Mamallapuram / மாமல்லபுரம்

The exterior embossed blocks at Mamallapuram are a novelty not found anywhere else in India.

The reason for the name

The name Mamallapuram is due to the fact that Mamallar, a Narasimha, once painted a picture of an elephant on a rock while strolling with his father. It was only after seeing it that he came up with the idea of building immortal temples on the rocks for his father. So he gave the city its name.