Coastal Temples

The eastern coast of India, facing the Bay of Bengal, contains several of India's most important temples. The Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram (7th-8th century CE), built by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II, is a UNESCO World Heritage site that has survived over 1,300 years of coastal weathering. The Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha, located just 2 kilometers from the sea, is a major Char Dham site. The Konark Sun Temple, built as a giant chariot of the Sun God Surya, stands near the Chandrabhaga coast. The Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram on Pamban Island bridges the gap between India and Sri Lanka. The Srikalahasti Temple in Andhra Pradesh, though inland, is part of the coastal Pancha Bhoota circuit.

The western coast, facing the Arabian Sea, features temples built by the Solanki, Kadamba, and Vijayanagara dynasties. Somnath Temple in Gujarat, the first Jyotirlinga, has been rebuilt six times after being destroyed by invaders, with the current structure facing the sea. The Dwarkadhish Temple at Dwarka, Gujarat, is one of the Char Dham sites, where the temple stands at the edge of the Gomti River's confluence with the Arabian Sea. The Murudeshwar Temple in Karnataka features a 123-foot Shiva statue overlooking the sea. The Shri Mangeshi and Shanta Durga temples in Goa, though now further from the coast than originally built due to the Portuguese inquisition, preserve the Kadamba architectural tradition.

Coastal temple architects developed specific techniques to withstand saltwater exposure and monsoon rains. The Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram is built from locally quarried granite that naturally resists salt erosion. The Jagannath Temple's kitchen produces food that is cooked using seawater evaporation techniques. Many coastal temples use laterite stone, which hardens on exposure and provides better weather resistance than sandstone. Temple platforms are elevated to protect from storm surges. Drainage systems are more elaborate in coastal temples, with rainwater channels integrated into the design. The Somnath temple's dome was designed with a copper pinnacle that acts as a lightning conductor.