Trip to Mahabalapuram

I just got back from a trip to Mahabalapuram, which isn't too far away (~40 kms maybe).  It's known for its temples and stone carvings in huge boulders and rocks.  Most of the temples/carvings are from ~600-700 AD.

It was very cool to see it.  It's amazing how they carved the temples and art work out of solid granite.  It also has a lot of vendors and artists who do stone carvings, ranging from huge statues to little elephants and small pieces.

Pic walking up to the first temple.

Goats

View from up by the first temple.

You can see how close to the ocean we are.

A lighthouse.  We paid to climb up to the top.  It was pretty scary climbing up, the stairs were very narrow.  We got to the top, and to get to the very top you had to climb up stairs that were so steep it was like a ladder.

Pic from up on the temple.

A carved out temple in the rock below the elevated temple.

Carving inside the temple.

A pic of both temples.

Inside the lighthouse.  I should have taken a pic of the stairway up to it, but I was too scared to get my camera out and let go of the railing.

The first monkey sighting, zoomed in from up top of the lighthouse.

View of the temple from the lighthouse.

We gave the monkey a banana.

Pics of locals

Family of monkeys in front of another temple.

Another carved out temple.

A cow/oxen eating garbage.  They are usually eating garbage or licking the posters that are all over the walls, they like the taste of the glue they use.

Carvings in the stone.

Huge mural of carvings.

Pic of one of the many stone carving shops.

Pic of the lighthouse.

Down closer to the beach is another set of temples.

Walking up to another temple in another location.  This one is right on the beach too.  When the tsunami hit   a few years ago, the water receded right before it hit, and it revealed another temple out in the ocean that nobody knew about.

Whole fish being cooked, and crabs.  Did not partake.

Yep.