In the early CEs Mamallapuram (aka Mahabalipuram) was a bustling seaport. Today the town teams with European tourists sojourning to see the town's World-heritage listed temples, which gives the town outright touristy vibe; as my guidebook puts it, “Restaurants serve pasta, pizza and pancakes, shops sell hand sanitizer and things from Tibet, and you known you have landed, once again, in the great Kingdom of Backpackistan”...