Descent of Ganges and Arjuna’s Penance, Mahabalipuram
Descent of Ganges and Arjuna’s Penance Mahabalipuram is one the most mind boggling sculpted bas relief in Tamil Nadu. It is lying out in the open for all to see. Something so precious, yet lying so uncared beside a road where traffic plies nonstop.
Descent of Ganges and Arjuna’s Penance, Mahabalipuram
I found the relief carvings on a huge rock the most stunning work in Mahabalipuram. A 25.5 by 12 meter tall structure; the relief has so many sculpted images that leaves one confused what it could all mean. This is a popular monument from the Pallava times, a South Indian dynasty that existed from 275 CE to 897 CE.
Looking at the sculpted images, I tried to relate to various stories each section might be representing. My mind was recollecting the article I read on conflicting views about this relief: whether this depicted ‘Arjuna’s Penance’ or ‘Bhagiratha’s penance’ that is for descent of Ganges.
Arjuna’s penance would mean, the penance of Pandav prince Arjuna to obtain the Pasupata, the mighty weapon from Lord Shiva.
However Bhagiratha’s penance would mean, the penance of sage Bhagiratha in Himalayas to bring down River Ganga to Earth (descent of Ganges) for redeeming his ancestor’s souls.
Whichever may be the story, it was immaterial to me then. I was devouring the images with eyes and lens, constructing my own stories and tried to relate to the images of the masterpiece in my own way.
Other Images Sculpted at Arjuna’s Penance
In addition to depiction of Arjuna’s Penance I found the sculpted image of a cat’s meditative posture interesting. It was surrounded by 15 mice, one of them praying to the cat. Could he be the hypocritical cat in fake meditation trying to fool the mice who came seeking justice from him?
This statue silenced my ruffled thoughts. How well the sculptor depicted his pensive mood! What must have been his thoughts while chiseling away at the rock!
See more carvings at Krishna Cave Temple.
Location of Great Relief at Mamallapuram
Mahabalipuram is also known by the name Mamallapuram. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in the Chengalpattu district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Nearest train station to Mamallapuram is Chengalpattu Junction. It connects Chennai and various parts of Tamil Nadu by express and mail trains. On arrival at the station, one can hire a cab to travel a distance of around 29 km to reach Mamallapuram.
Nearest airport is in Chennai. Roads are good too. We traveled to Mahabalipuram by road after night halt at Kanchipuram.
Best Time to Visit Mahabalipuram
The best time to visit Mahabalipuram is during the winters, from the months of November to February. During this time, days are pleasant while the nights are cool.
Other Sights in Mamallapuram
You can visit the beach, monoliths, stone carvings and shore temples nearby. Mahabalipuram tour can be done in one day. Other 5 places worth a visitin Mahabalipuram are:
- Pancha Rathas
- Mahishasuramardini Mandapa.
- Mahabalipuram lighthouse and beach.
- Shore temple
- Ganesh Ratha and Krishna’s Butterball.
Amazing carvings!
It is Bhagirath Penance. Clearly there appears a channel for the water to flow down. Incidentally here is a link for the depiction of Arjuna's panance:
http://www.poetryinstone.in/lang/en/2010/03/15/the-minute-aspects-to-note-in-a-sculpture-finding-a-needle-in-perur.html
Stupendous ! ( love that quixotic cat !)Fills me with pride for our heritage everytime i visit !
I was waiting for your Diwali Mahabs trip pics… So here they are… Its all as usual wonderful…
Amazing carvings! Absolutely fabulous!
Wonderful place. Excellent pictures!!
The great stone works made me speechless.
The spiritual artistry is amazing. So much work.
T13 – Kindle Krazy
Many of the sculptures you show us are extremely well done. Some are truly amazing!
Wonder how these sculptures even though not so detailed, convey the feelings. Enjoyed watching each one of these pics.
The carvings are exquisite! Your world has a lot to explore and I hope one day I can visit!
Oh! That itchy nose! Priceless.
The soul shines from those carvings…
Great Post
wow.. very detail crafted piece of art.. very artistic yet had strong historical value.. you definitely have a very wonderful world there.
The complexity and richness of those carvings are just amazing!
Wow, not only amazing, but whimsical and funny. Somebody's doing some penance, but this looks like fun.
Great photos.
Excellent, Indrani! I would also be stunned by these very beautiful carvings in stone. Your world is so rich in masterpieces! Thanks for your treat!
Thanks for your visit and valuable comment. Yes many people suffer and especially women in this world of ours.
Amazing sculptures. India and it's rich culture never cease to amaze me. I REALLY hope to one day explore even just a small part of your world.
We could only make so many guesses about the statue. Thanks for the tour; I enjoyed it!
Wow…wonderful relief carvings!
Great shots!
That's a great sculpture indeed! thanks for sharing!
Initao Sunset
Great relief and sculpture details.
Its truly beautiful!!!!! doesnt really matter whether it is Arjuna or Bhagiratha… the work is just too awesome!
those carvings are amazing. Our grandson and his wife spent 7 months in India last year and they loved it. In front of me right now is a calendar they gave us of some of their pictures. The one for this month is of (I think) Hampi. There is a link to the blog they wrote on FT-L. Thank you for visiting.
Such tenderness comes through this stone. The elephants, the nubile women, all of it. Wow.
Your great great great grandparents are such artistic talented people. Well you all still are.
I enjoy all your posts.
Wow.. these are incredible! Just imagine the work that went into this. I love those elephants best. I'll bet you couldn't take your eyes off of it.
oh wow! fascinating indeed!
Wonderful relief carvings. So much details all in one place. It is very hard to photograph this as there are always people blocking your view.
Beautiful post. Tho we have visited there several times, we never knew this story.
Thank you for Sharing
The relief is an amazing work of art. I love how you showed some details from this massive work because I can see the feeling that went into the individual people and animals. Thanks so much for showing it to us through your photographs and also interesting narrative.
These just take my breath away, Indrani! The detail is incredible! And your captures are fantastic! I almost feel as though I have been there myself, wondering what the story is behind such intricate carvings! Thanks as always for taking us on such a wonderful tour of your world! Have a wonderful week!
Sylvia
The intricate detail is stunning; the artisan's had an eye for the magic in both worlds.
Very nice. Learn a lot from these posts.
Wow!!
AMAZING relief carvings 🙂
Beautiful handcraft "masterwork"
Great pics! I think the last one is that of Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar…
Amazing relief carving! Hail the sculptors !