Last day in Mamallapuram

I ate rava dosa when a cow edged to the door of the restaurant. It took one tiny step at a time, its nose twitching for something to eat. When I finished, I folded my banana leaf plate and handed it to the waiter, gesturing towards the cow. The remnants of my breakfast were gone in a matter of seconds.

On the outskirts of town

After visiting Mamallapuram’s Five Rathas, I decided to take the long way back to town. I headed away from the tourist hub in a round about journey of discovery of my very own.

Mamallapuram’s Beach

I rambled past buildings that must have been constructed over sand and reached a long stretch of beach. The sand was hot so it was a relief to wade in the luke warm ocean.

Mamallapurum’s Five Rathas

The Rathas were a short walk south of Mamallapurum and although they supposedly resembled a chariot, my imagination missed this interpretation. While these seventh century structures were well preserved, they did not deviate much from what I had already seen.

School children on the heritage trail

Perched on the highest boulder in Mamallapuram’s heritage site was Olakkaneswara Temple. Lines of children from two different schools stretched along the rock’s neck. I waited at the end near some cute girls.

Mamallapuram visit

I wandered for several hours through the main heritage site. It was a Friday and filled with more local adventurers than foreigners.

Granite boulders of Mamallapuram

Apart from temples carved into the rock, the main heritage site contained natural beauty beyond the seventh century relics.

Mamallapuram’s main heritage site

Nestled within the boulders of Mamallapuram, were temples carved into granite boulders just west of the shore temple. I wandered through a labyrinth of paths where elaborate friezes were carved into the stone as well as temples fronted with columns.

The Shore Temple – Mamallapuram

I headed to the beach to catch the sea breeze on a sweltering thirty-four degree afternoon. I waded into the warm ocean that offered some relief when I spied the Shore Temple on an outcrop of land jutting into the Bay of Bengal.