Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Location and nomenclature
Location and nomenclature
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The Mahabalipuram temples are in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, about  southwest of [Chennai](/wiki/Chennai "Chennai") on the Coromandel Coast. The monuments are reachable by the four\-lane, divided [East Coast Road](/wiki/East_Coast_Road "East Coast Road") and [Rajiv Gandhi Salai](/wiki/Rajiv_Gandhi_Salai "Rajiv Gandhi Salai") (State Highways 49 and 49A). The nearest airport is in [Chennai](/wiki/Chennai_International_Airport "Chennai International Airport") ([IATA airport code](/wiki/IATA_airport_code "IATA airport code") MAA). The city is connected to the rest of India through a rail network.

Mahabalipuram is known by several names, including Mamallapuram; Mamalla means "Great Wrestler", and refers to the 7th\-century king Narasimha Varman I. Other names found in historic texts include Mamallapattana, Mavalipuram, Mavalivaram, Mavellipore, Mauvellipooram and Mahabalipur, all of which refer to a "great wrestler city" or "city of Mahabali". The latter is related to the mythical Mahabali, the demon king defeated by the dwarf [Vamana](/wiki/Vamana "Vamana") (a Vishnu avatar).KH Vora and S Sundaresh (2003\), Mahabalipuram: A Saga of Glory to Tribulations, Migration \& Diffusion, Vol. 4, Issue 16, pages 67\-68 According to Nagaswamy, the name is derived from the Tamil word *mallal* (prosperity) and reflects its being an ancient economic center for South India and Southeast Asia. This theory is partially supported by an 8th\-century Tamil text by the early [Bhakti movement](/wiki/Bhakti_movement "Bhakti movement") poet [Thirumangai Alvar](/wiki/Thirumangai_Alvar "Thirumangai Alvar"), where Mamallapuram is called "Kadal Mallai".

The town was known as "[Seven Pagodas](/wiki/Seven_Pagodas_of_Mahabalipuram "Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram")" by European sailors who landed on the coast after they saw the towers of seven Hindu temples. Seventh\-century inscriptions refer to it as "Mamallapuram" or close variants; "Mahabalipuram" appears only after the 16th century, and (with Seven Pagodas) was used in colonial\-era literature. The Tamil Nadu government adopted Mamallapuram as the official name of the site and township in 1957, and declared the monuments and coastal region a special tourism area and health resort in 1964\.


What is the nearest airport to Mahabalipuram?