A Conversation With The Rocks

Shore Temple

I know you have been fascinated by me since your schooldays. How does it feel to be seeing me today?

 

How did you know this fact? Yes, from my school days I have been looking at pictures of you in my textbook on Cultural History of India and have been wanting to see you ever since. I do not think school children read about you these days. The subject of History has acquired a new meaning. The textbooks are no longer the same as what we had studied and whatever we had learnt has become irrelevant. Do you know something, in our Board exams we had been asked to identify the picture of one of your rock-cut temples and I still feel happy that I could do it confidently. You have always fascinated me for your uniqueness- a group of temples carved into a rock (the bas reliefs and the cave temples), carved out of a huge rock (the rathas) and carved from a cut block of rock (the shore temples) on the shores of a mighty ocean. I am so glad that I am able to tick off one more item on my bucket list after almost 45 years. As you can see I am on the threshold completing six decades on this earth.

 

You know how old I am? More than 1500 years old. All my temples were built in the 7th and 8th century CE in this very important sea port town of Mahabalipuram under two very important rulers of the Pallava dynasty- Narasimhavarman I and Rajasimhavarman. The Pallavas, as you all know, ruled in the southern part of India between 3rd – 9th century CE. In those days this town, where I stand, was a very important trading centre as ships laden with riches from the west and the south-east Asian countries would anchor here. I have been mentioned by navigators, explorers in their writings as early as the 1st century CE. The Greek-Egyptian astronomer, mathematician and geographer Ptolemy, the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang and even the explorer Marco Polo have referred to this town by different names like Malange, the land of the Seven Pagodas, in their writings. Thirumangai Alvar, the famous Vaishnavite saint, mentions it as Kadalmallai and gives a graphic description of how ships laden with rich goods and elephants anchored at this port. Roman and Chinese coins and pottery have also been unearthed here. The name Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram, as this town is presently called, has its origin in the word mamallan (meaning wrestler), the name given to the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, who was well -known for his physical prowess and is regarded as the founder of the city. However, some are of the opinion that the name originates in the legend of King Bali or Mahabali in the Vishnu Puranas.

 

Tomorrow morning, I plan to get up early and take a tour of all your temples.

Sunrise at Mahabalipuram

Yes, I think you should begin with my Shore Temple. I look best at sunrise. This is the Coromandel Coast.

 

Yes, while driving down the East Coast Road from Chennai we could catch glimpses of the shoreline along the Bay of Bengal.

 

A set of seven Hindu temples, called by mariners and explorers as the Seven Pagodas, had been built around the 8th C on the shores of this mighty ocean but unfortunately only one of them can now be seen. All the others have gone under the sea. All my other temples had been washed away in a great tsunami that struck this part of the world in the 13thC. 

 

My temples, dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Parvati, were once the places of worship for the mighty Pallava Kings. Kings and queens prayed at my altars, walked on my steps, washed in my water tanks but today I am under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India. I have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No worship or rituals can be performed here as I am a protected monument. But when you visit me at sunrise you will still get a glimpse of my former glory. There are two shrines dedicated to Shiva and one to Vishnu. You will not be able to see much of the Vishnu temple as it is under renovation. Behind the remnant of a Shivalinga is the sculptured panel of Somaskanda (Shiva, Uma and infant Skanda or Karthik). Outside the main shrine there is a small deity of the goddess Parvati seated on the right hind leg of the lion, her vaahan. Inside the chest of the lion is a small square niche wherein is sculpted the image of the Mahishashuramardini. Layers of sand had to be removed, patiently and cautiously, before many of my structures were unearthed by the archaeologists and excavators. The entire structure of the Shore Temple stands on a naturally occurring granite boulder but the mighty waves are forever pounding at my steps. The structural or free-standing temple has the typical Dravidian architecture with pyramidal shikhara and kalasha with intricate carvings belonging to the later Rajasimhavarman era. The beautiful garden, well-kept lawns that you see all around me are also maintained by the ASI. Tourists from every corner of the world come to see the exquisite carvings and intricate craftsmanship of sculptors long dead and gone. I still stand on the shores of this exquisite land, a testament to the skills of those great men who had carved me out from huge blocks of granites.

Mahinshashurmardini inside the lion's chest

You are truly magnificent. What fascinates me is the fact that the kings and the artisans are all gone and here you still stand beside the ocean withstanding the wind and water, storms and tsunamis, all the vagaries of man and nature. Unbeaten you stand, telling me the tales of gods and men.

 

If you walk a kilometre and a half away from the Shore temple you will come to a huge rock edifice. That is another part of me. Though, all along this stretch, men have come up with roads, shops, houses, other temples, Mahabalipuram is, presently, a small, quiet town and not a bustling trading port that it once was under the Pallava rulers. Today, I am the main attraction in this town. On your left hand side, stretching from the lighthouse right up to the Trimurti temple, I am one huge rock edifice on whose walls men have engraved tales and scenes from the Mahabharata, the Puranas , other Hindu scriptures and mythology. I am almost a kilometer in length and all along me you will find mandapas or cave temples, bas reliefs with intricate carvings and free standing structural temples. I am like one long open air museum of rock carvings. If you climb the steps of the Iswara Temple or go up the lighthouse you can see the entire town.

Krishna holding Mount Govardhana 

 

This is so fascinating. I just saw the Pancha Panadava Mandapa, a cave like structure dedicated to the five Pandavas. Though the structure appears to be intact with pillars and porch and carvings, the individual caves were never completed. The Krishna Mandapa is very intricately carved inside. On one section we can see Krishna holding up Mount Govardhana with one palm and in another section we see Balaram with the villagers. As Krishna holds up the mountain to protect the village from the deluge caused by the wrath of Indra, the villagers are seen going about their chores, like milking cows and carrying fodder, with no fear or worries. One relief shows the four lions, each sculpted in different styles, showing the influence of the Roman, Egyptian and Chinese art on our craftsmanship. Most probably, the structural mandapas or pillared porches were added later in the 16th C though the original carvings belong to the 7th -8th C.  Next to Krishna Mandapa is the bas relief with scenes from the epic Mahabharata engraved on it. This is the famous sculptured rock face called Arjuna’s Penance, where the Pandava prince is seen praying to Shiva for the weapon pasupatha. A sage is seen meditating on one leg. This sculptured relief on the rock is also called the Descent of Ganges, as in one scene we see how the king- turned -sage Bhagiratha, through his penance, is successful in bringing the heavenly river Ganges to the earth while Shiva with the trident and Brahma can be seen on either side. On the face of this huge boulder, dividing the rock face into two parts is a fissure or cleft marking the point where the river descends. The Nagas and Nagins can be seen rising upwards with their hands folded in worship. The entire panoramic view of life in the forest has been engraved with trees, animals, ascetics and disciples going about their daily acts. The baby elephant playing under the belly of the adult elephant is so natural.

Arjuna's Penance

Descent of Ganges

Further down, we see two other mandapas or rock-cut caves. One, called the Varaha Mandapa, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who in the avatar of Varaha or the boar lifts Bhudevi or Earth Goddess from the ocean bed and kills the demon Hiranyaksha, who had dragged earth to the bottom of the ocean. There is a panel on the left showing Gajalaksmi seated on a lotus being bathed by elephants.  Another panel shows Vishnu in the Vaman avatar who wins back for Lord Indra the three worlds-earth, heaven and the netherworld- from the demon king Bali in three strides. It is regarded as the most complete of all the rock-cut caves. The other is the monolithic temple, also dedicated to Shiva as the trident and kalasha would symbolize, but the garbagriha has a Ganesha image and hence the name Ganesha Ratha. As we make our way to the lighthouse we see the Mahishamardhini Mandapa where we find two beautiful sculptures on the rock walls-one of mahishashuramardhini, where the goddess is killing the demon or asura. It seems as if that final moment of the battle has been captured where the goddess is seen triumphing over the demon. A host of ganas and yoginis are also visible. That moment, with all the expressions of victory and loss in the looks of the goddess, the lion and the demon, is frozen forever. The central sanctum houses the Somaskanda (Shiva, Parvati and baby Karthikeya). On the wall opposite is the second sculptured relief of Sheshashayi Vishnu, Vishnu on a serpent-couch in yoga-nidra posture. Though this is stylistically dated to the mid-7th C, I found this to be the most perfect and intricate of all the cave temples. Close to the lighthouse on a hillock stands the Iswara or Olakkannesvara (Shiva) temple or the old lighthouse. It is stylistically assigned to the last years of the Pallava King Rajasimhavarman, early 8th C. Climbing up the steps was indeed worth it because of the gorgeous 360-degree view of the town and at some distance you can even spot the Kalpakkam Nuclear Plant.

Varaha rescuing Bhudevi

Mahishashuramardini

Did you see the star attraction for the tourists- Krishna’s Butterball?

Krishna's Butterball

 

Oh yes, a wonder of wonders! How does that huge piece of granite boulder remain there? I mean, how does it not roll off a forty-five degree incline?  Only you can explain it since the archaeologists and scientists are still searching for the right answer.

 

The Trimurti Temple

 Oh, is that so? The Trimurti temple with the three shrines dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the Bhima’s Kitchen hidden between two huge boulders will bring your tour of the rock cut cave temples to an end. If you walk for another two and a half kilometres, you will come to the last of my group of temples. A conglomerate of five temples called the Pancha Rathas or Five Chariots, each dedicated to a Pandava prince.

Pancha Rathas

 

To be honest with you, I am simply mesmerized by what I see when I reach the Pancha Rathas. By then the sun is shining brightly and your rock temples in their golden hues seem to blend with golden sand on which they stand. Time freezes in this beautiful blending of the rock with the sand. Each of the five temples has a unique architectural style but all have been built from a single outcropping of rock and hence the name monolithic temple. Each stands separately but together they form a cohesive whole- a procession of five chariots. Four of the rathas are named after a Pandava prince each (Nakul and Sahadev having been assigned one ratha jointly) and one is attributed to Draupadi. Though this is the nomenclature given by ASI, the local guide has a different narrative. Each of the five temples is dedicated to a different Hindu God. The first and the smallest is the Draupadi Ratha which has in its sanctum sanctorum an image of Durga and her vaahan, the lion, stands guard right in front of the doorway facing the people as they enter. The two female dwarpalas are exquisitely carved on either side of the entrance adorned with the makara arch. Each ratha has a distinct architecture. This one is shaped like a small hut with thatched roof and its style reminds me of the char-chala terracotta temples you find in Bengal. 

Draupadi Ratha

Arjuna Ratha

Next to it is Arjuna’s Ratha, with the two-tiered vimana (tower), and this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Siva’s vaahan, Nandi the bull, can be seen just behind the temple on the right hand corner. In style it is similar to the old wooden South Indian temples.

Bhima Ratha

 

The third temple built in the centre is the largest, with a roof shaped like the hood of a country wagon, standing next to the Shiva temple and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. An unfinished head and torso of a reclining Vishnu in anantashayana can be seen inside. It somewhat resembles the Buddhist Chaitya pillars with a circumambulatory passage all around. This Ratha is named after the Pandava prince, Bhima.

Yuddhisthir Ratha

At the extreme end is Dharamaraja Yuddhisthir’s Ratha and this temple has a three- tiered vimana with an octagonal shikhara. Each corner has two niches with sculptures of Hari-Hara(Shiva-Vishnu), Ardhanareeshwar (Shiv-Parvati), Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva in his various forms, showing the complete amalgamation of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism. The uppermost layer has carvings of Shiva, Chandra and Surya. There is also a panel on the upper part carrying the image of Somaskanda. In the north-eastern corner of this ratha is a panel bearing the statue of the patron King Narasimhavarman I.

 

In front of the Shiva temple, built in the Buddhist style of architecture, is the temple of Indra and guarding it is his vaahan, the mythical elephant, Airawat. While all the other four temples are aligned in one line facing west, this stands separately with its entrance facing south. While the other four have rectangular or square floor plans, this one has an apsidal shape with a barrel roof. This temple has been labelled as the Nakul-Sahadeva Ratha. 

Nakul-Sahadev Ratha

You mesmerize me! Five free-standing monolithic temples, dedicated to the five main Hindu Gods with three of their vaahanas guarding from three different directions, built in mixed architectural styles- Dravidian, Buddhist, Roman- from one gigantic rock to create one brilliant integrated whole. It is believed that these temples were never consecrated as places of worship since the stupi or crown (the roof finial) which is placed on the top has been found at the ground level. In all probability these temples were never completed.

 

So are you glad that your childhood dream of seeing me has come true?

 

You may be structures carved and sculpted into rocks but you stand for the omnipotent, the omniscient and the omnipresent. You carry with you the past, the present and the future. You represent the Power of the Divine.

 

You stand for the Power of Man. Only man in his greatest creative form could have carved into rocks such masterpieces and left them for generations to come.

 

You stand for the Power of Time. Time that defies the combined forces of man and nature. You stand there for centuries, as grandeurs in rocks, defying the ravages of battles, storms and tsunamis.

 

I can only bow down my head in reverence to you. 

DS