The Shore Temple was built in the seventh century CE, during the reign of Rajasimha. The temple, which is made of stone, is located right next to the Bay of Bengal, with a western side that is positioned with its back to the water; around the temple is a long stone breakwater. The highest points of the temple are two narrow domes dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva.
Several Ratha cave temples were built by the king Narsimha in the seventh and eighth centuries CE. Mamallapuram boasts eight of those temples, constructed in the architectural style of Buddhist villages. The largest of these ratha temples is called Dharmaraja and is three stories tall and unfinished. The smallest of these temples is called the Draupadi ratha and is dedicated to Shiva, while the Arjuna ratha -- another ratha temple -- is dedicated to Durga. On the south side of the complex that houses these ratha temples are statues of an elephant and a lion; each of these was carved from a single stone.
Many of the monuments at Mamallapuram are actually rock reliefs. The bas relief, for example, is carved into stone and depicts figures such as elephants. This relief, caved out of two stones and also dating from the seventh or eighth century CE, is one of the largest in the world. The reliefs measure approximately 89 by 30 feet; they depict south Indian kings such as Bhagirahta, who is expressing penance and incurring the favor of the religion's gods. This relief is also referred to as "Descent of the Ganges" because Bhagiratha was attempting to allow the river to purify the souls of his ancestors. The image of Shiva is carved in between the two stones of this bas relief.
UNESCO defines heritage as "our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations." UNESCO considers its world heritage sites as belonging to everyone, everywhere, no matter the borders inside which they are located. The monuments of Mamallapuram were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
