By Nikhil Mukunda.
Mamalapuram or Mahabalipuram is located in southern India; it is home to many historic monuments which date back as far as the 7th Century AD.
Photographic equipment used:
Here is a brief account of my visit.
It is not as comfortable as one would hope when you exit an air conditioned train which is at 66 degrees Fahrenheit into an atmosphere which is almost 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
But none the less, it is most certainly worthwhile to visit a long lost friend.
After hiring a scooter we made our way to Mahabalipuram , the scorching sun in my face , and as I had forgotten my sunglasses , all I could find on the way were a pair of sunglasses which cost 20 RS [Read 12 pence] . But they did the trick, my eyes didn’t turn to slush and drip away from my eye sockets, I am not lying it is that hot!
As we were about 15 kms away from Mahabalipuram, we came across a stone mason’s shop. The shop lay strewn with invigorating statues, ranging from the ones at most temples in India to Chinese Samurais. Although I didn’t know the language, I asked him to show me how he works, and here is his answer
And the final product:
Cannon 1000D, 18-55 mm kit lens, P mode, F18, 1/250, ISO 200, Gaussian Blur added, Made to grey scale
Later that day we checked into our rooms, the accommodation was indeed splendid. An air-conditioned room, a beach right next to it and a swimming pool as well! All for Rs 2500 [read 35 Pounds].
I had a craving for the local food, so we headed into the main city. As we were asking directions to a local artifact vendor, I could not but help dwell on the variety of smoking pipes he was selling.
Canon 1000d, 18-55 lens, Over exposed +1, P mode, Exposed to direct sunlight with white sheet below
Canon 1000d, Shot at 51mm, P mode, Decreased Saturation
Considering that I am only 5 feet 5 inches, I should have probably stood at a higher elevation. And I am guessing the white balance is also a little off.
After a small purchase at the Shop, We headed off to Guru’s. An authentic Mahabalipuram Restaurant! A plate of prawns, sear fish, an authentic prawn and mutton curry, butter milk, rice and some brinjal curry later, I knew my quest for happiness in this trip was done.
Unfortunately I was too busy eating and forgot to click any photographs of the food. But if you ever visit Mahabalipuram, don’t miss guru’s restaurant.
After the restaurant, we decided to go on a guided tour of the town. First, we stopped at another artifact shop, where we saw some rather interesting artifacts borrowed from an old Indian book you might have heard of.
Canon 1000d, P mode, Shot at 55 mm , Iso 400, Increase in shadows, Highlights
Canon 1000d, P mode, Shot at 33 mm, Gaussian Blurred applied using Gimp
And below is the Shop keeper. I finally got to use my Tamron 70-300 lens, I had a little trouble at first, to focus is quite hard, and it is quite difficult to keep it steady. Nevertheless, here is the outcome:
Canon 1000d, Tamron 70-300mm lens, P mode, Shot at 161mm, Highlights given to the picture, Decreased Saturation
For me to write about Mahabalipuram and its culture will probably take about a Decade, since neither you nor I have that time, I will give you a brief about some of the things I understood.
According to Hindu mythology, we have 3 primary players, Brahma the Creator, Vishnu to maintain peace, And Maheswara the destroyer.
Our guide’s version, GOD: G for generator (Brahma), O for operator (Vishnu) and Finally D for destroyer (Maheswara)
For further information on Mahabalipuram, you can visit http://www.mahabalipuram.co.in/
Here is a picture of a temple made up of a Single piece of rock; to the left is Brahma, Vishnu to the Right and Maheswara in the middle. Keep in mind in the 7th AD, we didn’t have explosives, we didn’t have electricity, all they had were chisels and I am guessing not even sharp ones!
The way in which these huge rocks were broken involved a technique to create small holes with chisels; These holes were then filled with small wooden blocks and watered over a period of time. Due to expansion of the wood, the rock would chip off, leaving behind stone which you could work with
There are several amazing statues; I will mention 2 of them here.
The 3D cow, appears to be 2 dimensional in nature , however the artist has left a well defined gap between the Leg and the cow which is not immediately apparent
The other picture, when the face of the cow is covered it looks like an elephant:
We visited 5 historic monuments of importance; each was more impressive than the other. As the sun dove into the ocean, I said good night and we were done for the day.
I have added a couple of more photographs of interest, for any feedback do mail me @ nikhilmukunda@gmail.com
