Cave Temples of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram, which is also called Mamallapuram, is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, whose capital is Chennai (this is known under the name of Madras). Mahabalipuram was a commercial port in the seventh century, under the dynasty of the Pallavas, and its name comes from the Pallava king, Mamalla. If you visit the city, you will see temples and tons of other monuments that remain from the older centuries. It has been deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the monuments, we find a temple dedicated to Vishnu, the Thirukadalmallai, which was built to preserve the sculptures of the Pallavas from the damaging salt air, the descent of the Ganges, which is a huge sunken outdoor carved in a single stone block.

A 2 hour bus from Chennai, this is a seaside village where you can find gorgeous statues along the side of the beach. Unesco declared this place a world heritage site, and it a good alternative for tourism as it is nice and cheap. You can also learn a lot about the tsunami that spared in this beautiful region!