The Legend of the Seven Pagodas – Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram, a town in Tamil Nadu that is a part of the Chengalpattu District, is situated on the Coromandel Coast, which is a part of the Bay of Bengal. Mahabalipuram is another name for Mamallapuram. The town of Mahabalipuram is said to have formerly had seven pagodas along with one old temple on the shore, according to native mythology. It is why it is known as the Seven Pagodas.

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Mahabalipuram

Previously, Mahabalipuram belonged to the Pallava Kingdom. The town’s original name was Thirukadalmallai. It was given to it in honour of the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who built the town’s seven pagodas temples in the eighth century and during the reign of another Pallava king, Narsimhavarman II. The legend surrounding the city of Mahabalipuram is well-known throughout practically the whole nation, particularly among the residents of Tamil Nadu.

The legend goes as follows:

Prahalad was a true believer in Lord Vishnu, but when his father refused to worship the god, Prahalad was quite discouraged. He repeatedly tried to convince his father to believe in the deity, but his father would not move. The king once exiled his son, Prahalad, following a dispute between Hiranyakashyap and him but eventually allowed him to return.

In response, the king kicked a pillar, which caused Lord Vishnu to come out of the pillar with a lion’s head and kill the king. The dispute broke out again, and Prahalad said that Lord Vishnu was present everywhere, including on every wall of their home. Prahalad enjoyed success after becoming king. Later, he had a grandson named Bali, who discovered the town of Mahabalipuram and gave it the name Mahabalipuram.

The Mythology Of The Lost Temples

According to native tradition, Lord Indra flooded the town of Mahabalipuram because he was envious of the majestic, beautiful town. As a result, only one temple was left standing after the six temples that had formerly shined brilliantly on the town’s coasts had been demolished and sunk into the ocean.

At the village of Mahabalipuram, only one remaining temple may be found by the water’s edge. The seven majestic temples on the coast of Mahabalipuram have been the subject of numerous rumours; however, there is no proof of this. The temples’ existence remained a mystery. John Goldingham was the first European to mention the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram.

Ancient Evidence:

The ages, the incompleteness of the written records, and the destruction of the architectural evidence by invaders have obscured the origins of the temples. D. R. Fyson, an Englishman who lived in Madras (now Chennai) for many years, wrote a small book about the city called Mahabalipuram or Seven Pagodas as a souvenir for Western tourists.

In it, he claims that around 630 CE, Pallava King Narasimharavarman I founded Mahabalipuram or significantly expanded it. Pallava King Mahendravarman I began a series of “cave temples” constructed into steep slopes some 30 years before the foundation of Narasimharavarman I’s city. Contrary to the name, they did not always begin as natural caves.

The genuine legend of the seven pagodas received only Fyson’s attention on the next to last page of his small book (Fyson 28). He describes a local story regarding the pagodas: the deity Indra became envious of this earthly city. It drowned it during a violent storm, leaving only the Shore Temple above water.

He also mentions the Tamil locals’ claim that fishing boats may see “glittering beneath the seas” at least some of the other temples (Fyson 28). Fyson appears to need clarification with the existence of the six missing pagodas, as he is attempting to shape his idea based on his assumptions and amusements.

He intended his book “The Seven Pagodas” to give his beloved city its reputation and recognition, which appears to be his essential aspect. Although they have remained a source of fascination for locals, archaeologists, and believers in stories alike, the six vanished temples have recently come back into the archaeological spotlight.

The Land of Seven Pagodas

According to legend, Mahabalipuram formerly had seven pagodas. Trade was successful between the town and South East Asia, Europe, and other nations. The pagodas are thought to have been buried by a tsunami or earthquake, except for the Shore Temple, a reminder of its glorious history.

Witnesses to the 2004 Tsunami reported seeing several rocks emerge as the tide dropped 500 meters into the water before rising again to inflict devastation. It also carried previously unknown ancient remains, like a lion sculpture that can be viewed on the Mahabalipuram seashore. Two underwater expeditions have discovered a submerged city.

Shore Temple

This temple is often referred to as the ‘2 States’ temple. It was featured when Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor got married in this Bollywood film. With its elaborate carvings and craftsmanship, this majestic temple looks out over the Bay of Bengal and is stunning. This location hosts the Mahabalipuram Dance Festival every year in January or February.

Arjuna’s Penance

A bas-relief rock carving on two stones that extends 96 feet broad and is 43 feet tall is a prominent attraction of Mahabalipuram. Historians are split on the theme it depicts. As a result, it is also known as Arjuna’s Penance and the Ganges Descent. Whatever its theme, the bas-relief with mythological creatures, celestial beings, mammoth Elephants, serpents, and so on deserves to be praised.

Krishna Temple

In Mahabalipuram and its environs, there are also a great number of temples carved into cliff faces. At Arjuna’s Penance stood the Krishna Temple which has storylines from Lord Krishna’s life engraved. The Govardhan Hill is being raised by Krishna, who also milks cows and dances with the Gopis. There was a temple at Panchpanadavas Cave close by Arjuna’s Penance.

Panch Rathas

These are five chariots named after the famous Pandava brothers and their wife, Draupadi, from the epic Mahabharata. Dharmaraja or Yudhisthir’s Ratha is the tallest of the five rathas, with three layers and Shiva in the guise of Ardhanariswara (half man, half woman). Bhima Ratha, the longest of the five rathas with a pyramidal roof, was situated adjacent to it.

Missing Evidence:

Before the tsunami in December 2004, most of the evidence for the Seven Pagodas’ existence was anecdotal. The Shore Temple, other smaller temples, and rathas showed that the area had significant religious significance. Still, besides a painting from the Pallava era that depicted the temple complex, there was little modern proof.

In his 1993 book Temples of South India, Ramaswami claimed that people had created a mystery surrounding Mahabalipuram because of the evidence of 2000 years of civilization, 40 now visible monuments, including two “open-air bas-reliefs”, and associated tales that had spread throughout South Asia and Europe (Ramaswami, 204).

“There is no drowned city in the waves off Mamallapuram, and the European term, ‘The Seven Pagodas,’ is nonsensical and cannot be explained,” he says (Ramaswami, 206). Yet, anecdotal evidence can be reliable. In 2002 scientists decided to investigate the area off the coast of Mahabalipuram, where several modern Tamil fishermen claimed to have seen ruins at the bottom of the sea.

The Scientific Exploration Society in the United Kingdom and the National Institute of Oceanography in India collaborated on this project. (Vora). 500 to 700 meters from the coast, the two teams discovered remnants of walls submerged in 5 to 8 meters of water and sediment. They appeared to be a part of several temples based on the layout.

The Pallava era was roughly between the reigns of Mahendravarman I and Narasimharavarman I when archaeologists assigned them a date (Vora). NIO scientist K.H. Vora remarked following the 2002 exploration that the undersea site certainly contained other buildings and artifacts and merited future study (Vora) (Vora).

The Truth Revealed By The 2004 Tsunami:

These legends continued despite the lack of concrete evidence until the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. India was hit by a tsunami when the sea receded by 500 meters. Incredibly, those present—fishermen and tourists—reported seeing what might have been the Shore Temples’ remains—a long, straight row of big rocks—emerge from the ocean.

As a result of the tsunami, the ruins were submerged beneath the seas once more. The Indian Navy used sonar to examine the shoreline in 2005 and located the remains of two sunken temples. One cave temple – not the famous six lost temples, but the ancient stories no longer seemed unbelievable.

Archaeologists have discovered further ruins of temples since that time. Scientists now think that a devastating tsunami that struck the area in the 13th century and destroyed much of the town was the god Indra’s retaliation for the temples. Thus, it seems possible that there were previously seven shore temples.

Luckily, India’s current Shore Temple survived the 2004 tsunami and can be seen on the South Indian Journey tour. The weathered Shore Temple, one of South India’s earliest temples, was constructed by the waning Pallava dynasty and served as a model for other temples built by the nascent Chola dynasty, which produced a wealth of magnificent art.

In Conclusion

A trip to the historic city of Mahabalipuram is like travelling back in time, bringing to mind the splendour of ancient glories and religious fervor. It takes you back in time to the heady eras when you hear the stone carvers constantly chipping away in their shops.

Mahabalipuram is eternal, and it is continually being found — every day. One dream of the day when all seven of the temples on Mahabalipuram’s beaches will be brought back to their former splendour and will once again welcome tourists to this historic temple port.

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