Mamalapuram - archeology meets backpacker beach

After a tranquil night on the AC-train, we arrive at the small sea-side village of Mamalapuram just South of Chennai (Madras). The place is very quiet since we find out on our arrival that the season starts in one month (mmhh,... for some reason, all the places we arrive have the same problem...). We quickly understand why as the temperature reaches 30°C at 8am already and the thunder starts threatning.

The village is nice though and we quickly find out favourite restaurant in town "le yogi", suposedly Indian-French restaurant.

Appart from being a backpackers beach village (for those who've been there: it's like the Indian version of Taganga, Colombia), the place is famous for its monolith temples and sculptures: that's right: made from one piece of rock at its original location.

All these sculptures and temples are made from one single piece of stone!

Not hard to approach monkeys here

How long did it take to dig that temple out of this piece!!?

Of course, here and there you find signs of the holy cow...!