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The mystery monuments of Mamallapuram

  • Krishna's Butter Ball. This structure - a single enormous boulder - is visible from the road. It is part of a rocky outcrop that shelters many other intriguing structures.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    1/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Krishna's Butter Ball. This structure - a single enormous boulder - is visible from the road. It is part of a rocky outcrop that shelters many other intriguing structures.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The intriguing rck-cut cave temples behind the butter ball rock structure. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    2/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    The intriguing rck-cut cave temples behind the butter ball rock structure.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Rocky cliffs tower over tourists and their nooks offer welcome shade. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    3/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Rocky cliffs tower over tourists and their nooks offer welcome shade.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • In the shadows, shelter from the unforgiving sun.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    4/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    In the shadows, shelter from the unforgiving sun.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • There is more than two hours' worth of wandering here, if you are curious enough. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    5/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    There is more than two hours' worth of wandering here, if you are curious enough.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • A pool that local guides will tell you is Arjuna's Swimming Pool. Take that with a pinch of salt - the water is not brackish.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    6/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    A pool that local guides will tell you is Arjuna's Swimming Pool. Take that with a pinch of salt - the water is not brackish.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • A part of the extraordinary bas-relief popularly known as Arjuna's penance. Even this claim is disputed, as some scholars opine that it might represent Bhagiratha.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    7/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    A part of the extraordinary bas-relief popularly known as Arjuna's penance. Even this claim is disputed, as some scholars opine that it might represent Bhagiratha.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The antiquity and significance of these monuments, which date back to the first century rule of the Pallava dynasty, are not entirely explained.
    8/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    The antiquity and significance of these monuments, which date back to the first century rule of the Pallava dynasty, are not entirely explained.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The carvings are intricate, monolithic, and cut out of granite. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    9/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    The carvings are intricate, monolithic, and cut out of granite.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • It's a landscape of mystery, holding treasures in every step.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    10/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    It's a landscape of mystery, holding treasures in every step.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • How many marvel at the beauty and symmetry of this temple barely aware of what it stands for. The Pallava dynasty, various scions of which built these structures, ruled between the 6th and 9th centuries.
    11/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    How many marvel at the beauty and symmetry of this temple barely aware of what it stands for. The Pallava dynasty, various scions of which built these structures, ruled between the 6th and 9th centuries.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Now overgrown with scrub and littered with refuse left by careless tourists, these monuments are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    12/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Now overgrown with scrub and littered with refuse left by careless tourists, these monuments are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Perhaps the rocks hold secrets yet to be explored. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    13/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Perhaps the rocks hold secrets yet to be explored.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • And some others lost forever, undiscovered and undescribed.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    14/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    And some others lost forever, undiscovered and undescribed.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • As the Arjuna's penance is visible from the road, posing next to it for a photo-op is the thing to do for tourists.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    15/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    As the Arjuna's penance is visible from the road, posing next to it for a photo-op is the thing to do for tourists.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The rocks are tempting to amateur climbers, too.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    16/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    The rocks are tempting to amateur climbers, too.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Thousands of years ago, Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram was a port city of the Pallavas. Today, it is a tourist magnet.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    17/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Thousands of years ago, Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram was a port city of the Pallavas. Today, it is a tourist magnet.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Here, the rocks hold secrets that may be revealed to you, if only you pause to read them.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    18/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    Here, the rocks hold secrets that may be revealed to you, if only you pause to read them.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The Five Rathas and the Shore Temple are celebrated, but little is said about this cluster of monuments beside the road.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    19/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    The Five Rathas and the Shore Temple are celebrated, but little is said about this cluster of monuments beside the road.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • When you are in Mahabalipuram, make it there early to explore these ruins. Who knows, you might stumble upon the key to the mystery behind them.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
    20/20

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Monuments

    When you are in Mahabalipuram, make it there early to explore these ruins. Who knows, you might stumble upon the key to the mystery behind them.

    Explore more photo galleries on The Great East Coast Road Drive
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
Krishna's Butter Ball. This structure - a single enormous boulder - is visible from the road. It is part of a rocky outcrop that shelters many other intriguing structures.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
The intriguing rck-cut cave temples behind the butter ball rock structure. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
Rocky cliffs tower over tourists and their nooks offer welcome shade. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
In the shadows, shelter from the unforgiving sun.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
There is more than two hours' worth of wandering here, if you are curious enough. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
A pool that local guides will tell you is Arjuna's Swimming Pool. Take that with a pinch of salt - the water is not brackish.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
A part of the extraordinary bas-relief popularly known as Arjuna's penance. Even this claim is disputed, as some scholars opine that it might represent Bhagiratha.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
The antiquity and significance of these monuments, which date back to the first century rule of the Pallava dynasty, are not entirely explained.
The carvings are intricate, monolithic, and cut out of granite. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
It's a landscape of mystery, holding treasures in every step.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
How many marvel at the beauty and symmetry of this temple barely aware of what it stands for. The Pallava dynasty, various scions of which built these structures, ruled between the 6th and 9th centuries.
Now overgrown with scrub and littered with refuse left by careless tourists, these monuments are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
Perhaps the rocks hold secrets yet to be explored. <br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
And some others lost forever, undiscovered and undescribed.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
As the Arjuna's penance is visible from the road, posing next to it for a photo-op is the thing to do for tourists.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
The rocks are tempting to amateur climbers, too.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
Thousands of years ago, Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram was a port city of the Pallavas. Today, it is a tourist magnet.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
Here, the rocks hold secrets that may be revealed to you, if only you pause to read them.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
The Five Rathas and the Shore Temple are celebrated, but little is said about this cluster of monuments beside the road.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>
When you are in Mahabalipuram, make it there early to explore these ruins. Who knows, you might stumble upon the key to the mystery behind them.<br><br>Explore more photo galleries on <a href="http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/greatecrdrive/" data-ylk="slk:The Great East Coast Road Drive;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Great East Coast Road Drive</a>

Is it Arjuna's Penance? Or is that Sage Bhagiratha meditating?

Questions have been asked, and inadequately answered, about the group of monuments at Mamallapuram, 90 km south of Chennai off the East Coast Road. While the Five Rathas and the Shore Temple are reasonably well documented and publicised, the bric-a-brac cluster of monuments along the road still poses a mystery. They are free to visit, which makes them a popular haunt with tourists -- and monkeys who chase after them for the soft drink bottles they carry. Most tourists just enjoy the ruins from the outside. However, if you wander around them, there is so much to discover and marvel at.

Photo editor AZHAR MOHAMED ALI explores this, the mysterious backyard of Mamallapuram, with Travel editor BIJOY VENUGOPAL

Follow them live on The Great East Coast Road Drive from Chennai to Rameswaram, Aug 1 to 13.