I visited Chennai for my friend’s wedding. An Indian wedding is a festivity on its own, but while we were in Chennai, I wanted to do some day trips to see the local culture and history. That’s when I found out about Mahabalipuram.
How to get to Mahabalipuram
Chennai is the closest major city to Mahabalipuram. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours of driving from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, depending on traffic.
And yes, speaking of traffic, it can get pretty bad. If you plan to visit Mahabalipuram, I suggest leaving Chennai early in the morning, around 7:30 AM. This will also you to avoid the crazy morning traffic jam in Chennai. It will also allow you to get back to Chennai by late afternoon at around 3-4 PM.
Cost of visiting Mahabalipuram from Chennai
We were lucky that our friend’s wedding planner was able to help us sort out the logistics of getting to Mahabalipuram. Here is the cost of our group of 6:
| Guide cost | INR 2,500 + INR 1,000 for tips |
| Transportation cost | INR 8,850 (inclusive of 18% tax) for a 12-seater bus |
| Entrance Ticket | INR 3,600 for 6 tickets |
| TOTAL | INR 14,950 for 6 people (INR 2,491.67 per person) |
I’ll leave you my driver and guide contacts so that you can contact them yourselves:
- Basha, our tour guide: +919940450122
- Krisnamoorthy, our driver: +919941260406
They are not from the same company, so you do need to arrange with them separately. While I was happy with their services for our group, I am not clear how the booking was done since it was taken care of by the wedding planner.
If you can’t be bothered with arranging the day yourself, you can simply book a day trip to Mahabalipuram here, which will include transport, a guide, an entrance ticket, and lunch. This tour will take you to all the places I’ll be mentioning below.
There is also an option to visit Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram as a day trip from Chennai. I did not do this since the tour takes longer and I had to be back in Chennai by 5 pm for the wedding activities.
What to see in Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram is known for its UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu monuments created during the reign of Pallava dynasty. So while you’re here, you’ll be viewing these collections of monuments.
Here are a few monuments we managed to visit on our trip:
1. Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots)
Pancha Rathas is one of the monument complexes in Mahabalipuram. As the name suggested, it consisted of five monuments resembling chariots. What makes them special is that each monument was carved out of a single monolith, meaning they were all made out of one single stone.
2. Krishna Mandapam
Krishna Mandapam is a carving depicting Krishna, one of the major Hinduism deity, lifting Mount Govardhan. The carving shows Krishna supporting the mountain with his left arm.
This carving was originally an open–air carving, but was later enclosed in a “mandapa” (pillared halls) in the 16th century.
3. Arjuna’s Penance
Next to Khrisna Mandapam is Arjuna’s Penance, a carving depicting the story of Kiratarjuna and how the sacred River of Ganges descended to earth.
4. Krishna’s Butterball
This gigantic granite boulder balances itself on an incline. There had been several failed attempts to move the boulder, but it would not budge.
Nearby the butterball, there are several other rock formations that are even larger, though none as spherical as Krishna’s Butterball.
5. Ganesha Ratha
Ganesha Ratha is the only completed monument in this area. It is a monolithic temple dedicated to Shiva, the God of Destruction in Hinduism.
6. Varaha Cave Temple
7. Roya Gopuram
Raya Gopuram was meant to serve as an entrance to Meenakashi Temple. Despite being an unfinished structure, Raya Gopuram was one of the most visually striking building in this entire estate in my opinion. It reminds me of something out of Game of Thrones.
8. Shore Temple
Located next to the Bay of Bengal, Shore Temple is believed to be what was left of the “Seven Pagodas” as described by early European explorers. It is believed that the other six temples now lie below the sea.
Alright, that was my experience visiting Mahabalipuram. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave comments below.
Until next time!