Shore Temple

Shore Temple

The shore temple is considered to be one of the gems of the architectural town. The majestic shore temple built in 8th century is named so, as it faces the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It served as a busy port too, for the Pallava’s during Narsimha Varman’s reign. To our surprise, the shore temple was sculptured using a single granite boulder. The shore temple contains three hallowed places, mainly devoted to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Among which two shrines are committed to Lord Shiva and one shrine to Lord Vishnu. The Lord Vishnu shrine is the oldest and smallest shrine among three. The smaller Vishnu temple sits between the two Shiva shrines connecting the two. The shrine walls have carvings depicting the life stories of Lord Vishnu and Shiva. As an architectural form, the shore temple paves a complete delight for the tourists, architects and the archeologist.