6307th–8th centuries · Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu
Pallava Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram
The Pallava kings of Kanchipuram made Mamallapuram their seaport and covered its granite outcrops with carvings: cave shrines, five monolithic temples, and a huge relief known as the Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna's Penance. Around 700 Narasimhavarman II built the Shore Temple there and the Kailasanatha temple in his capital, early works of the Dravidian style later developed under the Cholas.
Sites
- Site 1: Shore Temple, MamallapuramGranite temple at the water's edge, worn by sea winds.Map ↗
- Site 2: Arjuna's PenanceRock face carved with gods, animals and a sage beside a natural cleft.Map ↗
- Site 3: Pancha RathasFive temples and animal figures each cut from a single outcrop.Map ↗
- Site 4: Kailasanatha Temple, KanchipuramSandstone temple of about 700, ringed by small shrines.Map ↗
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