Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
UNESCO World Heritage Site
4 scenes at Mahabalipuram monuments 2.jpg
LocationMahabalipuram, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India
Includes
  1. Main complex of Mahabalipuram
  2. Mukunda Nayanar Temple
  3. Pidari Ratha / Valian Kuttai Ratha
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iii), (vi)
Reference249
Inscription1984 (8th Session)
Coordinates12°37′0″N 80°11′30″E / 12.61667°N 80.19167°E / 12.61667; 80.19167
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is located in Tamil Nadu
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Location of Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is located in India
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (India)
Mahabalipuram Stone Sculpture
Geographical indication
DescriptionSculptures in Mahabalipuram
TypeHandicrafts
AreaMahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
CountryIndia
Registered2017–18

The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is a collection of 7th- and 8th-century CE religious monuments in the coastal resort town of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1][2][3] It is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Chennai.[1]

The site has 40 ancient monuments and Hindu temples,[4] including one of the largest open-air rock reliefs in the world: the Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna's Penance.[1][5] The group contains several categories of monuments: ratha temples with monolithic processional chariots, built between 630 and 668; mandapa viharas (cave temples) with narratives from the Mahabharata and Shaivite, Shakti or Shaaktha and Vaishnava inscriptions in a number of Indian languages and scripts; rock reliefs (particularly bas-reliefs); stone-cut temples built between 695 and 722, and archaeological excavations dated to the 6th century and earlier.[3][6]

The monuments were built during the Pallava dynasty.[2][3][7] Known as the Seven Pagodas in many colonial-era publications, they are also called the Mamallapuram temples or Mahabalipuram temples in contemporary literature. The site, restored after 1960, has been managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.[8]

  1. ^ a b c Mamallapuram Archived 4 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia Britannica
  2. ^ a b James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 399. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
  3. ^ a b c "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 4 November 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  4. ^ National Geographic (2008). Sacred Places of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations. National Geographic Society. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-4262-0336-7.
  5. ^ George Michell (1977). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. pp. 131–134. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.
  6. ^ Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Dist. Kanchipuram Archived 29 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Archaeological Survey of India (2014)
  7. ^ "Advisory body evaluation" (PDF). UNESCO.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  8. ^ World Heritage Sites - Mahabalipuram Archived 17 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Archaeological Survey of India (2014)