Picture a perfect tropical beach. The palm trees. The white sand. The sun in a cloudless sky above a calm blue sea. That’s Mamallapuram. Now look just behind the beach. Are those statues, monuments?
Yes, they are. This town was once a thriving international port. The Chinese came here. The Romans came here. Sailors and traders from around the known world came here. An 8th century text describes how ‘the ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking, laden as they were with wealth, big-trunked elephants and gems of nine varieties in heaps‘.
And so it was that just before this time, King Navasimharavan and his successor Rajasimharavan built a series of magnificent temples portraying the events of a great Hindu epic Mahabharata. There are pavilions. There are shrines shaped as temple chariots. There are imposing carved elephants. Here: you can wander round as I did, together with many Indian Sunday trippers. I simply enjoyed these monumental carvings, without going deeply into their history. I was quite simply too exhausted by then.
Later I ambled round town. I bought soap and a toothbrush – remember, I hadn’t planned to spend the night here when I left The Hotel from Hell in Chennai. I got a few more souvenirs to take home. I ate on the open terrace of a sheltered restaurant, finding easy company in fellow-travellers. It was a perfect day. My last day. I’d be getting up in the morning to go back to Chennai, pack, get to the airport and … fly home.
An entry for Six Word Saturday.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Already! 😦 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a whole month – and I’ve left loads out which I may or may not revisit in the future.
LikeLike
Looks a great last day! I love the 6 words and was amazed at how much there is to explore at what looked initially like a tiny simple temple.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, it’s almost a village of temples. Back in those days I wasn’t too good at painting the scene more generally.
LikeLike
oh wow . . . what an unexpected treat!
LikeLike
Glad, though exhausted, you enjoyed your final day. Did you ‘dance to a tune of Handel’ on the shores of Coromandel?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No. I was much more low-brow, looking for early pumpkins with Edward Lear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fitting last day, soaking up sights, sounds and experiences 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It really was near-perfect. But not the end of the story ….
LikeLiked by 1 person
A cliffhanger! Will there be a third series of Indian adventures becomes the big question! Or perhaps there’s more to come with this one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, you’ll just have to wait and see …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you try out the fried prawns with beer? Lovely in the warm evenings, sitting by the beach as the light fades from the sky.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m near-vegetarian, and my son had a seafood-related incident in the same town some years before, so yes to the beach and the beer. No to the prawns. I was quite happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So pleased that you enjoyed a ‘perfect’ last day, Margaret!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! It was fun to remember it as I prepared the post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those “imposing carved elephants” are magnificent and what a lovely sight for the end of your trip. And, such a charming memory to have.
LikeLike
They ARE magnificent. And most of the site is in such good nick for an open air location. Sites like this, en plein air, have such a different feel to them.
LikeLike
So varied and beautiful the carvings and sculptures in the temples. I also liked the impressive elephants.
LikeLike
They WERE impressive. The whole site was.
LikeLike
I’m taken with ‘Hotel Traffic Jam” 🙂
LikeLike
You and me both!
LikeLike