Up until now, most of our travels in India have been on the west side of the country and we'd rather over looked the east coast. That is until some friends of ours returned from a long weekend in Mamallapuram. They couldn't stop raving about the place and compared it to Hampi. Well, if you're a regular reader then you'll know just how much of a fan I am of Hampi, so Al and I decided to take a long weekend and go check it out.
Mamallapuram is a little coastal town in the state of Tamil Nadu, which borders Bangalore's state of Karnataka. We flew to Chennai from Bangalore and hired a driver to take us the hour drive to Mamallapuram. We only had two nights there due to work commitments and to be honest we could have done with more time as it felt like we rushed from sight to sight. Our hotel was right on the beach and were able to walk along it, to the town center in about 15 minutes.
I can see why our friends likened the town to Hampi, as it is full of small ruined temples and shrines, however it is much larger than Hampi and has far more shops, cafes and bars so it doesn’t have the same tranquility that Hampi has. Mamallupuram is known for it's stone carving, so not only are there lots of little stone carved temples dotted around the town, but the streets are lined with stone carvers creating everything from tiny stone elephants to huge pillars.
WHERE WE STAYED
Radisson Blu - it was the perfect location and the pool was a relief at the end of a crazy hot and humid day!
FAVOURITE PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK
Good Luck Cafe, for food and beer overlooking the beach.
The Wharf, for great Indian food on the beach.
FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
Visit the Sea Shore Temple - an ornate carved temple right on the waters edge.
Visit Krishna's Butter Ball - stroll amongst the gardens and boulders
Visit Pancha Pandava Rathas - beautiful carved elephants
Watch the sun set over the lighthouse.
Stroll along the beach in the morning to watch the fishermen at work
WHAT I WORE
It was hot, hot, HOT and crazy humid so I spent most of the time in these harem pants.
Mamallapuram is a little coastal town in the state of Tamil Nadu, which borders Bangalore's state of Karnataka. We flew to Chennai from Bangalore and hired a driver to take us the hour drive to Mamallapuram. We only had two nights there due to work commitments and to be honest we could have done with more time as it felt like we rushed from sight to sight. Our hotel was right on the beach and were able to walk along it, to the town center in about 15 minutes.
I can see why our friends likened the town to Hampi, as it is full of small ruined temples and shrines, however it is much larger than Hampi and has far more shops, cafes and bars so it doesn’t have the same tranquility that Hampi has. Mamallupuram is known for it's stone carving, so not only are there lots of little stone carved temples dotted around the town, but the streets are lined with stone carvers creating everything from tiny stone elephants to huge pillars.
WHERE WE STAYED
Radisson Blu - it was the perfect location and the pool was a relief at the end of a crazy hot and humid day!
FAVOURITE PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK
Good Luck Cafe, for food and beer overlooking the beach.
The Wharf, for great Indian food on the beach.
FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
Visit the Sea Shore Temple - an ornate carved temple right on the waters edge.
Visit Krishna's Butter Ball - stroll amongst the gardens and boulders
Visit Pancha Pandava Rathas - beautiful carved elephants
Watch the sun set over the lighthouse.
Stroll along the beach in the morning to watch the fishermen at work
WHAT I WORE
It was hot, hot, HOT and crazy humid so I spent most of the time in these harem pants.
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