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DakshinaChitra |
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DakshinaChitra is a unique Heritage Centre located on the east coast road in Muttukadu on the way to Mahabalipuram which offers the visitor an unforgettable & authentic insight into the lifestyles of the diverse peoples of South India. Traditional craftspersons & folk artists work & perform in the reconstructed period settings of 19th century streets, homes & workshop-spaces in the TamilNadu & Kerala sections. These are presently open to the public.
Enter the TamilNadu section through a majestic carved wooden doorway of a century-old merchant house from Chettinad. An exhibition on Tamil culture is on display here. Proceed to the 150 year old agriculturist house from the fertile delta region of Thanjavur. Next, see a potter's house from Tiruvallur with its terracotta exhibition. Step into the humble adobe-and-thatch huts of the basket-weavers, and on to the shrine of Ayyanar, the village guardian-deity.
The weaver's house from Kanchipuram, the famed silk-town of India, is the next stop. An exhibition hall with displays of TamilNadu textiles, is annexed to this house. The austere homes of the Brahmins of Tirunelveli also house the gallery for religious art & craft. Other exhibits on Tamil culture, folk & classical craft, kitchen utensils, demonstrations of artisans at work in their traditional environments, also from part of the experience.
The Kerala section has reconstructions of domestic architecture in the distinct styles of north & south Kerala: a 200 year-old wooden Hindu house from Travancore, a Syrian Christian house from Kottayam, and a double-storeyed Hindu house from Calicut. These houses also have contextual exhibits displayed in them.
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Mamallapuram |
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Mamallapuram is 59 km south of Chennai. It was an old port city and capital of the Pallava kings. It consists of 4 kinds of rock structures, cut-out monolithic rock temples (rathas), cut-in cave temples (mandapams), temples constructed from multiple pieces and materials, and bas-relief sculptures carved on large rocks. The combination of old 7th and 8th century Pallava carvings, temples and wonderful beaches make the place a beautiful tourist destination. |
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| Shore Temples |
 The Shore Temple is situated near the Ocean. This was built by the Pallava King Rajasimha in the early 8th century. The entrances are guarded by sculptures of mythical deities. Inside one of the shrines, there is an image of Vishnu lying with a snake at his side in cosmic sleep on the sea. |
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| Penance of Arjuna |
 The world's largest bas-relief, the 'Penance of Arjuna', is 96ft long and 43 ft high, carved on two adjacent boulders. The figure of' Shiva with an ascetic Arjuna to his left, standing on one leg gives a mythical and realistic impression among the many other figures. |
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| The Krishna Mandapam |
 This is a 12-column cave temple with a natural figure of a cow being milked. |
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| The Five Rathas (Pancha Pandava Rathas) |
 It is the most famous example of Pallava architecture. These five architectures are made out of five individual pieces of granite, with its own elevation, plan and exquisite detail. |
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Kanchipuram |
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It is situated 76 Kms southwest of Madras. It was successively the former capital of the ancient Pallavas, Cholas and Vijayanagar Empire. This old city is known as 'the Golden city of 1,000 temples'. It is one of the seven sacred cities of India and is famous for hand-woven silk fabrics. The kings from Pallava and Vijayanagar period built various temples. They also patronized all the arts making Kanchipuram, a great center of learning not only for Hindus but also for Jains and Buddhists. The Tamil religious and literary works flourished during this period. The teachings of Sankaracharya (spiritual teacher) is carried at the Sankaracharya Matt. The Headquarters of the 'Math' is situated at Kanchipuram. |
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| The Varadaraja Temple |
 The Varadaraja Temple (bestower of boons), also known as Devarajaswamy Temple is 3 Km south east of town. This temple is a place of pilgrim and is dedicated to Vishnu. Its beautifully carved 100 pillar mandapam is one of the attractions. The 100 ft high gopuram was originally built in 11th century. It was renovated by the Vijyanagar Kings after 500 years. |
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| Ekambareswara Temple |
 The Ekambareswara Temple is at north western part of the town. It was constructed in the mid of 9th century by the Pallavas. It has a 200 ft gopuram with more than 10 stories of intricate sculpture. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. There is a mango tree, thought to be 3,500 years old, inside the courtyard. The four main branches is said to bear fruit with a different taste depicting the four Hindu Vedas (oldest known Hindu religious text). |
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| The Kailasanatha(Shiva) Temple |
 The Kailasanatha (Shiva) Temple The temple is situated at Putleri street, 1.5 Km west of town centre. It was build by Pallava king Rayasimha in late 7th century. The foundation of this temple is made of granite, the superstructure was built from carved sandstones. There are sculptures of Shiva in various poses, to give a picture of different aspects of mythology. |
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