We went to a constructed village of historic houses from 100 to 200 years ago that were moved from around Southern India before they were lost to development. Later we moved on to a series of temples that had been carved out of solid granite.
At the village of DakshinaChitra the old houses
The Heritage Village Museum was set in delightful grounds.
Will not include the multitude of different buildings but many had superb detail such as this.
Gail framed by a set of carved doors.
The rooms contained objects consistent of the house period and style.
The Kamadhenu..The Cow of Plenty. The eternal provider of milk.
Out in the gardens we saw elephants...
..and dance.
The dancer was swinging teacups of water over his head without spilling a drop.
We moved on to Mahabalipuram where we saw Dravidian style temples carved out of solid granite. It is believed that people from here went to Cambodia to build Ankor Wat. Built around 600AD it is hard to imagine how it was done with the tools available to them at that time.
They carved from the top down so that they didn't stand on top of a god.
Inside were intricate carvings in both full and bas relief.
This has wonderful detail. There are carvings of a man doing penance and in another spot a cat mimicking him as the mice play around its feet.
A World Heritage site!
Our second visit at this site was the Shore Temple. Another excellent structure.
Built on the shore line this has been threatened with the sea.
Small but beautiful!
We moved on to the final complex ..The Five Rathas. All carved from solid rock.
Carved from the roof down! Incredible.
You can't see much of the elephant!
You can see the lion and the temples.
We are staying nearby at The Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay. It is set on 45 acres and we are driven around in golf buggies.
We have a view of the beach from our room.
1 comment:
That temple is amazing! Just astonishing what could be done even without power tools.
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