Dharmaraja Cave

Views:

India/Tamil Nadu /Kancheepuram /Mahabalipuram

Dharmaraja Cave Temple at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu, from the south-west, taken by Alexander Rea in the 1880s. Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Madras, was a flourishing port of the Pallava dynasty during the 7th – 8th centuries. The site is famous for an early group of monolithic temples, known as the ‘Pancha Ratha’ and some monolithic sculptures assigned to the 7th century reign of Narasimhavarman Mahamalla (reigned 630-668 AD). Along a granite hill are some rock-cut caves and the celebrated sculptured rock depicting Arjuna’s penance. The Dharmaraja Cave Temple dates from the early seventh century. It consists of an open mandapa with three sanctuaries excavated into the rear wall. Guardian figures flank the doorway but the architectural elements are unadorned. Edit

Dharmaraja Cave, Mahabalipuram

Detail InformationEdit

Dharmaraja Cave is a 7th century artistic cave temple structure, which has three empty shrines. For these three deities, there are three garbagrihams (cells), which are empty at present. This cave is also called as Atyantakama mandapam as per the inscriptions. Next to mahamandapam are two full Mahendra type pillars and two half pillars with a plain kapota. The cave does not contain important sculptural figures and is mostly visited by researchers.

HistoryEdit

Dharmaraja Cave Temple was a flourishing port of the Pallava dynasty during the 7th – 8th centuries. The site is famous for an early group of monolithic temples, known as the ‘Pancha Ratha’ and some monolithic sculptures assigned to the 7th century reign of Narasimhavarman Mahamalla (reigned 630-668 AD). Along a granite hill are some rock-cut caves and the celebrated sculptured rock depicting Arjuna’s penance. The Dharmaraja Cave Temple dates from the early seventh century. It consists of an open mandapa with three sanctuaries excavated into the rear wall. Guardian figures flank the doorway but the architectural elements are unadorned.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

8.00 AM – 7.00 PM

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to March

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1 – 2 hours.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Mahabalipuram is well connected by a road network and national highways. The tourist will reach to Mahabalipuram by taxi. the traditional Indian taxi charges of Rupees eight to twenty are charged for each Kilometre.

Bus : Mahabalipuram is well connected with many cities in and around including Chennai by Tamil Nadu public transport bus services. Many private tourist buses operate between Mahabalipuram and Chennai Central.

Train : The nearest railway station is at Chengalpattu 29 kms away. The Chengalpattu station is well connected to Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu. From here you can take a bus or taxi to get to Mamallapuram.

Air : The nearest airport is Chennai International airport, which is located at 54 km away from Mahabalipuram. Chennai airport is having two terminals, domestic and International. Chennai is well connected to all major cities in India and many cities in abroad including Colombo, Middle East countries, Singapore and Gulf countries. Taxi fare from airport to Mahabalipuram is about Rs 1,200.

Others : N.A.