There are many cities in India which are correlated with different mythological stories. Kurukshetra, Ayodhya, Dwarka etc are some of them. Every year thousands of people visit this places. The temples, old monuments, forts etc are the premium attraction points of this cities. Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu is one of such cities.
Mahabaliupram, is a town in the Kanchipuram district. Geographically it is located near the Bay of Bengal. It is said that, king Mahabali was killed by Vishnu in this city. This place was mostly ruled by the Pallava dynasty. It was blessed with skilled artisans and craftsman who have built lot of temples and sculptures. Now it is a very small town which is less populated. The rocks and sculptures crafted by the artisans a few centuries back are worth seeing.
There are many hotels in this area. Radisson Blu resort temple, Hotel Mammalla Heritage, Highnest Bed & Breakfast, Taj Vivanta, GRT Grand etc are some of the best hotels in Mahabalipuram. There are bus services of MTC and TNSTC operating from Chennai, Kancheepuram and other cities.
Many people who visit Pondicherry also make it a point to add Mahabalipuram into their itinerary as it is very nearby. There are government buses as well as buses of private players (AC Volvo) from Pondicherry. Mahabalipuram is not a big town so one can also witness all the beautiful sights of the town by bicycle or just by walking.
The town witnesses heavy rainfall during June to September. During winter the temperature falls upto 25 degree Celsius otherwise it is normally between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius. Summers are not especially hot but because of seashore there is some humidity in the climate. So people can visit this place during this summer also.
The city has its own local festival during the month of December or January. It is a must watch for people who are the town during that period.
Many people from foreign countries also visit this town. People in this town live a very laidback lifestyle. Apart from tourism, horticulture is also one of the main occupation of people living in this town. Because of its rich history many people are working in stone sculpture industry.
The rocks, beaches, temples are some of the prominent attractions of this town. But one can also enjoy the sea food served in the cafes of this town. There are two famous cafes – Gecko and Buddha which are quite famous.
One can find some connection of mythological stories with Mahabharat, Lord Shiva, Vishnu etc with this town. There is one temple which represents the rath (chariot) of the 5 pandavas. Another temple is on the edge of water. It is called the Shore temple.
The On a safer note, one just needs to careful while swimming in the sea. Another thing is that is always good to have a local person who can accompany the visitors. Otherwise, it is very difficult and costly to roam around the city.
