Musafir

Till now we have seen the rock-cut temple where a rock face is excavated deep to form a verandah and to accommodate one or more cells on the back wall. Also well known is the fact that Mahendravarman I started this rock-cut shrine fashion in South India. As all the cave temple only show the two dimensional representation of your thoughts what if someone wants to represent his ideas in three dimensions and keeping the long lasting characteristic of rocks. This is where we see the brilliance of Mahendra's successor Narasimhavarman I Mamalla when he started a new style, carving the temple out of a monolith, locally called as Rathas. The freshness of these rathas are still the same as it looks that these were finished very recently. A Ratha literally meant a car or chariot. In old times, as well as in present, the temples used to have their cars in which the main deities were put during the processions. However these carved monoliths do not look like a chariot but a full blown temple itself. The sculptors started from the top as noticed from their incomplete state at the bottom. There are total of ten such rathas at Mahabalipuram. We have already see the Ganesha Ratha earlier. We will visit the others now.

The Pancha Pandava Rathas actually have nothing to do with the Pandavas. It was a custom in the earlier period to associate a construction to a mystical figure and moreover the number of constructions are five. Four out of five rathas are carved out of a single whale-back rock which has a gradual increase in height from north to south. This rock is utilized in its fullest and from it came out four magnificent specimen of Pallava architecture. Most of the scholars assign these constructions to Narasimhavarman I Mamalla, however some of these might have been completed by his successor Parameshvaravarman I.

The Draupadi Ratha is the smallest of the group and located on the northern most end of the rock. Being the smallest and dedicated to female goddess, this is named so. In architectural style, this looks like a thatched roof of Bengal where curvilinear roof is usually topped upon the structure. This kind of huts would have been quite in use not only in Bengal but other parts of India, such as in present time also we see such huts in our villages. The finial would have been placed in old time, however now it is missing. This west facing ratha is constructed on a high rise platform, which is supported on a large alternating elephant and lion heads frieze. The front facade has two female dvarapalas, proper right one holding a sword and proper left one holding a bow. At the corners of the roof is seen beautiful creeper designs.

On the back wall of the cell inside, is a magnificent image of Durga. She is shown standing on a lotus. Depicted with four hands, she is carrying a sankha and chakra in her upper hands while her one lower hand is in abhaya mudra and another lower hand is resting on her waist. There are two devotees, left one trying to cut his head in offerings to the goddess while the right one is offering flowers. The devotee on the left is shown with long tresses and he is holding those in order to keep his neck tight to accommodate smooth cutting. We also see four ganas (goblins) on the upper side of the panel, two on either side of the goddess. Two, at extreme ends, are shown holding a small sword while the two inner ones are shown with one hand raised in adoration.

There are three niches carved at the three walls of this ratha. The niches are carved within two pilasters and are shown an icon of Durga who is standing on a buffalo head, which represents Mahishasura, the buffalo demon. In her upper hands she carries sankha and chakra while her one lower hand is in abhaya mudra and another resting on her waist. In front of this ratha is carved a 6 feet high lion out of a boulder. As the ratha is dedicated to Durga hence her lion in front and this shows the utilization at the maximum, simply outstanding.

The Arjuna Ratha is west facing and measures 11.5 feet by 16 feet and 20 feet high. It shares the platform with the Draupadi Ratha. This is a two storey complex with a octagonal dome like structure on the top. This top would have been adorned with a finial, as this finial can be seen on the platform near this shrine. The front facade is supported on two pillars and two pilasters on the front. The pilasters are supported by lions, which are shown facing each other. The second storey (first floor) has eight niches adorned with couples, two on each side. There is a small mandapa in front which leads into the garbha-griha which is a almost square cell of 4.5 feet by 5 feet in size. The Garbha-griha is empty now, but it was  reported by earlier historians that they found a head with trisula prongs. Hence this structure seems to be dedicated to Shiva. The niche images on external  walls also supports this deduction.There was not much space for dvarpalas inside the cell or in mandapa hence those are carved on external walls.

On north niche is shown Vishnu on Garuda. Vishnu is shown carrying sankha and chakra and shown in the act of mounting on to Garuda. On proper right to this niche is shown a couple and proper left niche is empty. On the corner niches are shown two dvarpalas, with one hand raised in adoration. On east wall is shown Subramanya on his mount, elephant in the central niche. As Indra is also depicted with his elephant so this could be Indra as well, however as the monument is dedicated to Shiva hence Subramanya seems to be better fit. Also his headdress is similar to the Subramanya image of Trimurti Cave, hence this image on this ratha can be treated as of Subramanya. On its proper right niche are shown two female figures, in which one figure is of great beauty and grace. On proper left niche is shown a sage with his disciple. On corner niches are shown dvarpalas, in which the proper right one is shown holding a bow and other one with one hand raised in adoration. On southern wall, in middle niche, is shown Shiva where he is shown leaning against his mount, Nandi, the bull. On the either side of this niche are shown two couples, one in each niche. On corner niches are shown dvarpalas, with one hand raised in adoration. On the east of the ratha is a figure of Nandi, the mount of Shiva. As there was no rock found in front of the ratha hence the artists carved this out in the rock at the backside of the monument. In such a case, the artists were able to carve the face of Nandi facing the shrine, as seen in orthodox style.

We will see the other three Rathas in the following article…

The Ganesha Ratha is located on the backside hill of Arjuna’s Penance and is one of the most complete ratha at the site. As this is the most complete ratha hence it might be that it was started earliest among all however there is no evidence to support this. Though the shrine is meant to be dedicated to Shiva, but a Ganesha image is housed inside. This image was placed by the villagers in about 1880s with  the permission of the then District Collector.The original Shivalinga however was installed later below a nearby tree. This west facing ratha has two upper storeys with a wagon roof and is 20 feet long, 11.5 feet wide and 28 feet high, in proportions. There is cell excavated in the centre, measuring about 7 feet by 4 feet and 7 feet high. The west frontal façade is supported on two lion-base pillars and two lion-base pilasters. The lions of the pillars faces front and those of pilasters faces each other, as per the regular arrangement seen in other similar monuments.

There is seen a human face peeping out of the cornice. Above the cornice is seen regular arrangement of oblong and square mini shrines, interconnected by a cloister. This horizontal frieze of shrines separated the first storey with the ground floor. The gabled ends are very interesting in design, east side end is fully survived. These horse shoe shaped windows have three doors carved out, where the central one is shown containing a high Shivalinga like structure. Many scholars suggests that this design is taken from Buddhist style where a stupa is carved or placed under the  central door. The deign does show some affinity with Buddhist style however if such an influence is there then it would have come from Amaravati artists. On the west portico is a Sanskrit inscription, similar to that of Dharmaraja Mandapa. There are total of fourteen verses in this inscription and the twelfth verse  states that this temple is founded by a Pallava king named Atyantakama, Atyantakama-Pallaveshvara-Griham. The other verses eulogized Shiva.

The Mahishasura Mardhini Cave is one of the important monuments in Mahabalipuram and a must visit for its beautiful architecture. This cave temple is below the Olakkaneshwara Temple. This is a three celled shrine, 32 feet long, 15 feet wide and 12.5 feet high hall, where the central one is projected forward compared to the two subsidiary cells. The front facade is supported in four pillars and two pilasters. The central cell has a small mukha-mandapa in front of it which is supported in two pillars with seated lion bases.

The middle sanctum is flanked by dvarapalas (guardians) on either side, and inside it has a panel on the back wall. In this panel Shiva is shown seated majestically on a platform with Parvati. Baby Skanda is shown seated on Parvati’s lap. Shiva’s mount Nandi is shown seated near Shiva’s feet on the ground. Shiva and Parvati are shown  wearing various ornaments such as necklaces, bracelets, ear-rings etc. There is a devotee shown on right side corner. Brahma and Vishnu are shown standing behind Shiva-Parvati. Brahma is shown standing on left side with four heads and four hands. He is shown holding a water vessel and akshamala in his upper hands. Vishnu is also shown with four hands, carrying chakra and sankha in his upper hands. Surya is seen on top, between Brahma and Vishnu.

This cave is with so much detail that once can take even an hour to completely explore each part of it. Let us see the other panels and the sculptures in this beautiful Mandapa.

The most astonishing features of this cave are the two side panels, which are very exquisite in sculpture art. The north wall depicts Durga as Mahishasura Mardhini fighting with demon Mahishasura. This panel is simply put as one of the most elegant example of the Pallava art. Because of this panel, this shrine is named accordingly. If we can divide this panel in two parts with a vertical line, then left part shows the army with Goddess Durga while the right part shows the army of the  buffalo-demon Mahishasura. Durga is shown mounted on prancing lion and carrying weapons in her eight hands. She is shown holding khadga (sword), dhanush (bow), bana(arrows), ghanta (bell) in her right hands while pasa (rope), sankha (conch), dagger in her left hands. Durga is shown getting ready to fire an arrow towards the demon. One chatra(parasol) is held above her head by one of her companion. She is accompanied with her female warriors and ganas(dwarfs). On right is shown retreating army of the demon. Mahishasura is shown in retreating himself back and trying to save himself from falling. He is holding a gada (club) whose heaviness can be felt in his posture. One of his companion is trying to hide himself behind another so to escape from death. One of his soldier is shown falling head down. Another is shown fell on the ground and looking above in fear. The panel depicts the victory of divine power over the evil forces, and sculptors were successful in taking this theme out in perfection.

On southern wall is a panel depiction Vishnu in anantasayana mudra. He is shown with two hands, stretched over the coil of serpent, Adi-sesha. Adi-sesha’s five-hooded head is spread as an umbrella over Vishnu’s head. Two demons are shown  approaching Vishnu near his feet to attack him. Both are shown carrying gada (club). Seeing them approaching near, Adi-Sesha hissed and flames came out of his hoods. Due to these flames, the demons retreated backwards, as shown in the scene. One hand of Vishnu is shown taping over the coil of Adi-Sesha. The rightmost female figure is Bhudevi.

I spent almost half an hour in this Mantapa. It was quite hot that day and i was really tired. I took a break for some quick lunch and moved on to visit the Pancha Pandava Rathas.

This west facing cave excavation is a pillared hall of 20.5 feet long, 8.5 feet wide and 10.5 feet high. It is supported, in front, by two lion-base pillars and two lion-base pilasters on the sides. It is one of the shrines where it is sculpted in detail and the ASI is doing a commendable job in protecting the relics. 

There is a closet in the middle and are guarded by dwarapalas As we do not see any dwarapala with trisula character (horned dwarapala), it can be assumed that this cave was dedicated to Vishnu.

One the Northern part of the Mantapa, has a bas relief of Varaha, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, in a standing posture. He is carrying Bhudevi (Goddess Earth) in his hands. His one leg is firmly rested on the ocean ground while another is on the hood of Sesha-naga. He is shown with four hands, in upper hands he carries a chakra and shankha while right lower hand is behind the goddess and left lower hand is holding the legs of the goddess. Bhudevi is shown seated in his bent uplifted right knee. Shesha-naga is shown with five hoods, emerging from the waters with his hands folded in devotion. Brahma is shown standing beside Varaha and Narada behind him, holding a Veena. Over Brahama and Narada is shown Chandra coming out of clouds. Opposite corner shows Surya. There is a female standing with folded hands in front of Varaha and Sesha. The way the detail is depicted in this bas relief is extraordinary. And each of the figure is lifelike.

Next to the above relief is shown a relief of Gaja-Lakshmi. Lakshmi is shown seated on a lotus seat, her both hands is a position probably to hold lotus stalks. Her hair are put in a conical formation on the top. Four maidens are shown standing, two on  either side of Lakshmi. Two inner side maidens are shown holding water vessels, while the outer maidens are holding flowers in one hand. There are two elephants on the top, left one is shown pouring water from a vessel while the right one is shown picking the vessel from the hands of a maiden.

Southern end shows a bas relief of Trivikrama, Vishnu in Vamana incarnation. Vishnu is shown with one leg placed firmly on the ground and another lifted up to the level of his neck. This posture suggests that he has taken his two steps already and in that he has measured the earth and the heaven. He is shown with eight hands. In left hands he carries Shankha (conch), Khetaka (shield) and dhanush (bow), while one left hand is pointing to the direction of his lifted leg. In his right hands he carries chakra (discus), gada (club) and khadga (sword) while his one right hand is raised up with palms turned up. Brahma is shown seated on a lotus and shown washing the foot of Trivikrama. Shiva is also shown seated in padmasana with one hand raised in adoration. On left of Trivikrama, Shukracharya is shown seated facing king Bali and trying to move away from the impact of Trivikrama’s expansion impact. Demon King Bali, wearing a crown, is shown seated next to Shukracharya. He is shown with gloomy faces and amazed at the scene he is witnessing.

Next to this panel is a bas relief of Durga. She is shown standing on a lotus seat She is shown with four hands, in upper hands carrying shankha and chakra while one lower hand is resting on her waist and other lower hand is in abhaya mudra. Four ganas (goblins) are shown flying across the panel, two on either side of the goddess. Ganas on right side are carrying a bowl of offerings in their one hand. On top corners, left and right, are lion and antelope, both mounts of the goddess. There are two devotees shown seated near the feet of the goddess. Devotee on left side is shown cutting his head, holding it by his tuft by one hand, with a sword in his another hand. Right side devotee is seated with one hand raised in adoration and another rested on his thigh.

I spent almost 10 minutes in this small mantapa move on to visit the Dharmaraja Mantapa.

I have visited many temples and had seen many pieces of art, but this stands apart of all. Considering the fact that it is carved on one side of massive stone and has so much detail within it, i say it is one of the most unique and beautiful bas reliefs in India.

This 90 feet by 30 feet bas relief showcases the best of the Pallava architecture and has never been implemented before and after ever in the history of Indian architecture. Lets see this masterpiece in detail.

This bas relief faces east and has an enclosing tank measuring 85 feet by 30.5 feet, in front of it. There are nearly 150 different figures on this panel. Various small themes are depicted in those figures, however the main theme seems to be on the centre of the panel where a life size figure of Shiva is shown standing and an ascetic is shown, standing on one feet,  next to him. This central theme of the panel is a point of controversy that what it represent. There are only two theories proposed, one that it represent Arjuna’s penance to acquire Pashupata from Shiva, another that it represents Bhagiratha’s penance to Shiva in order to bring Ganga from heaven to earth. Now we will talk about the notable parts.

There are numerous figures on this bas relief which talk about the central theme. However, there are numerous others which are just spectator. For example, there are a couple of geese, right next to Arjuna which are moving away from him. Also there are other figures of interest like that of a Gana of Shiva shown in the above picture where a lion’s head is carved on his belly. Also there is a picture of a lion with its tail formed as numerical “8” as you can see in the picture here. Then you have the cat holding its hands up like Arjuna in the top. The cat is shown with erect ears and raised eye-brows, watching the happenings neaby very carefully. Near the cat, are the life size elephants which are a marvellous and beautiful creation on this monument.  The male is followed by the female elephant and there are three babies under the male and one on its side. This scene perhaps depicts an elephant herd who is going to drink water from the river. In the middle of the bas relief, there are Nagas which stand in a respectable posture.

As you see in the picture beside, we see a temple housing a small statue of Vishnu. Some scholars suggested that the small size of this image in comparison with life-size image of Shivashows the subordinate status of Vishnu. However I think that this is not correct as during those times, 6th century AD, the separation between Vaishnava and Shiva was not very distinct. The temple is very simple in architectural style, consisting of a cell topped with square curvilinear dome like tower, which  looks similar to Draupadi Ratha roof style. However instead of having a pointed end like Draupadi Ratha, this tower is flat on top which is topped with stupid. On corners we see flower creeper arrangement while in middle of the edge is shown a kudu with a shrine inside.  Kudus with humans faces are seen on the cornice. Above the cornice we see another storey of the temple. The base of that storey has lion motifs on corners and middle of the side.

There is one very interesting piece of sculpture which does not belong to the bas relief but has been at the very same location for centuries. It is the picture that you see here, of two monkeys one cleaning the other’s head. Even though this piece of architecture is part of the Arjuna’s penance, it stands funnily noticeable.

The Un-finished Arjuna’s penance:

At a little distance from the Arjuna’s Penance, there is another bas relief which is of a similar theme as the Arjuna’s penance and somehow it is not completed. It cannot be proved whether this unfinished piece is a way to cover the one that is already there. The part of rock on which this scene is carved is detached from the other part of the rock and is protruding forward.

The Arjuna’s penance is undoubtedly one of the best works of the Pallava art and architecture. One can spend hours in exploring this sculpture. I spent for more than half an hour here and move on to the Pancha Pandava Cave.

Mahabalipuram, derived from 'Mamallapuram' was a 7^th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It has been identified as the port Melange mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea by an unknown Greek navigator of the first century A.D. The name Mamallapuram is believed to have been given after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who took on the epithet Maha-malla (great wrestler). It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7^th and the 9^th centuries, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Mahabalipuram is seen as the workshop of Indian sculptures where they experimented with various temple and architectural styles, hence this place has a very important place in study of Indian architecture. Here we find examples of various temple types, be it monoliths or rock-cut shrines. We can categorize the monuments in four different categories:

1. Rock-cut shrines – In this style, a rock face is excavated to make place for temple elements like sanctum, mantapa etc.
2. Monolith structures – Locally called as ‘Rathas’, these are free-standing temples  cut out of a solid rock
3. Bas-relief – These kind of reliefs are only found in Mahabalipuram, where a rock-face is carved extensively with figures and other plastic art elements usually depicting some mythological scene
4. Structural Temples – These are built-up masonry temples

Let us visit each of the places and talk about them. 

The first monument we visit is the Krishna Mantapa. Even though it is called a Mantapa, it is actually a bas-relief of the dedicated to Lord Krishna and some of his stories. The most notable sculpture inside is the lifting of of the Govardhana mountain. The Mantapa was evidently added later in the 16th century. The central figure of Krishna, with Balarama by his side, is shown lifting the hill with his little finger. Enjoying the divine protection, the rest are carrying on their business as usual. The artist suggests this by depicting a cowherd milking a cow while the cow itself is fondly licking its calf.

On the left corner of the relief are shown few animals, mostly lions. One lioness is shown in her cave, above these lions. One lion of interest as it is carved with body of a lion but head of a human. A representation of Narasimha? or this is ‘man/king among lions’ a title, ‘Rajasimha,’ taken up by a Pallava king, Narasimhavarman II. In my understanding, this cannot be taken as a representation of Narasimha, an incarnation of Vishnu. However ‘man/king among lions’ quite fits here. Does that mean Rajasimha was the creator of this relief?

Each figure on this bas-relief is well carved and looks as if they are alive. The cows especially are carved so beautifully even taking care of the small curves. I spent almost 15 minutes inside this small Mantapa and moved on to one of the most wonderful monuments in Mahabalipuram, the Arjuna’s penance.

This place in South India is very much talked about regarding its beauty. Finally i got a change to know why. I could not plan much for this trip as compared to other places where i always do extensive research. I could just note down the various sites to visit. However, one fine Saturday i was in Mahabalipuram. And of course, i am back to self, travelling alone. As soon as i got down, i was greeted by a person in English wearing a Lungi and offered stay for a lesser price. He took me to a decent accommodation and indeed the price was less and it was near to the sea shore. I  got fresh and started off with the Itinerary and my companion, my Sony Camcorder with a 12 MP Camera..

I hired an auto for the entire day, and started off after having some heavy breakfast. As i did not prepare much for this trip, i had to rely on the auto driver. The first monument that i came across is a small Mantapa right in the middle of the road near the Bus Station. The pillars are sculpted with the images of Lord Vishnu. It is clearly a very old one and probably there was one more idol in there then. Today you will find auto rickshaws put inside this for shade. This Mantapa does not stand alone. This is actually in front of the Sthalasayana Perumal Temple which is right behind the main bus stand. The main entrance is currently closed and visitors have to an alternate on the side. I then moved inside the temple complex.

This ancient temple was built in the 14^th century by the Vijayanagara Emperors from Chandragiri and underwent renovation in the 19th century. This temple covers an area of about 4 acres with the Rajagopuram seen from a distance. The large walls of the main entrance of the temple shows its prominence and part of it is still intact. There is this stone door where nice design is carved on either side. The wall is decorated with horses and people with folded hands in act of worship. There are two idols of Vishnu with the conch and the wheel on top of the Gopura. The doors are wooden and embossed with flower shaped attachments on them.

This temple is also named  "Mamallai" and "Kadal Mallai". The main deity here is in a reclining posture facing east and sleeping on the floor. An image of Pundarika Muni is also housed in the sanctum. The Devi idol is placed on the floor in a separate sanctum. There are shrines to Andal and Rama also. The walls of the temple is a typical signature of the Vijayanagara architecture where there are various mythological stories and flower vases carved beautifully.  This is just the beginning of a great experience ahead.

After spending for about half an hour here, i moved on to the Krishna Mandap.