The consultant written in German, he says, opened his eyes to the other wonders of India. “Since I was on a solo trip, I made the decision to move to a lesser-known destination and head south. The e-book marked it (Mamallapuram) as the most important destination in South India,” he says, pointing to the consultant he will take with him on his excursion to the city’s celebrated Shore Temple.
The temple city, a few kilometers from Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai, overtook the Taj Mahal, which came in second.
Among the paid monuments, the monument organization of Mamallapuram, a set of devout structures of the seventh and eighth centuries, attracted 46% of the total foreign tourists who visited India, 12% for the Taj.
An apparent explanation for why it was covid and stricter travel restrictions that marred the spectacle of India’s most recognizable monument, the ivory-white marble mausoleum of Agra, the early part of 2021-2022.
In the last fiscal year, only 318,673 foreign tourists arrived in India, up from 2. 76 million in 2019-2020 (when the Taj Mahal visited the lion’s share). But 2021-2022 is not the first time that the Taj is not in the Lead.
In the 2020-2021 pandemic year, remains unearthed at Nalanda in Bihar stole the top spot, with Mamallapuram in fifth place and the Taj Mahal in a remote eighth.
The atmosphere in the city is, understandably, optimistic.
Locals say the historic meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019 replaced the fortunes of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
The rulers then visited the Temple of the Coast, the Pancha Rathas, which represents monolithic Indian architecture carved into the rock, and the Penance of Arjuna, an open-air rock relief carved from two monolithic rocks.
The Chess Olympiad, held here in August, also added weight to the coastal city’s curriculum. It was the first time India had hosted the Olympiad.
“Since Xi-Modi and the recent Chess Olympiad, we have had massive exposure through word of mouth,” said P Ponnuchami, a tourism official with the Tamil Nadu government.
The fact that the picturesque and historic town of Pondicherry is only 95 km from Mamallapuram also works in its favour.
The influx of foreign tourists largely comes from the UK, USA and UK, UK,The U. S. and Germany are in the U. S. , while Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi account for a large proportion of domestic travelers.
“From Bengaluru, it’s only a seven-hour drive, so travelers there tend to go to the Mamallapuram club and Pondicherry,” says Amit Kumar, general manager of Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort and Spa.
“Over the past 3 months, we have noticed an opening of domestic and foreign travel. If I had to compare with last year, I would say there is an accumulation of almost 70 to 75%,” he adds.
Traders also say it has taken a step forward since last year. “Our revenue increased by 37%. Major industries such as tourism, sculptures and food are resuming,” said AM Vikramaraja, president of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu, a trade union of traders.
Tourism and the sea are the main participants in the region’s economy.
Some, however, say things can be better. “We don’t see a major replacement in terms of sales. That’s only 40% of what it was before Covid,” says Jagdish K, owner of The Boutique, a craft shop on the premises. of the Temple of the Shore.
Beach huts selling handicrafts and food say sales are low.
“We hope things will get better after the festival season, as covid is almost over,” says Sugandhi P, who sells fried fish in one of those huts.
Push for the development of the state
At its most sensibly, about 15 crore (150 crore rupees) were spent to beautify the infrastructure.
During the Olympiad, more than 3,000 delegates from 187 countries, totaling two hundred journalists, visited Mamallapuram. The eyes of the global were on the city.
“The proximity to Pondicherry, the presence of a foreign airport (in Chennai) and multiple tourist destinations in the same position have a merit for the city,” says Rahul Nath, the collector of the Chengalpattu district, where Mamallapuram is located.
“Now we are looking for infrastructure. Around Rs 60 crore (Rs six hundred cron) will be invested in a new bus and we will soon introduce adventure sports at Kovalam Blue Beach as well. “
Mamallapuram bites
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff. com Featured presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff. com