The Mamallapuram Dance Festival, held against the backdrop of the Pallava monuments, is held every year in which state?

The Mamallapuram Dance Festival is an annual festival of Indian classical and folk dance held at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), about 55 km south of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. It is organised by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department from late December to January, and runs for about a month.

The festival is held in an open-air setting, with the famous rock-cut monument known as "Arjuna's Penance" (or the "Descent of the Ganga") as its backdrop. Leading dancers from across India perform Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali and other forms, as well as folk dances. The festival aims to promote India's classical dance heritage and to attract tourists to the historic town.

Mamallapuram was a major port and artistic centre of the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries CE. The town is named after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who was known as "Mamalla" (the great wrestler). The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. It includes:

Arjuna's Penance: one of the largest open-air rock reliefs in the world, carved on two huge boulders, depicting gods, people, animals and the descent of the river Ganga from heaven.

The Pancha Rathas (Five Rathas): five monolithic temples, each carved from a single rock, named after the Pandavas and Draupadi.

The Shore Temple: a structural temple built by Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha), standing on the shore of the Bay of Bengal.

The cave temples (mandapas), such as the Varaha cave and the Mahishasuramardini cave.

In 2019, Mamallapuram hosted an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and in 2022, it hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Odisha holds the Konark and Mukteshwar dance festivals.
• ✗Karnataka holds the Pattadakal Dance Festival and the Hampi Utsav.
• ✗Kerala holds the Nishagandhi Dance Festival.