Shore Temple Mahabalipuram – 60Kms from Chennai in tamil nadu, there is a place called as Mahabalipuram which as per mythology is related to the demon king Hiranyakasipu..
The legend states that king Hiranyakasip was very powerful but refused to worship Lord Vishnu, while his son Prahalad was a great devotee of Lord .. Once there was an argument between Hiranyakasip and his son Prahalad related to the greatness of Lord Vishnu.
When Prahlada stated that Vishnu was present everywhere, including in the walls of their home, Hiranyakasip got angry and kicked a pillar.
Lord Vishnu emerged from the pillar in the form of Narashimha, and killed Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada became king after that, and had a grandson named Bali. And Bali founded Mahabalipuram. Mahababalipuram , originally called as Mamallapuram is an important tourist destination in Tamlinadu .
Around 60kms from Chennai, this place is known for a special temple overlooking Bay of Bengal and is called as Shore temple.
Mamallapuram became an important commercial centre in the 6th century CE, during the rule of Pallava king SimhaVishnu
And this temple was bult by the great pallava kings Rajasmiha and Narasimhavarman II .. Hiuen Tsang ( traveller from 7th century CE ) in his travel records has mentioned about this place and how big the port at Mamallapuram was. Marco Polo has also mentioned about this temple as “Seven Pagodas of Mamallapuram ” , a name which stuck to the cluster of the Shore temples among the European traders and cartographers as well.
In 1375 in the Catalan Atlas, Abraham Cresques also mentined this as “The seven Pagodas” …then in 1582 a jewellery merchant named Gasparo Balbi also called this temple as sevenn pagodas.
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