Mamallapuram Festival



Detailed Information about Mamallapuram Dance Festival & Its Importance


India is a vast country filled that is proud of its very rich and one of the oldest civilization of the world. The different cultures and the religions of the country live in perfect peace and harmony presenting before the world a wonderful example of universal brotherhood. The festivals originating in these cultures and the religions flood the Indian calendar and each of these events become a mega event India and a reason to celebrate the togetherness. The festivals also are a best way to remember the wonderful tradition and the culture of the Indian society. The Mamallapuram festival is an example of one such event where one finds the wonderful culture of south India coming alive.

The Mamallapuram festival is celebrated in the month of January February every year in the state of Tamil Nadu and the festival of Pongal coincides with this festival. The ministry of tourism of the state organizes this festival to patronize the magnificent art and the culture of the state. The festival sees many celebrated artists performing the different Indian dance forms as the Bhartnatyam, the Mohiniattyam, the Kuchipudi, the Odyssi and Kathakali on the backgrounds of the beautiful carvings on the rocks by the Pallavas of ancient India. The place Mamallapuram was a major port of the Pallavas of Kanchi and during their time the art, culture and music was taken to newer heights.

The artists perform under the open sky on the brass relief structure the "Arjuna's penance" which rests on two huge rocks lying adjacent to the Penance. The ambience becomes filled with magnificence of the classical music and the skilled dancers performing on stage with such majesty. The glory of the festival dates back to about thirteen centuries ago. The show during the evenings truly put the viewer in a mood of pleasure and ecstasy and hence it can be defined as a must visit in a lifetime for the music lovers.

The shows are held in the evening time and that leaves us as a tourist with plenty of time during the day to explore the historical city. Mamallapuram is a wonderful destination for the tourist that is filled with plenty of the sightseeing. The place itself is a beach resort and the heritage sites remind us about the golden times of the Pallavas of the bygone era. It indeed is a soothing destination to be that is painted in the simple and the natural colors. Here one can enjoy the ancient monuments, the magnificent beaches, the caves, the monolithic temples of the gods and the goddesses etc.

The festival becomes a platform for the new talents that get the chance to showcase their talents too along with the maestros of the music performing here alongside. The festival has not only been pulling the native crowd but also has been the pick of the international tourists too. The Mamallapuram Dance Festival has now been reckoned as the "Indian Dance Festival" since the year 2009 and has been very much successful in denoting and presenting before the world the fine arts and the dance forms of the country.