Varaha Cave Temple

About Varaha Cave Temple
Vital Information for Visitors
Address:

Varaha Cave Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

Open & Close:

Open on all days: 06:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Entry Fees:

No Entry Fee

Duration:

Approx 30 minutes

History:

Built in 7th Century

Significance:

Dedicated to Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Mahabalipuram in the 7th century experienced an uproarious outburst of art & architecture. The very skilled artisans under Narasimha’s rule were courageous enough to experiment with nature and create some unusual, beautiful and unique monuments. The exquisite rock-cut temple - Varaha Cave Temple - on the coast of Tamil Nadu is one such gem in the history of South Indian temple architecture. The ‘Varaha Cave Temple’ is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and gets its name from one of the ‘avatars’ (incarnations) of Vishnu, in the form of a ‘Varaha’ or Boar. The temple has intricate and beautifully carved lion pillars at the entrance. Behind these, one can see two figures (dwarapalas), safekeeping the shrine. There is also a small dug-up area, possibly a place where worshippers would dip their feet in water before entering the holy sanctum. The beauty of Varaha Cave Temple lies in its artistically carved out panels. One of the main sculptures is that of the ‘Varaha’ - Lord Vishnu in an avatar, lifting the Mother Earth Goddess- ‘Bhudevi’- from the sea. It is also seen that with one leg, the Varaha is pushing down the serpent god who abducted ‘Bhudevi’.

Legends also believe, that many years ago, the Earth was only water, and slowly as the water dried, it made way for land to show up, and this relief very realistically depicts the resurfacing of land, earth from the sea. Other masterpieces of the Pallava art are sculptures of Lakshmi & Durga. The panel with Goddess Lakshmi (who is the goddess of wealth & prosperity), shows the divine figure holding the lotus flower in her hand and is sculpted along with four other female figures, wherein two of them hold pots in their hands. There are two elephants at the back where one can be seen holding an inverted pot. Perhaps, a bathing ritual scene depicted beautifully, one could say. Another empowering visual is that of the four - armed Goddess Durga who indicates victory over ignorance. The panel depicts Mother Durga slaying the demon Mahishasura, who takes the form of a human, with a buffalo head. The scene brings out thoughts of a battle between the good & evil forces in nature. Mahishasura can be seen chopping off his head, as a form of accepting defeat and surrendering to the everlasting divine energy. In another panel, the great Lord of three worlds, Lord Vishnu is sculpted, with one foot on earth, another in the sky and his third, on the Devil Bali. The eight handed Lord is surrounded by Brahma and Shiva, that is, the sun & the moon. This beautiful panel of the Lord of Three Worlds is called ‘Tri-Vikrama’. One can easily say that the origin of the Dravidian style of architecture can be traced back to these cave temples, and they are perfect examples of the art form that took birth during the Pallava rule.

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Grand Tour of South India

21 Nights / 22 Days
Destination : Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Kanchipuram-Pondicherry-Thanjavur-Thanjavur-Trichy-Chettinad- Madurai-Periyar Lake-Aleppey-Kochi-Bangalore-Mysore-Hassan-Hospet-Hampi-Badami-Goa

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Leisure Tour of South India

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Destination : Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Bangalore-Mysore-Bandipur-Coonoor-Ooty-Kochi-Alleppey

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Destination : Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Pondicherry-Thanjavur-Trichy-Madurai-Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

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Best of South India Tour

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Destination : Bangaluru- Hassan – Mysore – Coonoor – Kochi – Kumarakom – Thekkady – Madurai – Trichy- Tanjore – Pondicherry – Mahabalipuram - Chennai

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