Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram

Visited in April 2025

Yet another family trip, this time off to Chennai.

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Dakshin Chitra, Mahabalipuram

Day 2 - Chennai City, Shopping

Day 3 - Kanchipuram

After reaching Chennai Central Railway station, we boarded the traveller we had hired and drove to our hotel for checking in. We some time to freshen up after our journey and then visited Balaji Bhavan for a sumptuous South Indian breakfast, it was indeed tasty, healthy and absolute yum!

After breakfast, we hit the road to Dakshin Chitra on the East Coast Road (ECR). This cultural heritage museum showcases the art and architecture of South India.

Dakshin Chitra is a vibrant cultural heritage museum located on the way to Mahabalipuram. This place serves as a living museum that showcases the rich and diverse traditions, crafts, and lifestyles of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

The museum is spread over a sprawling area, featuring a collection of traditional houses that have been beautifully reconstructed to reflect the architectural styles of various regions. Dakshin Chitra is not just a museum; it showcases the heritage of South India. As per my experience, it is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in experiencing the cultural richness of Southern India.

After grabbing lunch on the road, we made our way to Mahabalipuram. We visited the historical sites, the famous Shore Temple, and the Mahabalipuram beach. Later on, after visiting ISKCON temple, we headed back to the T Nagar area in Chennai for some evening shopping.

Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, is a charming coastal town. It's famous for its amazing rock-cut temples and detailed sculptures from the 7th and 8th centuries, built during the Pallava dynasty and in the modern times it's a favourite spot for both locals and tourists.

The stunning architecture in Mahabalipuram showcases the artistic and engineering brilliance during the time of the Pallava kings. One of the outstanding attractions is the Shore Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which faces the sea. This rock temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and features beautiful carvings that highlight the rich cultural history of the time.

Another highlight of Mahabalipuram is the Pancha Rathas, a set of five rock-cut temples, each carved from a single rock. Named after the five Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata, these temples depicts various mythological stories. The craftsmanship here is truly impressive, showing off the incredible skill of the artisans back then.

Mahabalipuram beach is stunning, but in the evening, it becomes quite crowded with visitors, vendors, pony riders, and more.

The following day began with a trip to the Mylapore temple, located in the heart of the city. This vast complex attracts a large number of devotees who come to offer their prayers. After breakfast at the famous Murugan's Idly Kadai, we explored the Planetarium and then made our way to VR Mall for shopping and entertainment. Our last destination of the day was the iconic Marina Beach, world's second longest beach. As usual, the evening was reserved for shopping. Later, a few of us hopped on to a nice pub named The Living Room. Had a relaxed evening there.

On our final day in Chennai, we travelled to Kanchipuram, which is also referred to as The City of a Thousand Temples. It was a super hot day. We stopped by a restaurant on the Chennai - Kanchipuram highway for breakfast and then headed to the historic city of Kanchipuram.

Our initial visit was to the Kamakshi Amman Temple, a revered site dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi Amman.

Later, we visited the Ekambareshwar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple holds significant importance as it is believed that Goddess Parvathy, known here as Kamakshi Amman, performed penance under a mango tree to fulfil her wish of marrying Lord Shiva. The temple is also believed to be the site of the sacred wedding of Shiva and Parvathy.

Next, we visited the Varadaraja Perumal Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This is also a really huge temple complex and has interesting sculptures and stone architecture all around. There is a hue granite pillar Mandapam facing the holy pond of the temple. Apart from the main stone idol, the temple has the wooden image of Varadarajaswamy made of fig tree and preserved under water in a chamber. It is brought out for worship once every 40 years. The festivities last 48 days after which it is immersed in the water and stored for the next 40 years. It is believed that the custodian priests of the temple hid the idol in the holy pond of the temple to protect from the atrocities and plunder of Sultans who invaded the city. Its said that the deity was found after 40 years, and since then, the custom is followed.

Finally, we visited the Kailasanathar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The architecture f this temple is amazing and constructed during the Pallava reign. This being one of the oldest temples in southern India, has beautifully carved stone structures depicting mythological scenes, gopurams and a beautiful courtyard. It is undoubtful that every visitor to this temple will be spellbound by its architecture and we can be absolutely proud about the skills our artisans and sculptors had at that time!

We visited the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, which is a Hindu religious and Vedic learning centre which is established by Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya. Post that we also visited the Kanchi Kudil, which is a typical Kanchipuram style house for visitors to see and enjoy the local lifestyle.

Next was shopping the world famous Kanchipuram Silk sarees. We visited a local handloom seller to buy a few beautiful sarees for moms and myself.

After a very satisfying day at Kanchipuram, we drove back to Chennai Railway Station to board our train back home.