The Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) has become India’s first-ever green energy archaeological site.
- As a result of the Green Heritage Project’s endeavours, the Shore Temple will now be illuminated using clean and sustainable solar energy.
- Three solar plants — each with a capacity of 10 kilowatts — have been strategically placed to harness the abundant solar power in the region.
Key points
- Dating back to the 7th century, this UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the oldest stone temples in South India.
- The Shore Temple derives its name from the fact that it overlooks the shore of Bay of Bengal.
- The temples’ architecture is a seamless blend of Dravidian and Pallava styles. It was built under the king Narasimhavarman II (695-722), with granite.
- Within the temple, are three sanctums with shrines, two of which are dedicated to Lord Shiva and one dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
- Mamallapuram, about 50 km from Chennai, was popularly known as “Seven Pagodas” to European travellers of the 16th century.
- Marco Polo in his travel book mentioned the temple, referring to it as the Seven Pagodas of Mamallapuram, a name which stuck to the cluster of the Shore temples among the European traders and cartographers.
