The pictures engraved in these stones have a lot to tell revealing legends which have lived on for years. Another name for mamallapuram is Mahabalipuram. The white granular shores of mamallapuram is in Tamil Nadu an hour's drive from chennai. The ancient monuments in mamallapuram are UNESCO world heritage monuments.

These breathtaking monuments date back to the 7th & 8th century during the rule of the Pallava kings. Most of these monuments are 1300 years old. The place was ruled by King Narasimhavarman I. The history behind the monuments of mamallapuram gives us an insight into the architectural styles, the Kings that built them and the deities that were worshipped. One of the most visited places in mamallapuram is the Varaha Cave.

The main attraction of this cave is the beautiful panel containing two pillars on which lions rest. It is also known as the Trivikrama panel. Then there is the Tiger cave temple. This temple is surely an architectural delight to the eyes as you will see the entrance to the cave is craved intricately with heads of lions.

Historians would say that the Tamil literature dating back to the third century BC also known as the Sangam period literature talks about prominent five gods. It mentions Lord Vishnu - the God of forest, there was Lord Indra, who was the God of plains, there was Varuna who was the God of coastlines, and there was goddess who was the Kotravai queen of the dry lands. Muruga was the biggest of them all.

During the 6th & 8th century there was a group of religious poets who offered songs of worship to Lord Shiva. The Pallava kings were at their highest peak of rule and they accepted Lord Shiva as their God and built many temples. Another tourist attraction is Krishna’s butterball rock. It's a huge rock that weighs over 250 tons. The rock is six meters tall, eight meters wide. So it's a massive rock. This rock stands firm on a slanting slope and refuses to roll even under extreme climatic conditions like the Tsunami.