Places to visit in the city Mahabalipuram
ARJUNA’S PENNACE - Mahabalipuram Arjuna’s Penance, an enormous relief made on two
huge boulders, is the universe itself in stone,
throbbing with a vastness of conception. This colossus
of art, 27 metres long and 9 metres high, is perhaps
the world’s largest bas-relief. The cleft in the
rock depicts the descent of the Ganga, brought to
earth by King Bhagiratha to redeem the cursed souls
of his ancestors. The two large elephants are remarkable
for their artistry, and so are the scenes from the
Panchatantra. There is a forest with tribal people
and all forms of animal life, just as they would
appear in their habitat. Women are clothed in an
aura of ineffable grace, a rich inner beauty transfiguring
the plainest of them. The whole scene has a delicate
edge of humour. Juxtaposed against the ascetic is
a cat doing rigorous penance too, eyes firmly shut,
even to the delectable mice scampering around within
easy reach.
CAVES MAHABALIPURAM - Mahabalipuram The Varaha Cave, a small rock-cut mandapam (hall),
is a faceted and finished gem with two incarnations
of Vishnu—Varaha (boar) and Vamana (dwarf). Particularly
noteworthy here are four panels of the famous Pallava
doorkeepers. There is about them a mood of contemplative
reverie, a lyrical softness and subtle grace totally
at variance with the primordial machismo their role
as guards of the gods imposes on them. The Dharmaraja
Cave, built in the early seventh century, contains
three empty shrines. The Mahisasurmardini Cave (mid-seventh
century) has fine bas-reliefs on its panels of enduring
beauty. The Somaskanda sculpture radiates peace,
power, and wisdom while Lord Vishnu is shown in
omniscient repose in a masterpiece of dhwani (the
art of suggestion). On the opposite side is a huge
theatrical panel showing, Goddess Durga\’s fight
with the demon Mahishasura, an episode culled from
the celebrated Sanskrit poem Devi Mahatmya.
About 5 km north of Mahabalipuram is another cave
called Tiger Cave, a rock-cut shrine possibly dating
back to 7th century.
RATHAS - Mahabalipuram A group of structures lying at the southern extreme
of Mahabalipuram, amidst casuarina trees, are the
famous Rathas (chariots). The Pancha Pandava Rathas,
as they are called, are five in number. Out of these,
four are carved out of a single rock, while the
fifth on the west is scooped out from a small rock.
The square Draupadi and Arjuna Rathas, the linear
Bhima Ratha, the taller Dharamraja Ratha and the
apsidal Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha, constitute the complex.
Besides these, there are the Ganesha Ratha to the
north of the main hill and two Pidari Rathas on
the eastern side. The hut-like Draupadi Ratha sports
doorkeepers and Durga with a worshipper offering
his head. The Arjuna Ratha, facing west, has its
outer walls carved with the most graceful figures
of gods and mortals. The Sahadeva Ratha with a huge
monolithic elephant in front; the Bhima Ratha with
its two storeys and lion-based pillars; and, of
course, the Dharamraja Ratha—the biggest and finest
of them all with its eight panels of exquisite sculptures—provide
the visitor with insight into the craftsmen\’s skill
of a time long gone by.
KRISHNA MANDAPAM - Mahabalipuram The Krishna Temple is one of the earliest rock-cut
temples of Mahabalipuram. The walls of the temples
depict scenes of pastoral life, one with the image
of Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill in his fingertips
to protect his people from Indra.
SHORE TEMPLE - Mahabalipuram The windswept
and surf-beaten Shore Temple, the mute tireless
sentinel of the shore, is the ultimate expression
of Mahabalipuram. A three-in-one abode of God—a
Vishnu temple sandwiched between two Shiva temples—it
is a visual delight, its precincts abounding in
architectural masterpieces. On either side of it
the sea spreads, illimitable and infinite. The compound
wall of this temple is lined with charming sculptures
of Nandi the bull while the figure of Vishnu is
present in the sanctum sanctorum.
The Shore Temple forms the backdrop of the Mahabalipuram
Dance Festival celebrated in the month of January/February
every year. This festival is an occasion when artists
from all over the country come together to perform.
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