[7], Though the tsunami of 26 December 2004 that occurred in the Indian Ocean struck the temple and the surrounding garden, the Shore Temple was not badly damaged, as the water level returned to its normal level within a few minutes. Its total height is 6 feet (1.8 m) with one foot embedded in the foundation to provide stability. It is one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram and it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [5], Anantashayi Vishnu (reclining posture of Vishnu lying on the serpent Ananta) is enshrined in a small rectangular shrine between the large Kshatriyasimhesvara temple and the Rajasimha Pallaveshvara temple. Shore Temple is granite made temple at Mahabalipuram built during the reign of Narsimhavarman. Shore Temple : It was built between 700–728 AD with granite Blocks. Its circular shikara, is in vesara style architecture. There is a small temple in front which was the original porch. [5] A bas-relief, which is a family image of Shiva and his consort Parvati with their child Kartikeya built over a stone slab is located in a small shrine in the temple. In the words of Percy Brown, Shore Temple served as "a landmark by day and a beacon by night". [4] Even though the architectural creation of sculpturing cut-in and cut-out structures continued during subsequent periods, as seen in the Atiranachanda cave, the Pidari rathas and the Tiger cave, the main credit for the architectural elegance of the Shore Temple complex in the category of structural temples goes to the King Rajasimha (700–28 AD), also known as Narasimhavarman II, of the Pallava Dynasty. The main shrine is dedicated to Arkadeep as is the smaller second shrine. It is considered the finest early example of medieval southern Indian temple architecture. [5][19][20] The ardhamantapa or half chamber which is the first chamber before entering the sanctum sanctorum, also has sculptures of Brahma on the south wall and Vishnu on its north wall. Condition:--not specified. The Shore Temple is no more a living temple. Its beautiful structure is an architectural marvel, which depicts the ancient finesse of art.  Its pyramidal structure is 60 ft high and sits on a 50 ft square platform. Description of Shore Temple. d. Nandivaram Group: Architecture mainly under the Pallava king, Nandivaram Pallava. The second panel is of Nagaraja (king of serpents) standing below a five-hooded serpent. Built with sculpted granite stones hauled from a nearby quarry, it is the earliest important structural temple in South India. Fixing of signages with information on the monuments and creating fountains was also part of the beautification programme planned by ASI. It is reported as a unique single tiered temple and not seen in other temples of the Pallava period. The shore temple is recognized as the first stone structure built by the Pallavas. [1], Shore temple is a complex of temples and shrines. It was enclosed with an elliptical well built during Rajasimha's (AD 700–728) period. An example of a free-standing structural temple is the Shore Temple, a part of the Mahabalipuram World Heritage Site, with its slender tower, built on the shore of the Bay of Bengal with finely carved granite rocks cut like bricks and dating from the 8th century. Sculptures of Shiva as Tripurantaka and Durga are seen on the back side of the north wall of the main shrine. Vishnu is depicted with four arms but his attributes are missing (damaged). The external walls display two panels. Shore Temple, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India. The Shore Temple which is on the banks of the Bay of Bengal is one of the main attractions of Mahabalipuram. Description of Shore Temple One of these towers was the present day Shore Temple – one of the oldest structural temples in South India, a sample of true Dravidian architecture. "[9], The Mamallapuram Dance Festival is held every year during Dec-Jan in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. "In the field of art and architecture, the Pallavas and Pandyas cut many cave temples and monolithic 'rathras'. The external walls have carvings of Krishna slaying the demon Kesi, Krishna dancing over Kaliya (the seven hooded serpent), and Vishnu seated on his vehicle Garuda in the act of saving Gajendra (elephant) from the mouth of a crocodile. This temple though very similar stylistically to the Dharmaraja ratha, differs from it in an important respect that it is a structural temple and not a rock-cut one. Scenic Heritages of Tamil Nadu - HolidayKeys.co.uk Holiday Keys. Shore Temple is one among a number of Hindu monuments at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu. For the UNESCO world heritage site, see, Shore Temple of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) (700–728 AD), A visit to the grandeurs of pallavas- Shore temple, Mahabalipuram, "World Heritage Sites – Mahabalipuram: Group of Monuments Mahabalipuram (1984), Tamil Nadu", "Mahabalipuram – The Workshop of Pallavas – Part V", http://www.webindia123.com/festival/dance/mamalla.htm, "World Heritage Sites – Mahabalipuram – Excavated Remains", "Vṛṣabhavāhanamūrti in Literature and Art", Group of Monuments Mahabalipuram (1984), Tamil Nadu, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shore_Temple&oldid=998841199, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles with dead external links from May 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 07:36. In Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India to Ksatriyasimnesvara is reached through a passage while the groups... 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