Shore Temple

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Shore Temple

temple, Mamallapuram, India

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Shore Temple, complex of elegant shrines (c. 700 ce), one among a number of Hindu monuments at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu state, India. It is considered the finest early example of medieval southern Indian temple architecture.

Unlike most of its neighbours at the site, it is built of cut stones rather than carved out of caves. It has two shrines, one dedicated to Shiva and the other to Vishnu. Its style is characterized by a pyramidal kutina-type tower that consists of stepped stories topped by a cupola and finial, a form quite different from the northern Indian sikhara. The Mamallapuram monuments and temples, including the Shore Temple complex, were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.