Mamallapuram Dance Festival2013-Coming Date Mamallapuram Festival-About Mamallapuram Festival-Mamallapuram Festival History-How to Rich Mamallapuram Festival-Mamallapuram Festival Images-Mamallapuram Dance Festival2013 Video

Mamallapuram was earlier named Mahabalipuram and is a small city in the state of Tamil Nadu. Historic sites and rock craves make it is a great place to visit throughout the year. The place is significant with large stone carvings and monolithic art sculptures. Mamallapuram Festival is one of the top events in the city drawing a significant crowd every year. A month long event, the Mamallapuram Festival took off this December 25, 2012 and ends on January 25, 2013. Prepare yourself for the festival as you make a plan for India travel. The Pallava carvings of the 7th and 8th century can be part of your tour here.

Apart from its temples that represent the architectural beauty of the ancient India, Mahabalipuram, a small city in Tamil Nadu, is also famous for its vibrant Mamallapuram Dance Festival. Indian classical dances including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Mohiniattam, Odissi and Kathakali are performed in this festival, which is held annually, during the months of January and February. Apart from the classical dances, folk dances are also performed in the festival. The cultural event is promoted by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department. The four-week dance festival has evolved as one of the major cultural attractions of the southern state of India.

Arjuna’s penance, a bass-relief sculpted on the face of two enormous adjacent rocks, in Mamallapuram, is chosen as the venue for Mamallapuram Dance Festival. The splendid backdrop provided by the Pallava Rock Sculptures adds to the overall appeal of the dance festival as well as provides it with an aesthetic touch, which is truly native to the indigenous Indian culture. The artists perform on an open-air stage. The open theatre style ambience provides the perfect mood for the dancers to give their level best in the festival. Created about thirteen centuries ago, the open air stage is magnetically attractive, featuring its monolithic rock sculptures that date back to the Pallavas. 

Apart from the dance festival, the ancient city of Mamallapuram is significant in its own terms. The shore temple, situated 58 km south of Chennai (the capital city of Tamil Nadu), catches the tourists’ attraction, who come from different corners of the country and the world to witness the dance festival. The temple is renowned for its magnificent architectural beauty, with monolithic rock sculptures. The ancient city is made a beautiful tourist destination by the amalgamation of the old 7th and 8th century Pallava carvings, temples and wonderful beaches.

Mamallapuram Festival History

The open-air auditorium that serves as the venue for the Mamallapuram dance festival was established near about thirteen centuries ago. It was the port of the great Pallavas and a resort and culture front to rich culture. The dance performances are performed in ‘Arjuna’s penance’, a brass relief structure based on two huge adjacent rocks. When the dancers perform the ambience is such that the rock vibrates with the resonance of the music. 

How to Rich Mamallapuram Festival

By Air: The airport at Chennai that lies at a distance of 58 kms is the most convenient point for tourists coming by air. Chennai is well linked with all the major cities of the country. 

By Rail: For those traveling by train, the railway station at Chengalpattu lying at a distance of 28 kms is the most feasible.

By Road: Buses operate on a daily basis from Mamallapuram to Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai.

Mamallapuram Festival Images

Mamallapuram Dance Festival2013 Video