Penguin Travels: Southern India - 17 February 2012 (3)

Sightseeing in Mamallapuram (2)

Arjun's Penance - Left Side

Arjun's Penance - Right Side

The next stop was Arjun’s Penance. This was a bas relief carved into a huge lump of granite. It told the story of a man who stood on one leg, holding something up. I particularly liked the elephants, which were carved so realistically, with baby elephants between their legs for protection. The sculptor had a sense of humour, because at the bottom of the carving was a cat in the same pose as Arjun, to the delight on some mice looking on. A deer was scratching its nose.

Elephants on Bas Relief

Deer on Bas Relief

Next to the bas relief was the Pancha Pandava Cave Temple, carved from the same piece of rock. It also had carved walls, which included a scene with someone milking a cow while it licked its calf. Some of the front pillars had carved lions.

Arjun Doing Penance

Cat Mocking Arjun

We started to get the feeling that, back in the 7^th-8^th centuries, the stone carvers tried to make their mark on every piece of granite they could find. And they did a very good job too. The skill remains to this day and, as we walked to the Shore Temple, we passed the workshops of current day artists, with all sorts of finely carved statues outside for sale.