Tourist Places In India - Mahabalipuram - The UNESCO World Heritage Site

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The beautiful city of Mahabalipuram is located in the Kanchipuram district of Tamilnadu, not far from Chennai. It is a historic town with a rich collection of sculptures and temples among other attractions. The city, under the Pallava rulers, developed a distinct architectural style that contributed greatly towards the advancement of the Dravidian architecture. Many of the monuments in the city have great significance. The Panch Rathas, made from granite rock, named after the Pandavas, Thirukadalmallai the temple of Lord Vishnu and the Sculpture Museum with many stone and wood sculpture are some of the main attractions in Mahabalipuram. The Shore Temple has been restored, but the antique look has been maintained due to the erosion of the carvings. The city also boasts a good collection of structures carved out of stone - Arjuna's Penance, Krishna's Butterball, and Mahishamardini Cave to name a few. The city offers a temperate climate with lovely beaches for a good stroll. It is also a good place to learn stone carving from the local sculptures. Mahabalipuram's boat rides and fishing trips make this a fun place to visit.

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How to reach:

Flight :

Reaching Mahabalipuram without an airport available in the city poses no barrier to tourism in Mahabalipuram. The nearest airport to Mahabalipuram is in Chennai, and only an hour away. It is convenient to reach the airport from across the country. Chennai airport is well connected to major cities in the country with direct flights from Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Pune, and more. Country’s top airlines like Spicejet, Indigo, Jet Airways, and Air India have frequent flights to Chennai, many of them flying non-stop from all major cities. The flight time varies from city to city and is also dependent on the number of stopovers.

Nearest Airport:

The closest airport to Mahabalipuram is the Chennai International Airport located in Meenambakkam, Chennai. With a distance of about 61 km, travelling to the city from the airport is pretty convenient with travel time of about one hour by road. Buses and taxis can be easily availed to get to Mahabalipuram.

Bus :

Bus connectivity to Mahabalipuram is excellent. Various nearby cities are connected well via road to the city. National Highway 45 is about 164 km from the city, a travel time of only about two hours and 30 mins. Chennai is a mere 60 km from Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry is 100 km, Tirupati is 187 km, Bangalore about 338 km, and Coimbatore about 464 km. Both A/c and non-A/c buses are available for travelling to the city. Tamilnadu Transport Corporation is one of the bus operators with service to the city. Other bus operators are Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and KPN Travels.

Journey Suggestion: 

The city of Mahabalipuram is well connected by road to various cities. Various government and private bus operators provide service for the city. There is no particular time of the year that may not be good for travelling to Mahabalipuram, but the rains may damage the roads to some extent.

Train :

Mahabalipuram is also connected through railways by the nearest railway station in Chengalpattu just 22 km from city center. The trains reach Mahabalipuram from most major cities in varying frequencies. The train from Bangalore takes about 6 hrs to reach the city, Hyderabad 13 hrs, Delhi 44 hrs, and Mumbai 26 hrs.