Arjuna’s Penance, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu

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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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On the left-hand side of the relief is a pillared hall, also cut from the rock and referred to as the ‘Krishna Mandapam’.

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Inside are various panels depicting village life, interwoven with storylines about Krishna. However, much of this building has been left unfinished.

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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.

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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.

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