I left Chennai for the sleepy little fishing village of Mamallapuram.
Compared to the north, it is very hot in the south. Even the animals looked overheated, and were curled up in swatches of shade, resting.
There was Arjuna’s Penance (a huge relief carving of Hindu mythology and south Indian life)…
And the Shore Temple, which houses two 7th century shrines to Shiva…
And, of course, there was the beach…
The only other memorable thing that happened to me in Mamallapuram (besides eating too much south Indian food) was the mosquitos.
They’ve always loved me. I must smell right or have nice-tasting blood. I accidentally left one of the shutters open, and they made a feast out of me while I slept.
The following day, I counted the bites after my shower. I stopped at 200.
There is not a lot to do in Mamallapuram, but it is an excellent place to wile away a couple of days.
