The Shore Temple on the Bay of Bengal was constructed in the 7th century during the rule of King Narsimha-Varman II Rajasimha (c. 690-728). It consists of two sanctuaries dedicated to Shiva.

Legend says that King Bhagirath brought down the Ganges from Heaven to purify the souls of his ancestors. His plan went awry when he realized that the flood would innundate the earth, so he had to undergo a penance to convince Shiva to intervene, who came down to earth and let the flood trickle through his hair, dispersing the waters safely in innumerable streams all over the world.

This strange sight aroused the curiousity of the world's animals, who gathered round the soaking God. The cleft in the two rocks is perhaps the most famous part of the mural. It depicts the descent of Shiva from heaven through the colossal waterfall. The ruins of a stone water tank above the rocks support this interpretation. As for the rest of the mural, it depicts Indian village life in the 7th century, with carvings of scenes from daily life.

The 'Ratha' cave temples, commonly called the Pancha Pandava ratha (the five chariots of the Pandavas), are a stylistic anomaly marking the point of transition between the earlier tradition of rock-carved cave temples and the later tradition of freestanding stone structures, of the type seen at the nearby Shore Temple.

Carved in the 7th century by the Pallava kings, the Ratha temples are an attempt to imitate free-standing stone construction in the living rock, with not unsatisfactory results. The structural detailing of the Ratha temples carefully imitates wooden timber supports, pilasters, beams, and brackets, though of course none are necessary in stone.

Because each temple is carved from a single piece of living rock, the Rathas are in a suburb state of preservation and many of their carvings are as fresh today as they were 1,300 years ago. The Arjuna and Draupadi rathas, facing west, are dedicated to Shiva and Durga respectively.

The one-storey Draupadi has an interesting thatch-like roof with imitation posts and beams. The whole looks as if it could be rendered as effortlessly in timber. The largest of the series is the unfinished three-storey Dharmaraja Ratha.

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