Time just flies.! Well I know its a very popular saying.! But listen, do you realise that weekends also just fly. You never know when a Friday evening has set in and you feel as if the next moment would be a Sunday night. For atleast in my case, there were numerous weekends where I just spent lazying around on the couch watching movies and web series.! This was one such weekend where I decided I should do something different. A drive would be my first thought everytime which literally energizes me and allows me to refresh my mood after a long week at work. Finding a full weekend off is a little difficult task in my case owing to the nature of work I am into. So, all I could manage was a day off for myself and Mahabalipuram was the closest destination which I have not ventured before.!
Road :- Mahabalipuram is just about 50 km from my residential area in Chennai and the road is a scenic beauty along the East Coast. There are two roads to reach Mahabalipuram with one being Chennai - ECR - Mahabalipuram and the second being Chennai - Tambaram - Mambakkam - Mahabalipuram. The latter one takes you through city chaos and is best avoided. Hit the ECR road right from the beginning and enjoy the beautiful road all along. The journey takes hardly about 75 minutes and could increase owing to the number of stops one decides to take. There are quite a few beaches all along the road with few being private and rest are all open to public.
Restaurants :- There are many restaurants and cafes all along the ECR till Mayajaal Multiplex ( about 20 kms onto the journey) after which the options fade off drastically. You can always have some snacks ready to munch on if required.
Places of interest :-
(a) Shore Temple
(b) Pancha Rathas remains
(c) Decent of the Ganges (Arjuna's Penance)
(d) Seashell museum
(e) Krishna and Varaha Cave temples
(f) Mamallapuram Light house
Note:- The temples mentioned above do not have any deity/ idols in it. They are just remains of various sculptures dating back to as old as 8th Century.! The intricate sculptures and carvings are just so mesmerising
All the above places are quite close to each other except Pancha Rathas and Sea shell museum which are about 02 kms away from the Shore temple.
A must watch sight would be a sun rise at Shore temple which is a treat to watch and experience.
Weekends are generally bustling with tourists and parking at Shore temple is often a challenge.
Sea food lovers should definitely try at the restaurant known as Moonrakers where the customers get to choose the live catch and get it cooked as per their taste.
There are also various resorts very close to Mahabalipuram which are good weekend getaway sites.!
So in the end it was a day well spent exploring a new place.
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