The historic coastal town of Mamallapuram on the scenic East Coast Road in Tamil Nadu was the venue for the second India-China informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, held from October 11-13.
During the summit, besides holding talks, the leaders made a visit to the ancient monuments in the coastal town. The monuments there have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the first informal summit in Wuhan , the leaders had made a visit to the Hubei provincial museum.
Elaborate security arrangements were in place around the hotel and roads which lead to the coastal town.
Mamallapuram, about 50 km from Chennai, was popularly known as "Seven Pagodas" to European travellers of the 16th century. It is known for its unparalleled works of architecture: rock-cut temples built by the Pallava rulers. The monuments can be grouped under four categories: rock-cut caves, monolithic structures, open air bas-reliefs and structural temples.
