I was still in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on my 2016 spiritual tour of India when I made my last stop at the famous “Shore Temple” in Mahabalipuram. The Shore Temple was built circa 700–728 CE is so named because it overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal. The structural temple complex was the culmination of the architectural creations that were initiated by Kings Narasimha Varma I and II of the Pallava dynasty. Besides the temples signature sculpture gardens which feature dozens of bulls, the Shore Temple is also distinguished as the location featured in the Hindu festival of Holi. According to Puranic narrative, the Prince Hiranyakasipu refused to worship the god Vishnu and instead instated himself as a god, but his righteous son Prahlada loved and was devoted to Vishnu greatly and criticized his father’s lack of faith. Hiranyakasipu hatched a plot of murder his son Prahlada, but Vishnu emerged from one of the Shore Temple’s pillars in the form of a man with a lion’s head (Narasimha) and killed Hiranyakasipu, saving the life of his faithful servant Prahlada. Pictures of the temple are posted below.
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