On the seashore of the ancient town of Mamallapuram also known as Mahabalipuram in the state of Tamil Nadu, stands the magnificent Shore Temple complex. It gets its name from its location on the Coromandel shore overlooking the Bay of Bengal. This temple complex was built during the reign of the Pallava Emperor Narasimhavarman II in 8th Century AD. (700-728 AD).
There are three structural temples in this complex and are the oldest surviving structural temples in South India. Along with the Pancha Rathas and the Open Art Gallery, the Shore Temple is considered to be one of the best specimens of Pallava architecture.
All the three Temples of the Shore Temple complex are built on the same platform. Viewed from the northern end, the temples appear to be a replica of the Dharmaraja Ratha. The main shrine is dedicated to Shiva as is the smaller second shrine. The main temple, which faces east so that the sun rays shine on the Shiva Linga in the garbhagriha (sanctum), is a five-storied structural temple unlike the other rock-cut monuments at the site.
Built with sculpted granite stones hauled from a nearby quarry, it is the earliest important structural temple in South India. Its pyramidal structure is 60 feet (18 m) high and sits on a 50 feet (15 m) square platform. Then there is a carved stone panel, called Shivaskanda, in which you can see Shiva with goddess Parvati and their sons Vinayaka and Karthikeya. It is made out of finely cut local granite.
The two Shiva shrines are orthogonal in configuration. The entrance is through a transverse barrel vault gopuram (gateway). The two shikharas have a pyramidal outline, each individual tier is distinct with overhanging eaves that cast dark shadows. A small third shrine, between the two, is dedicated to a reclining Vishnu on Sheshanag and may have had water channelled into the temple, entering the Vishnu shrine. The outer wall of the shrine to Vishnu and the inner side of the boundary wall are extensively sculptured and topped by large sculptures of Nandi. The temple's outer walls are divided by pilasters into bays, the lower part being carved into a series of rearing lions.
Legend has it that Indra had become so jealous of the splendour of this place that he flooded the area and submerged everything, with only few like Shore Temple having survived that. Interestingly, Marco Polo and the European merchants and seafarers called the site Seven Pagodas, one among them believed to be Shore Temple, probably due to its pyramidal shape and multi-tiered carvings on the top. The 2004 tsunami not only exposed an old temple built entirely of granite blocks on the shore, it also renewed speculation about the seven pagodas, six of which were always thought to be submerged under the sea.
Several European travellers including Marco Polo who came to Asia had mentioned about Seven Pagodas in their accounts. One of these seven Pagodas is believed to be the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram. The temple probably acted as a landmark for navigation of their ships. As it appears like a Pagoda, the name became familiar to the seafarers.
It is now inferred that this temple complex was the last in a series of temples that seemed to exist in the submerged coastline; this is supported by the appearance of an outline of its sister temples off the coast during the Tsunami of 2004 which struck this coastline.[3] The architecture of the Shore Temple was continued by the Cholas (in the temples that they built) who ruled Tamil Nadu after defeating the Pallavas.
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