Antiquity of Mahabalipuram

A one hour long getaway from Chennai, this small town gives you the necessary relief and the expected spectacle at the same time. For rest, is the following.

As you enter the shore temple, this engraved stone greets you. It is very pleasant to see that the Ministry of Tourism has maintained this place well. It is clean and wears the look of a frequented tourist spot. The Minnistry charges Rs. 10, which is a good thing. If you really wish to maintain a place, you need money. Then, why not charge it from the consumers, who in this case are the tourists?

I took this picture to give a establishing view. the purpose was to show how the place looks like. The curved path made it all the more fascinating to take this picture. 

The temple is actually below the ground surface. When you climb down, the wall of the ground above guides you to the temple. 

The show-spoilers. The ingrained urge to make your 'mark' actually prompts some idiots to deface a millennia old monuments. If you are a history, stone or travel lover, you get very pained to see this buffoonery.
Strict vigil is the solution.

A never seen shape of an entrance. 

The Mahabalipuram bus stand. It is also the town square. Many restaurants, hotels and 2 ATMs are located here. Nice place to be in. 

Had taken a lunch break in Sagar restaurant when I took this picture. We always look through one side of the glasses (spectacles). I wondered how is it to look from the other one...

During a routine Tamil-English (because I cannot understand Tamil) conversation with a coconut vendor, I normally looked at the coconuts through this angle. Went a little closer, presses the golden button and 'kichhick' went the shutter.

The 5 'rathas', one of the three prime historical monuments in Mahabs, as some collegeites call it.