Arjunas Penance - Mahabalipuram
by Richard Reeve
Title
Arjunas Penance - Mahabalipuram
Artist
Richard Reeve
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Arjuna's Penance - Mahabalipuram - Richard Reeve
Approximately 60km south of the large city of Chennai (Madras) in Tamil Nadu, is the historic town of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram). This was a bustling seaport since the first century and is best known now for the wonderful carved monuments from the 7th century which have earned the area the classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the most spectacular carvings is the huge relief known as both Arjuna's Penance and Descent of the Ganges. Carved over two rocks and occupying an area of 30m length by 15m high, this is a wonderful depiction of the journey of Arjuna in order to obtain Shiva's weapon (Pasupata) and so allow him to challenge the gods. The detail on the 1400 year old figures is exquisite with many animals and figures, both human and godly, large and small. There is even humor in the carving, with a cat depicted as mimicking Arjuna's one-legged fasting penance to a crowd of watching mice (look just in front of the elephant).
FAA Featured Group Image
Pleasing The Eye - 06/18/2016
Awesome Asia - 11/26/2016
Uploaded
June 18th, 2016
Statistics
Viewed 1,281 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/28/2024 at 5:09 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet