Mamallapuram is a beautiful city in Tamilnadu, just 58 kms away from the busiest cities of India Chennai. It is well known for its cultural heritage, sandy beaches and amazing sculpted architectures like temples, old buildings and monuments. The city has great historical importance as it once used to be the ancient ports of the great historical Pallava Kings. Apart from the all, the city is in the limelight and is quite in the news for its grand annual festival called the Mamallapuram Dance Festival, which is a huge event celebrated with great pomp and show in Tamilnadu. It is like the magnum Opus of the events in Mamallapuram. This festival that is being talked about is a celebration of colours, art and culture of India. For years it has been the most talked about and in demand event in the region. People who love arts and dance and Indian ethnic uniqueness ensure they don’t miss it and thus they make advanced reservations well ahead of the set time. This year in 2013, Mamallapuram Dance Festival will start from 25th of December and will end on 15th of January 2014. The 20 Days extravaganza would let you savour Indian culture preserved over centuries, cultural shows and music and dance performances performed by 300 talented artists from different states of India. Like other Indian festivals, Mamallapuram Dance festival is too celebrated with great pomp and show. The festival is a four week event where one gets to see the most amazingly talented artists from all over India in the field of dance and music and other subtle arts like paintings and sculpting. This is operated and organized by the Tamil Nadu government and to make it even more special it falls very close to the New Year’s event which is then an icing on the cake. The entire area comes to life and merrymaking during this period. It is just one of the things that you should experience if you travel down south to Tamil Nadu.
You will savour some of the great dance forms of India such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Odissi which are all traditional cultural dance forms that have been there in India since ages. Puppet shows and classical music are also held on Friday and Saturday. Those mesmerizing performances have and will always get the audience in awe of their magic. Also because the festival happens in Tamil Nadu, it is also a platform for the many Tamil folk dances such as the Kokkali Attam, Silambattam, Karagam and Thappattam. However, since we know India is so very diverse it has also started to become a platform for the major dance forms from many other states in India. The event is a colourful one where hundreds of people come to attend and bath in the cultural and musical program. It is an open air show where the backdrop of the majestic Shore temple adds to the meaning to this beautiful event. The venue is centuries old made of monolithic rock sculptures in the ancient city of Mamallapuram. When the performers show their skills and talent on the stage, the century old temple complements them perfectly. This vibrant time is also an opportunity for the many young talents to come up on front to prove them-selves to the world. The Talented Indian folk dancers attire beautifully in Indian culture put up amazing dance performances showing the rich culture and the beauty of India Incredible.
Come and be the part of this vibrant festival Mamallapuram, celebrated in Tamilnadu with great pomp and show.
• Don’t miss to visit Shore Temple and the Tiger Cave in Mamallapuram
• 7th Century Five Rathas of Panch Pandavas carved out of stone is a must see attraction.
• Also visit Krishna’s Butterball a giant natural rock perched on the hill side. It is interesting to visit as it applies some rules of physics.
