Location: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
Mid-7th century: it was carved in
Significance: one of the world's largest bas-relief
Throughout the year: The best time to visit
Penance of Arjuna, a large-scale open-air bas-relief monolith dating back to the 7th century, is. This is, Chennai, at a distance of 58 km from Tamil Nadu's capital, located in the town of Mahabalipuram. Tall Standing at 43 feet high, around the mom La Plum monolith somewhere mid-7th century, was inscribed on the face of 2 huge adjacent rock. The length of the penance of Arjuna is about 96 feet monolith, also known by the name of "drop in the Ganga".
Experts, Arjuna Penance as it by not fit the drawn story is known by two names. As per view, sculpture of a huge rock, the great Indian epic, has been named after one of the heroes of the Mahabharata. Arjuna, one of the Pandavas is, to get the weapon of Shiva, is thought to explain the instance from the Mahabharata when you run the strict austerities in order to destroy the enemy. The second view, Arjuna's Penance, as India is the king bhagiratha to purify the souls of his ancestors, to the earth from heaven, is that it is a depiction of the incident that the penance in order to bring down the Ganges River .
Shiva has sent the Ganges down to earth in answer to his prayer. However, the main in order to mitigate the effects of her fall, by allowing the water to trickle charge his hair, decided to break her fall to the earth. All the world of the animals become a curiosity of the incident, it is said to have gathered around the dipping God to witness it. Sculpture, both of stories done on the huge monolith carrier. Apart from these incidents, sculpture has also drawn the popular fable from Hindu Panchatantra book.
Vibrant and the naturalism of the number of sculpture, stand as proof of the great skill of the sculptor. Arjunas penance, together with the human and Saints, celestial creatures and flying gods, such as a huge elephant, more than 100 of the value of the birds and animals, are introduced. Natural crevice between two rocks, you can separate the two of the monolith to separate half. It is this cleft which is thought to represent a drop of Ganga to earth.
Appearance of the heavenly creature that has been engraved on the animals and Arjuna Penance is shown in any of the approaching this rift is facing, or in it, generally their hands are folded in reverence. When you fill the crack, the male and female is a slab, which has been sculpted by nagas (snake). There has been held together in worship hands of the nagas, waterfall of supply artificial from the installation collection chamber of the above, located just above it. 4 armed god on the left side of the rift, perhaps Lord Shiva is located.
God is shown holding a weapon in his right hand, with his left hand is a gesture to impart a blessing. Dwarf GaNAs system (followers of the security guards and the Lord Shiva) also has been shown in conjunction with God. For a little bit of the right and under God, one asked the Lord's blessing, in a posture of yoga with a wake-up arm, standing on one leg, you can see the Arjuna or bhagiratha,. Under this figure, 1 is engaged in austerities, along with some of his disciples, shrine carved of Vishnu have a wise man, you can see a lion sitting on the step-down and his female and the front I can do it.
On the left side of the shrine, some of the cave that some of the animals has been shown resting is located. Apart from these sculptures, the lower-left part of the boulder has been mainly left uncarved. The upper left portion of the cobblestone, sculpture to draw a number of gods and animals have been blended together mountain, you have a residence in the Himalayan probably Shiva. On the right side of the cleft viz, the other boulder, it has carved a number of celestial bodies of humans and animals.
Among these sculptures, the most impressive thing, it shows the life-sized elephant to protect what their young. However, by enacting the attitude of penance under the elephant, as in the story of a cat that you are trying to trick the rat, it is shown a scene from the fable of the Panchatantra. However, to the right of these sculptures, 1, and at the same time to repair each other with a group of monkeys have been carved, the low platform seen nursing a baby and playing together, you can see.
