Mahabalipuram Lighthouse + Olakkanesvara Temple.
Day-trippers from Chennai cycle through the Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Krishna's Butterball and Arjuna's Penance — and miss the small hill 200m west that holds the working 1900 lighthouse and the 8th-century Pallava Shiva temple (Olakkanesvara) built into its base. The temple is roofless because the lighthouse was constructed on top of it in 1900 by the British; the masonry sits inside the lighthouse compound.WHY NOBODY KNOWS
Olakkanesvara is a Pallava-era (8th c CE) Shiva rock-cut temple, contemporary with the rest of the monument complex but skipped from the standard tour because the lighthouse entry has a separate ₹50 ticket (lighthouse top + temple combined). Climb 90 steps to the lighthouse gallery for the only elevated view over the Mahabalipuram cluster: Shore Temple, Five Rathas, the rock-cut caves laid out below. Open 10am-12.30pm + 2-5pm / closed Fridays. No tripods/big lenses.
