Group of monuments at Mahabalipuram, Temple complex in Mahabalipuram, India.

The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram holds about forty monuments built under the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. Among them are monolithic ratha temples shaped like processional chariots, mandapa cave temples cut into the rock, bas-reliefs, and stone-cut structural temples. The site lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, roughly 60 kilometres south of Chennai.

The Pallava dynasty began work on the temples and sculptures in the late 7th century, which continued across several generations. Later rulers added further elements until the site gradually lost its importance as a port and religious center.

The site takes its name from the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I., also called Mamalla, whose reign shaped the creation of most sanctuaries here. Visitors today still see Brahmins and pilgrims coming to certain temples to perform rituals or simply pray in the shrines.

Most visitors start early in the morning when the sun is not too high and the light brings out the rock reliefs particularly well. The paths between individual temples and shrines run partly over sand and uneven ground, so sturdy footwear is helpful.

The unfinished state of several monuments lets visitors read the carving process directly: blocks were cut from the living rock from the top down, and smooth patches beside half-finished columns show where work stopped. The site holds about forty monuments, including ten major rathas and ten mandapas, several left incomplete.