Sightseeing
Mahabalipuram with its picturesque location on a rocky outcrop between the beach and a lagoon is a happy combination of history, good beaches, hassle-free tourism and fabulous fish and lobster! Despite the many visitors, drawn by the former Pallava dynasty town, the place is friendly, relaxed, and the villagers are remarkably unperturbed by their crowds of visitors. Mahabalipuram is renowned for its series of charming rathas and the spectacular carved relief depicting Arjuna's Penance. The magnificent Shore Temple, built by king Rajasimha in the seventh century, is a unique temple that houses the shrines of both Shiva and Vishnu while the Varaha Cave is a rock-cut mandapam with two incarnations of Vishnu-Varaha and Vamana-besides scenes of kings and queens. The Krishna Mandapam has a bas-relief of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill in his fingertips. Other important attractions of Mahabalipuram include the Mahishasuramardini Cave, Kotikal Mandapam, Ramanuja Mandapam, and the Dharmaraja Cave.



Excursions
Mahabalipuram is a part of the Golden Triangle circuit of South India along with Chennai and Kanchipuram. As such, it is generally visited in combination with these two places. Kanchipuram (65 km) is the synonym for some of India's finest silk saris. This dusty, small town, popularly called the Golden Town of a Thousand Temples, is renowned for the Kamakshi, Varadarajaswami, and Kailasanathar temples, all more than worthy of a visit. And about the Kanchi weavers, any ode would fall short! Vedanthangal is the site of a bird sanctuary, one of India's largest, while Covelong is famous for its golden beach and other historical monuments.