Mahabalipuram reclining lord Vishnu
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sea shore temple is best example. it is in tamil nadu near Chennai and few months back China pm XL and modi visited it
Answer:This east facing oblong and flat roofed shrine houses a Vishnu image which is carved out of rock in situ. As the image had been constantly washed by the ocean for a long time, it is much weathered and worn off. Except for the tall makuta (crown) of Vishnu, all other iconographical aspects are much obliterated. Vishnu is shown reclining on a plain slab. He is shown with four arms where an upper arm is broken above the limbs. This broken arm has been redone in stucco. This repair goes very well with the story told by Dandin, where Lalitalaya mended the broken arm of a Vishnu image in Mahamallapuram.It is believed that the Vishnu temple is the earliest shrine in the complex. To prove its antiquity, we need to revisit the earliest references of this temple and image. Fortunately, we have three early references in this case. Bhoothath Alvar, born in Mamallapuram during the Pallava period around 713 CE, praises lord Vishnu of Mallai referring the latter as the one lying on a bare rock instead of coils of Shesha. Interestingly, Bhoothath does not mention Shiva temples. It is believed that Bhoothath lived before the Pallava king Rajasimha, author of the Shiva temples in the complex. And this might be the reason that Bhoothath Alvar mentions only about Vishnu but not Shiva.
The second and an important reference comes from Avantisundarikatha of Dandin. Dandin was a poet in the Pallava court during the seventh and eighth century CE. He writes that the sculptor Lalitalaya mended the broken arm of reclining Vishnu by the sea at Mahamallapuram. Dandin also writes that he went to see the work of Lalitalaya and he got amazed when he failed to make where the arm was broken. Interestingly, Dandin does not mention Shiva temples though by his time, the Shiva temples would have been completed or under construction.
The third reference for its antiquity comes from Thirumangai Alvar, who lived during the eight century CE. He praises lord Vishnu of Kadal Mallai Talasayanam, stating that lord Vishnu resides with lord Shiva there. As Thirumangai Alvar was later than the Rajasimha period, him mentioning Vishnu with Shiva is quite appropriate and fits the scheme.
From the above references, there are enough evidences to attest that the Vishnu temple or image predates the other two Shiva temples. However, there are different opinion among scholars. R Nagawamy1 tells that the Vishnu temple, referred by Bhoothath Azwar, is the Sthalashayana Temple which predates the Pallava period and was responsible for making Mamallapuram a famous Vaishnava tirtha. Walter Smith thinks otherwise stating that the lying image of Vishnu seems to be the one mended by Lalitalaya.
Nagaswamy is of the opinion that the Vishnu temple and the other two Shiva temples are all creations of the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha. To support his argument, Nagaswamy tells that Narapatisimha-Pallava-Vishnugrha, a label inscribed above the Vishnu temple, refers to Rajasimha. However, this label of Rajasimha is not found in any of his other many inscriptions. Another argument, going not in favor of Rajasimha, is the arrangement and layout of these three temples. We have already seen that these three temples are not in a straight line which seems little surprising if the whole work is attributed to a single author. Also the position of the Vishnu temple is somewhat irregular, as instead of being a separate temple, this has been added as a part of the prakara wall of the east-facing Shiva temple.Lockwood2 also states that this label inscription above the Vishnu shrine was engraved by Rajasimha, however he does not agree that it was Rajasimha who constructed the temple. Narapatisimha refers to Narasimha, and we have only two Pallava kings bearing this title, Narasimhavarman I and Narasimhavarman II. A help comes from Chitrur plates3, issued by the Pallava king Nrpatungavarman. The plates mention that Narasimhavarman I created a sleeping temple (sayyagrha) with stones in the midst of the ocean for Lord Vishnu.
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