This giant rock at Mahaballipuram is known as Krishna’s butterball. I thought it must be a relatively modern nickname, but apparently the concept of a ball of butter is not that new, and Krishna was known for being very fond of butter.

I’m guilty of posting things a bit out of order … Mahaballipuram is just an hour or two away south of Chennai, on the coast. Although most of our itinerary in Tamil Nadu was for more serious enthusiasts of Dravidian temples (or at least archeology, ancient architecture, or religion and culture), Mamalla (its simpler nickname) is strewn with cultural riches that are conveniently close to a bunch of beach resorts where you have the option of sightseeing or vegging out. Of course, if you never left your hotel you’d miss sights like these:

Shore Temple

Arjuna’s Penance, relief

We opted for a resort on the cheaper side that looked like it had seen better days. To be fair, it had — before that devastating 2004 tsunami, which hit right there. We saw a boat belonging to the tsunami relief effort parked just up the beach. So if our room was kind of charmless and the first floor looked dingy, we could overlook that. Apparently the pallid German tourists sprawled around the jewellike, new-looking swimming pool could, too.

Most importantly, the food was fantastic. Not even on the houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala did we have such amazing fish: smoky and tangy one night, fiery yet complex the next. Someday I’ll find out what the hell fish “kuzhambou” is and try to make it myself.

Mamalla Beach Resort
108, Kovalam Road (East Coast Road)
Mamallapuram Postal Code 603104
Tamil Nadu, India
Telephone:
+91-44-2744-2375
+91-44-2744-2475