Stepped towers
On the shore.
Rainer Halama — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ajaybeny1989 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shikher Singh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sharvarism — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rainer Halama — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Shore Temple is a stone temple with stepped pyramid towers on the Bay of Bengal shore at Mamallapuram. Its granite has been worn by sea wind and salt, and it is set in a grassy garden with rows of small stone figures along its walls. It was built around AD 725 from granite blocks under King Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty, when the site was a busy port. It is one of the oldest structural stone temples in southern India, built of blocks rather than cut from the rock. European travellers from Marco Polo onwards called the place the Seven Pagodas, and this temple is thought to have served as a landmark for sailors. It has been part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. You walk round the temple to see its towers from every side, then carry on to the town's other monuments, such as the Five Rathas and the rock reliefs. It is about 700 m in a straight line from central Mamallapuram. Sunrise or late afternoon is the best time.
On the shore.
Over the sea.
Nearby.
Mamallapuram beach, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu
About 60 km south.
Usually the town's other monuments.