Mahabalipuram Private tour from Chennai by car with guide and lunch by Wonder
Description
Mamallapuram (also called Mahaballipuram) is about an hour's drive from Chennai on the East Coast Road. It was the second capital and seaport of the Pallava Kings who ruled in the 5th century. Local legend has it that there was once a beautiful city here with seven temples, which the Gods submerged under the sea in anger.until in 2002, an Indo-British team of divers discovered a series of man-made structures under water, covering an area of several square miles.Today at Mamallapuram, you can see the famous Shore Temple, the only surviving temple out of the original seven (the rest have sunk under the sea). The Shore Temple is among the oldest temples of South India and represents the final flowering of Pallava art. Arjuna's Penance, one of the world's biggest bas-reliefs depicts the story of the descent of the River Ganges from Heaven to Earth. Cave temples and massive monolithic sculptures (carved from a single large block of granite) make Mamallapuram a place to remember.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Make the first stop of the day at the Pancharathas, or five chariots, a series of monolithic temples built by the Pallavas.These are rock cut monolith temples structures built in the 7th century. Each of the 5 rathas or chariots are dedicated to the lead cast of the Mahabharat epic- Draupadi, Arjuna, Nakul-Sahadeva, Bhima and Yudhister. There is also a sculpture of an elephant next to the ratha of Nakul-Sahadeva. Once you stand towards the rear of the elephant you will notice that there is an uncanny resemblance between the rear of the chariot and the elephant.
We next visit Arjuna’s Penace, a bas-relief monument that’s considered one of India’s most magnificent pieces of ancient art, depicting vivid scenes from the Mahabharata. The relief is 100 feet long and 45 feet tall! The main story being told is how Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Lord Shiva's weapon.
The next stop is Krishna’s Butterball, a granite boulder that’s poised on a stony slope. This curious boulder seems to defy Newton's laws of gravity and has not moved an inch despite being in this precarious position on the slope for more than a thousand years.
Our last port of call is the Shore Temple. The magnificent temple overlooks the Bay of Bengal and was an important centre during the reign of the Pallavas when Mahabalipuram was the main port of their Kingdom. Built by King Raja Simha during the early 8th century, the Shore Temple is a landmark in the architectural landscape of India. Marco Polo referred to this as the seven pagodas. The existing temple is the last surviving of the 7 which once stood as a beacon for sea farers.
The Varaha cave is carved out of huge piece of granite and dates back to the 7th century. This temple took several decades to be completed. There are squatting lions adorning the pillars which support the hall. Another highlight are the sculptures of two guardian angels who protect the sanctum.
Pandava cave is the largest cave-temple at Mahabalipuram The cave is supported on six pillars and two pilasters. The highlight of the architecture are the spectacular sculptures of mythical creatures called Yali on the pillars.
Two of the most impressive works of art of Mahabalipuram reside in this cave. It has 2 imposing bas-reliefs on the walls. The first one is Lord Vishnu sleeping on top of the coils of a serpent. The other is with Goddess Durga fighting with the demon Mahishasura on a lion.
This is a imposing chariot carved out of a single stone. Originally dedicated to Lord Shiva, it now has the deity of his son Lord Ganesh. It was built in the 7th century by King Mahendravarman I. The other highlight of this temple are the 18 inscriptions in ancient grantha and nagari scripts of Sanskrit.
Built in the year 640, it is India’s oldest light house and one of the oldest in the world. Mahabalipuram was a very busy port since the 7th century and hence this lighthouse played a significant role in keeping mariners safe.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Our tour guide will meet and pick up you from all hotels in Chennai.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(145)
Great tour, pickup and drop off to my hotel made the travel easy, the car was comfortable and air conditioned with water provided which was very needed in the June heat. I booked the 6 to 7 hour tour and this included the journey so take traffic into account. Rajesh was engaging and knowledgeable, made sure my tickets allowed photography and gave me the space to explore and take pictures at my own pace. He respected some adjustments I requested and was communicative beforehand. I had considered getting a cab and exploring myself as I was solo travelling on a budget, but I felt it was worth for it the comfort, knowledge and ability to seamless navigate the sites. I would recommend this as a group tour and this would make it cheaper pers person as well. All in all couldn't fault it.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
Recommended for a short trip to explore the historical sites of South India. The arrangements are very transparent as shown in the description and the guides are all on-time without any delays. Explanation about the history is easy to understand and it is a very pleasant trip overall.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
We have a half day private trip. Everything is well arranged and all the guide are well explained about those places. And thanks to our driver also which drive safely.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
Great half day trip, I booked the afternoon before, great that you can choose pick up time suggest early and then you can enjoy traditional breakfast and coffee. Rajesh and his driver were a top team and got to learn a lot about the history and heritage of Mahabalipuram from the expert knowledge.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
We enjoyed our tour. The guides were knowledgeable and the van was comfortable, with excellent A/C, which was a plus in the super hot climate. The UNESCO heritage site is amazing but signage is lacking, so a tour guide is a must. I 100 % recommend taking this tour.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
Excellent tour, really well organised, good guides. South Indian coffee stop was a bonus.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
Everything was well organised and the guides were knowledgable. The food stops were very tasty and accommodating to the heat providing plenty of water breaks.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
The UNESCO world heritage site and the history is amazing. The main criticism I have is that most of the time is spent in travelling to and from Chennai and having lunch. My guide although had enough knowledge, I felt was bit laid back. He gave me the summary of each site and then left me to go around on my own. I saw some other guides were going to each of the Pancha tathaa and giving detailed information. Also he didn’t let me know how much time I can spend at each place. So my actual site visits probably only lasted an hour. Tour is advertised 7 hrs but only lasted 5.5 hrs. I feel it should also include another attraction included in it for example there was a Vishnu temple in Mahabalipuram which the guide didn’t show and said there was a festival going on as a reason.
Hi Thank you for sharing such detailed feedback regarding your recent tour of Mahabalipuram. It is wonderful to hear that the history and heritage of the site resonated with you, as it truly is one of the world's most remarkable archaeological treasures. However, it is clear that the execution of the tour did not meet the professional standard you expected, particularly regarding time management and the depth of the guided experience.We will advise the guide and we fix it in future. Thank you
Well organized and everything communicated well. The highlight was the local guide Wonder Tours engaged at the temple complex to walk around with me (and scooter me around through the rain)—very knowledge and excellent English speaker (he also told me he speaks several other languages). So request Basta as your local guide! Also props to the driver who safely and efficiently got us from Chennai to Mahabalipuram and back again in a torrential rain storm. My only complaint might be the price overall seemed high for total package.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
A very enjoyable trip. Sammy was a safe driver in a spotless car. Rajesh was a knowledgeable guide. The sites were exceptional.
Hi We are happy that you enjoyed your Mahabalipuram tour. It was our pleasure to hosting you. We are doing Multi-day tours in North and South India.We are waiting to do more tours with you and it definitely gives you a Wonderful experience. Cheers, The Wonder tours
