Stones by the sea

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I was woken at 7 by drumming and took myself on an exploration before breakfast. I found the procession in the butter ball park. The butter ball is a large boulder which appears to be balanced, but easily moved. This is deceptive, it has stood the test of time. The procession was a small group of men. They collected flowers and leaves and lit a lamp at the Ganesh Ratha. After completing their chants and circle of the Ratha they continued the procession.

With our guide, Mr Ragu, we visited the main sites, starting with Aruja's penance. This is the famous bas relief with animals including elephants, deer, monkeys, birds, dwarves and the cat echoing Aruja's pose surrounded by mice who just might be deceived. The river Ganges is the natural fissure in the rock. We also visited cave temples. A memorable image was of a cow being milked with cows and cowherds nearby and a young flautist above. We continued with a visit to the five Rathas, that can be described as the chariot temples all carved from the same piece of rock. Animals featured here too, a bull, an elephant and a lion. After visiting another cave temple and a viewpoint we finished with a visit to the shore temple. Although this temple was damaged by the Tsunami it has been restored. This temple is the final development of temple architecture to a constructed temple with its vimana tower over the sacred shrine.
This concluded the Mamellapuram tour. We had a short drive to visit a Muslim fishing village. Families were enjoying themselves on the beach and in the water.
After my coffee break (a return to the German bakery cum Napalese tea house) I found myself drawn back to butterball park. I explored the area at the back of the site. This area is popular with Indian tourists but off the beaten track for Westerners. There was a good view from the "old lighthouse".

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