of Mahendravarman. They also defeated several kingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas who ruled over the area before their arrival. Sculpted caves and paintings have been identified from that period.

Ancient coins dating to around 500 BC have also been unearthed from the city and its surrounding areas. A portion of these findings belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled the region during the medieval period. An 18th century portrait depicting Fort St George, the first major British settlement in India and the foundation stone of Chennai.

The Portuguese first arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 AD. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, north of the Chennai. Which is referred to as Madras Day, the British East India Company under Francis Day bought a small strip of land stretching 3 miles on the Coromandel Coast. They got a license to build a fort and a castle in the contracted region. The ruler of the area, Chennapa Nayak, the Nayaka of Vandavasi, granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises.

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Trichy Tour of South India

Trichy, which was once known as Tiruchirapalli is located at the banks of the Cauvery River. It is the fourth largest city of Tamil Nadu. This city of Tamil Nadu is a fine mixture of the modern and the traditional architecture as is evident from the Rock Fort. There are also several olden days churches, colleges, and missions of 1760s but it is excellently furnished with modern facilities.

Trichy was the early citadel of the Chola Empire and later it fell in the hands of the Pallavas. The Pandyas many times due to their mismanagement defeated the Pallavas on and off. In the mean time the Cholas return into power and ruled till the end of the 10th century. Later the power of the land rolled to the Nayaks passing to the Marathas then Nawabs of Carnatics, French and to the British.

Trichy is located at the height of 78 m above the sea level. It has a pleasant tropical type of climate. The temperature all over the year varies from a minimum of 20 degree Celsius to a maximum of 37 degree Celsius. Tourist season is open round the year. The airport of  Trichy is 5 km far from the main city. Indian Airlines is connecting Trichy with local as well as foreign places. Chennai, Calicut, Cochi, Sharjah, Kuwait, and Colombo are regular air route from Trichy.

Ranganathaswamy Temple is one of the most visited tourist spot in Trichy. It is also claimed as the largest temple in India as it is spread over the 600 acres of land. The rulers of Pandyas, Cholas and Hoysalas contributed for centuries in building up this temple. Rock Fort Temple is another beautiful temple built over 83-meter high old rock outcrop. The Viralimalai Sanctuary is 30 km far from Trichy. This sanctuary is located around the Murugan Temple.

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