Mahishasuramardini Mandapa

Coordinates: 12°37′00″N 80°11′30″E / 12.6167°N 80.1917°E / 12.6167; 80.1917
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Mahishasuramardini Mandapa
Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple
Asia-Pacific
of UNESCO

Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa (Cave Temple; also known as Yampuri)

buffalo headed demon Mahishasura, and the third sanctum has a sculpture of Shiva.[4][5]

History

The cave is dated to the period of king Narasimhavarman Mahamalla (630–668 AD) of the Pallava dynasty, after whom the town is also named.[6] The cave architecture is also said to be a continuation of the great religious themes that were carved in Western India. The cave reflects a transitional style of architecture in its columns mounted on seated lions and frescoes carved on the walls inside the cave which evolved during the rule of Pallava kings Mahendra Varman I and Rajasimha or Narasimhavarman I known as Mamalla. This style was continued by Mamalla's son Parameshvaravarman I.[7] Historical research has also confirmed that Mahabalipuram town came to be established only after it was named after Mamalla and the caves and rathas are all attributed to his reign during the year 650 AD.[8]

Geography

Main article: Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

Mahishasura Mardhini Cave or Mantapa is situated on the top of a hill range along with other caves in Mahabalipuram town, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal of the Indian Ocean. Now in the Kanchipuram district, it is approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Chennai city (previously, Madras) and about 20 miles (32 km) from Chingelpet.[9] A lighthouse is located beside it. A structural temple of the 8th century called the Olakkannesvara Temple (mistakenly called a Mahishasura temple) is situated near this cave at a vantage location which provides scenic views of Mamallapuram. The area is a high security zone as there is a nuclear power station a few kilometers to the south; hence, photography is prohibited.[10]

Layout

The cave shrine faces east and has three chambers. Its internal dimensions are 32 feet (9.8 m) in length, 15 feet (4.6 m) in width, and 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in height. There is frontal projection of the main central chamber when compared to the two chambers which flank it. In the front façade of the cave are 10 horseshoe-shaped windows which are kudus on the cornice; these are unfinished carvings. The cornice also depicts carvings of five gable-roofed semi-complete shrines. The façade has four carved pillars and two pilasters at the ends, which are part of the façade and are carved in the traditional Pallava architectural style. The central chamber is fronted by a small mukhamandapa (entrance porch), which has two carved pillars with lion bases in the Pallava style.[11]

Architecture

The Somaskhanda Panel of Shiva Parvati and their son Skanda

The mandapa is one of the most important caves in Mahabalipuram. It is dedicated to the goddess

Shavisim.[11] Additionally, the Somaskanda panel in this cave is of a different architectural composition than similar panels carved in Dharmaraja Ratha, the Shore Temple, and the Atiranachanda Cave. Archeologists suggest the panel here was created during the reign of Rajasimha.[11]

Front View of the Ananthashayani Pannel

On the southern face of the cave, there is a panel of

Maha Vishnu Pacifies Sesha and takes the Hayagriva Avatharam. He killed the demons and retrieved the Vedas to Brahma. This led to Vishnu being offered the epithets Madhusudana - the killer of Madhu, and Kaitabhajit - the victor of Kaitabha.[12]
The bodies of Madhu and Kaitabha disintegrated into 2 times 6 — which is twelve pieces (two heads, two torsos, four arms and four legs). These are considered to represent the twelve seismic plates of the Earth.


The north wall in the cave contains a relief depicting the battle scene of the two adversaries, goddess Durga and the demon

parasol) over Durga's head. She is in the battlefield with her army of female warriors and ganas (dwarfs). She is shown attacking, with arrows, the demon Mahisha, causing him to retreat with his followers. Mahishasura is armed with a gada (club).[11] Mahishasura's legend is told in the major texts of the Shaktism traditions known as the Devi Mahatmya, which is part of Markandeya Purana. The story of Mahishasura is told in the chapter where Markandeya is narrating the story of the birth of Savarnika Manu. Per the Markandeya Purana, the story of Mahishasura was narrated in the second Manvantara (approximately 1.3 billion years ago, as per the Vishnu Purana) by Maharishi Medha to a king named Soorut, as an incident which occurred in times ancient for even the 2nd Manvantara. Mahishasura is described as an evil being who can change his outer form, but never his demonic goals. According to Christopher Fuller, Mahishasura represents the forces of ignorance and chaos hidden by outer appearances.[13][14] The symbolism is carried in Hindu art found in South Asia and South-East Asia (e.g., Javanese art), where Durga is shown as a serene, calm, collected and graceful symbol of good as she pierces the heart and kills the scared, overwhelmed and outwitted Mahishasura.[15][14]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple.
  1. ^ Madras literary society (1881). J.C. Morris (ed.). The Journal (afterw.) The Madras journal of literature and science (Public domain ed.). p. 98. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  2. ^ "General view of the entrance to the Varaha Cave Temple, Mamallapuram". British Library. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  3. ^ "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram". World Heritage. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
  4. ISBN 978-81-241-0926-7
    . Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  5. ISBN 978-81-250-1378-5
    . Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "General view of the façade of the Yamapuri or Mahishasuramardhini Cave Temple, Mamallapuram". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  7. ISBN 978-81-206-0571-8
    . Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  8. ISBN 978-1-884964-04-6
    . Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  9. ISBN 978-81-206-0151-2
    . Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Arjuna's Penance". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Mahabalipuram – The Workshop of Pallavas – Part II". Mahishasurmardini Cave Temple. puratattva.in. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  12. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (24 September 2017). "Kaitabha, Kaiṭabha: 17 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  13. ISBN 0-691-12048-X
    .
  14. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7618-5314-5
    .
  15. ISBN 978-81-208-0751-8
    .
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