This huge bas-relief, carved into two large boulders, is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of rock-cut sculpture in India and has UNESCO World Heritage status. It was created in the 7th century to celebrate a military victory of the Pallava king over the empire of the Chalukyas.
Several interpretations have been put forward of what the relief actually depicts.
The plaque next to it gives it the title ‘Arjuna’s Penance’. This refers to a story from the Hindu epic Mahabharata in which one of the heroes, Arjuna, receives a powerful weapon from Shiva. In return he has to perform various acts of self-mortification. In this interpretation Arjuna is the man standing on one leg (with his arms above his head) next to the four-armed Shiva.
Various other scenes and characters in the relief can also be explained by reference to the Mahabharata.
As an aside: at the bottom of the relief you find a cat in exactly the same pose as the supposed Arjuna (- bottom right in the next photo).
Again, different theories about the meaning of the cat (and the mice surrounding it) have been proposed. To my surprise, our guide agreed with my – somewhat facetious – suggestion that the sculptors were simply having a bit of fun.
A second popular interpretation sees the carving as a depiction of the ‘Descent of the Ganges’ (from the heavens) – another piece of Indian mythology – with the cleft between the two boulders representing the river.
This view is given additional credence by the fact that a small pool on top of the rock provides the means for directing a stream of water to flow down the gap – a feature that might have been used for ceremonial occasions.
The two theories are not mutually exclusive. As I mentioned, there are some others, too. It is quite possible that the relief depicts an amalgam of several different stories.
Below are two further photos showing details of the carving.
On the left-hand side of the relief is a pillared hall, also cut from the rock and referred to as the ‘Krishna Mandapam’.
Inside are various panels depicting village life, interwoven with storylines about Krishna. However, much of this building has been left unfinished.
We found it interesting to see that Mamallapuram has remained, to this day, a centre for rock carving and sculpting. There are numerous small workshops all over the town and the surrounding area.
We would have loved to take home some of the beautiful large sculptures we came across, but had to make do with a couple of small pieces which now sit on a sideboard in our living room.
