Mahabalipuram: A temple by the sea
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"In many ways the temple still lives, its legacy a rich tradition of stone carving that continues today".
For more than one thousand years our temple by the sea, the Shore Temple, as it is known, has stood here resisting the lapping waves and the salty winds that have licked at and melted its precious masonry.
Andrea and I are about 60 kilometres to the South of Chennai and the sun shines hot on us. The monuments at Mahabalipuram are busy today as people wander among the structures. These structures are monoliths carved directly from the protruding rock, temples built in the traditional way with stone blocks and in mandapas and caves transformed to temples.
These buildings and excavations providing cool respite in the heat of the Southern Indian sun. There are intricately carved scenes in the exposed rock surfaces of the hillscape.
We make our way to the Shore Temple. It is here since the 8th century AD that the temple has stood, its foundations in the bedrock and sandy soil. It was only around 40 years ago that the land on the eastern side of the temple was extended to hold back the sea, the wind’s impact also now reduced by a planting of Casuarina trees. Today this is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site.
In many ways the temple still lives, its legacy a rich tradition of stone carving that continues today. There is a rich archaeology here too, in the last 25 years there have been plenty of discoveries. These include, to the west of the temple, a bathing-ghat structure, various architectural features, pillars, a Bhuvaraha sculpture and so on and a small apsidal temple with its miniature shrine.
Mahabalipuram was the port of the Pallava culture who ruled the whole region in the third and fourth centuries AD, doing so from their capital at Kanchi. The Archaeological Survey of India describes the sequence of development of the shore site, the exposed bedrock in the sea was first used to carve sculptures and when the sand from the west started to encroach the recently discovered bathing-ghat structure was constructed to protect the sculptures. The survey states that these activities were probably commenced by King Narasimhavarman I Mamalla.
In the later phase of the sites development and after Narasimhavarman I, the sea to the north of the bedrock was reclaimed and the apsidal shrine was constructed, this was followed by the construction of the temples over the bedrock.
We have discussed the skill of the sculptors and stonemason of India in previous stories. The carving of the figurative sculptures of gods and idols is one that requires a deep knowledge, as well as great skill, of the proportions of each different type of figure. This is an exacting task.
Volume IX of the Census of India 1961 (Madras, now known as Chennai) discusses the carving of idols and I quote:
"The carving is not done in one stage, it has to be conducted in various stages. As a first step large chunks of unwanted portions of these stones are eliminated by rough chiselling. In the second stage, the chiselling is aimed at revealing the rough figure of the murti. In the third stage the superfluities are carefully removed and the image revealed. The fourth and successive stages of chiselling are the equivalent of the metal work called Nakasu works aimed at smoothing the surface of the stone and achieving certain delicate ornamental effects.
The course of the carving is from top to bottom, from head to the feet. The eyes are left to be finished last. This practice is based on the traditional belief that as long as the eye of the image is not opened, the image is only a mass of stone which can be rolled and handled as the Sthapathi (temple architect, sculptor) wants to.
But once the eyes are opened, the image acquires divine qualities and should be treated with respect and reverence. Based on these ideas the eyes are never opened in the workshop of the Sthapathi but only in the place where the image is to be installed before the installation ceremonies".
The ceremony by which the eyes are opened is called the Netramangalya. The Sthapathi is given special rewards on this occasion in addition to the usual rewards he is entitled to for making the image.
A few years ago local fishermen’s eyes were opened wide when a tsunami struck this coastline on 26 December 2004, as the sea retreated it revealed temple structures with elaborate engravings similar to those at other temple sites in Mahabalipuram. These undersea remains are likely to date back to the 7th century. The site is a reminder, that as sea levels rose following the last ice age maximum or dry land sank due to plate movements and earthquakes, ancient human settlements were flooded.
This same process may have occurred to Australian Aboriginal communities living in the low-lying plains of what are now the shallow waters of The Gulf of Carpentaria. These changes are are minder that coastlines can change drastically and swallow the buildings and structures of towns and cities in the process.
Andrea and I are about 60 kilometres to the South of Chennai and the sun shines hot on us. The monuments at Mahabalipuram are busy today as people wander among the structures. These structures are monoliths carved directly from the protruding rock, temples built in the traditional way with stone blocks and in mandapas and caves transformed to temples.
These buildings and excavations providing cool respite in the heat of the Southern Indian sun. There are intricately carved scenes in the exposed rock surfaces of the hillscape.
We make our way to the Shore Temple. It is here since the 8th century AD that the temple has stood, its foundations in the bedrock and sandy soil. It was only around 40 years ago that the land on the eastern side of the temple was extended to hold back the sea, the wind’s impact also now reduced by a planting of Casuarina trees. Today this is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site.
In many ways the temple still lives, its legacy a rich tradition of stone carving that continues today. There is a rich archaeology here too, in the last 25 years there have been plenty of discoveries. These include, to the west of the temple, a bathing-ghat structure, various architectural features, pillars, a Bhuvaraha sculpture and so on and a small apsidal temple with its miniature shrine.
Mahabalipuram was the port of the Pallava culture who ruled the whole region in the third and fourth centuries AD, doing so from their capital at Kanchi. The Archaeological Survey of India describes the sequence of development of the shore site, the exposed bedrock in the sea was first used to carve sculptures and when the sand from the west started to encroach the recently discovered bathing-ghat structure was constructed to protect the sculptures. The survey states that these activities were probably commenced by King Narasimhavarman I Mamalla.
In the later phase of the sites development and after Narasimhavarman I, the sea to the north of the bedrock was reclaimed and the apsidal shrine was constructed, this was followed by the construction of the temples over the bedrock.
We have discussed the skill of the sculptors and stonemason of India in previous stories. The carving of the figurative sculptures of gods and idols is one that requires a deep knowledge, as well as great skill, of the proportions of each different type of figure. This is an exacting task.
Volume IX of the Census of India 1961 (Madras, now known as Chennai) discusses the carving of idols and I quote:
"The carving is not done in one stage, it has to be conducted in various stages. As a first step large chunks of unwanted portions of these stones are eliminated by rough chiselling. In the second stage, the chiselling is aimed at revealing the rough figure of the murti. In the third stage the superfluities are carefully removed and the image revealed. The fourth and successive stages of chiselling are the equivalent of the metal work called Nakasu works aimed at smoothing the surface of the stone and achieving certain delicate ornamental effects.
The course of the carving is from top to bottom, from head to the feet. The eyes are left to be finished last. This practice is based on the traditional belief that as long as the eye of the image is not opened, the image is only a mass of stone which can be rolled and handled as the Sthapathi (temple architect, sculptor) wants to.
But once the eyes are opened, the image acquires divine qualities and should be treated with respect and reverence. Based on these ideas the eyes are never opened in the workshop of the Sthapathi but only in the place where the image is to be installed before the installation ceremonies".
The ceremony by which the eyes are opened is called the Netramangalya. The Sthapathi is given special rewards on this occasion in addition to the usual rewards he is entitled to for making the image.
A few years ago local fishermen’s eyes were opened wide when a tsunami struck this coastline on 26 December 2004, as the sea retreated it revealed temple structures with elaborate engravings similar to those at other temple sites in Mahabalipuram. These undersea remains are likely to date back to the 7th century. The site is a reminder, that as sea levels rose following the last ice age maximum or dry land sank due to plate movements and earthquakes, ancient human settlements were flooded.
This same process may have occurred to Australian Aboriginal communities living in the low-lying plains of what are now the shallow waters of The Gulf of Carpentaria. These changes are are minder that coastlines can change drastically and swallow the buildings and structures of towns and cities in the process.
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