MAHABALIPURAM - BEACH AND PANCHA RATHAS

After roaming around the shore temple and i decided its time to go and get into the water.we went to the sea shore which is less crowded as it is a weekday.Clicked some pics on the rocks.When i asked them to come into waters they told they are afraid.After some unsuccessful attempts to get them into waters i finally gave up  .They left me to swim alone.

                               Here are some pics from the mahabalipuram beach or seashore(whatever u prefer)

srinu

me

me enjoying the swim

me enjoying the view

me enjoying the swim

me and sarath

enjoying the view

enjoying the moment

happy me!!!

cnu,sarath & me......shore temple at the back

cnu chilling

me enjoying the swim

shore temple view from beach

me hoping on the beach rocks :p

After a 3hrs stay on beach during which i had a good swim.we clicked some pics,chatted with locals,drank some soft drinks and shared a few laughs.Hmmmm actually not few :-)

                                                                  Then we came back to the main center had some fast food and fruit juices and started our walk to pancha rathas monuments.

                                      PANCHA RATHAS literally means FIVE CHARIOTS.Me like most others mistook them as the rathas of PANDAVAS.I was partially right as they represent PANDAVAS but the little twins NAKUL and SAHADEV got a common chariot.Too sad even being kings they got to share stuff.And if you are wondering about the fifth chariot it belongs to DROUPADI.Those are beautiful structures each carved over a single granite rock and are built during 630-680AD

                                        Here are some pics from pancha rathas monuments

me beside nandi carving at pancha rathas

me beside elephant carving at pancha rathas

me at naku & sahadev ratha

couple from argentina bought ice cream bars to all the street  kids

street kids out side pancha rathas curious to ride skateboard

cnu & sarath at bhim ratha

beautiful stone carved elephant

me at dharmaraj ratha

pancha rathas

lion carving at pancha rathas

pancha rathas

me skating in the streets of mahabalipuram

                              we started back to chennai at 6pm and reached there by 8pm.

My stay in pondicherry is with avinash who was on his way to college from his home.I joined avinash in Koyambedu bus station and we went together to his college.He bought the ticket for both of us though i insisted not to.Its 3 hrs journey from chennai to pondicherry and we boarded bus at 00:30 and got down right infront of the college gate at 3:30am

MAHABALIPURAM - SHORE TEMPLE

Day started with a surprise when Srinu and Sarath said that they wanted to come along to Mahabalipuram.My plan is to start early to mahabalipuram,spend a day there and proceed to pondicherry my next destination.But as they are coming along we decide to come back in the evening and i can catch a bus to pondicherry late night.

                              We left IIT at around 9'o clock,ate some dosas from a roadside vendor and reached bus  stand at around 9:30 as i forced them to walk.We got a bus at around 10'o clock.Its one and half hour journey from chennai along east coast highway.Almost all the way one can see bay of bengal at some distance.It was a beautiful ride.while i am enjoying the view and sharing old memories with cnu,Sarath was busy playing temple run 2 on his newly bought ipad.Sarath is one of those guys who likes gadgets more than friends.

                            We reached mahabalipuram almost at noon.We had some soft drinks and went to the shore temple.

*SHORE TEMPLE - Its not so complicated to understand the name as it is right on the shore of bay of  bengal.It is built by the kings of pallava dynasty during 700-728AD.That is around 1400 years old.

me & cnu at shore temple

me & sarath at shore temple

me & cnu inside the temple

me & cnu at shore temple

                                                                                                                                                                                             

  

shore temple