Picture of arjuna’s penance mahabalipuram

Mountain Scene

This magnificent relief, carved in the mid-seventh century, measures approximately

30m (100ft) long by 15m (45ft) high. The subject is either Arjuna's Penance or the
Descent of the Ganges, or possibly both. In the culture of India (as for that matter the
civilization of ancient Egypt), logical alternatives are often conceptualized as "both-
and" rather than "either-or."

Arjuna's Penance is a story from the Mahabharata of how Arjuna, one of the Pandava
brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Shiva's weapon. The idea,
which pervades Hindu philosophy, is that one could obtain, by self-mortification,
enough power even to overcome the gods. In order to protect themselves, the gods
would grant the petition of any ascetic who threatened their supremacy in this way - a
kind of spiritual blackmail, or "give to get." (This meaning of the word "penance," by
the way, is specific to Hinduism. Unlike the Catholic rite of penance, it is performed
to gain power, not to expiate sin.)

The Ganges story is of the same kind, in which the sage Bhagiratha performs
austerities in order to bring the Ganges down to earth. Shiva had to consent to break
her fall in his hair, because otherwise its force would be too great for the earth to
contain.

The symbolism of the relief supports either story. Furthermore, both stories were
interpreted in a manner flattering to the Pallavas; the heroic Arjuna as a symbol of the
rulers, and the Ganges as a symbol of their purifying power.

The composition of the relief includes the main elements of the story (left) and scenes
of the natural and celestial worlds (right). A natural cleft populated by nagas separates
the two halves of the relief. Water was poured down this cleft in order to simulate a
natural waterfall (the Ganges' descent). To the left, just above the shrine, Arjuna (or
Bhagiratha) stands on one leg, his arms upraised, in a yoga posture. Behind him
appears Shiva, holding a weapon and attended by ganas. To the right of the cleft, life-
sized elephants protect their young below a scene of numerous other animals and
flying celestials, all carved with the greatest vivacity, skill, naturalism, and
joyousness.

It is difficult to do justice to such a large and beautiful relief in photographs. A person

could barely reach the elephants' feet, and it was not possible to frame the entire
monument in one photograph. The stitched-together photo, above, provides a general
sense of the layout and composition of the relief. Close-ups appear on the following
pages. The area in the lower left of the photo composite has been left blank because it
was left uncarved, presumably incomplete, except for a group ofdenning animals next
to the shrine.

This magnificent relief, carved in the mid-seventh century, measures approximately

30m (100ft) long by 15m (45ft) high. The subject is either Arjuna's Penance or the
Descent of the Ganges, or possibly both. In the culture of India (as for that matter the
civilization of ancient Egypt), logical alternatives are often conceptualized as "both-
and" rather than "either-or."

Arjuna's Penance is a story from the Mahabharata of how Arjuna, one of the Pandava
brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Shiva's weapon. The idea,
which pervades Hindu philosophy, is that one could obtain, by self-mortification,
enough power even to overcome the gods. In order to protect themselves, the gods
would grant the petition of any ascetic who threatened their supremacy in this way - a
kind of spiritual blackmail, or "give to get." (This meaning of the word "penance," by
the way, is specific to Hinduism. Unlike the Catholic rite of penance, it is performed
to gain power, not to expiate sin.)

The Ganges story is of the same kind, in which the sage Bhagiratha performs
austerities in order to bring the Ganges down to earth. Shiva had to consent to break
her fall in his hair, because otherwise its force would be too great for the earth to
contain.

The symbolism of the relief supports either story. Furthermore, both stories were
interpreted in a manner flattering to the Pallavas; the heroic Arjuna as a symbol of the
rulers, and the Ganges as a symbol of their purifying power.

The composition of the relief includes the main elements of the story (left) and scenes
of the natural and celestial worlds (right). A natural cleft populated by nagas separates
the two halves of the relief. Water was poured down this cleft in order to simulate a
natural waterfall (the Ganges' descent). To the left, just above the shrine, Arjuna (or
Bhagiratha) stands on one leg, his arms upraised, in a yoga posture. Behind him
appears Shiva, holding a weapon and attended by ganas. To the right of the cleft, life-
sized elephants protect their young below a scene of numerous other animals and
flying celestials, all carved with the greatest vivacity, skill, naturalism, and
joyousness.

It is difficult to do justice to such a large and beautiful relief in photographs. A person

could barely reach the elephants' feet, and it was not possible to frame the entire
monument in one photograph. The stitched-together photo, above, provides a general
sense of the layout and composition of the relief. Close-ups appear on the following
pages. The area in the lower left of the photo composite has been left blank because it
was left uncarved, presumably incomplete, except for a group ofdenning animals next
to the shrine.

The upper left of the relief depicts a mountain setting with grazing
animals, lions, humans, and celestials, including (photo left) a pair of
bird-like kinnaras. Shiva attended by his hosts (ganas) is visible at
the far right of the photo. The mountain represents Shiva's abode in
the Himalayas, where the worlds of gods, humans, and animals
intermingle.
Arjuna/Bhagiratha

Arjuna's Penance, mahaballipuram

The hero of the story is performing a

difficult and painful yoga posture:
standing one-legged, arms above his head.
Such positions had to be held, without
moving, for great lengths of time; even
years, according to the legends. His
protruding rib-cage indicates the austerity
of self-starvation as well.

To the left, four-armed Shiva looks on

approvingly, his left hand extended
in varada mudra, the gesture of granting a
blessing. At lower left, an antelope bounds
from ledge to ledge. The scene includes
flying celestials, a gana below Shiva's
hand, and a pair of birds near Arjuna's left
elbow.

Vishnu Shrine

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

Directly below Shiva is a

Vishnu shrine with
worshipers, ascetics,
celestials, and animals. A
few animals are denning in
caves to the left, but the
remainder of the lower left
portion of the rock is
unfinished. Click here for
a closeup of the shrine.
"Ganges" cleft

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

In the center of the

relief, the life-giving
and purifying river
Ganges flows down
the mountain,
surrounded by
ascetics, celestials,
elephants, and other
animals on the
banks. Nagas sport in
the water (closeup),
their natural habitat,
as celestials fly from
every direction
towards the Ganges to
witness the miracle.
Because this central
section is the artistic
focus of the whole
relief, I've provided a
large-format version
(1200x1600,
390K) here. The relief
abounds with
exquisite details, such
as the buck with his
doe in the lower left
corner.

Beneath the elephant's

tusk is a cat,
performing
austerities.
Cat Performing Yoga

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

The cat's austerities

have attracted the
attention of several
mice - they will soon
regret it, since the cat
is only pretending, in
order to catch them
unawares.

Elephants

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

Beautifully carved
elephants,
approximately life-
sized, shelter their
babies while celestials
fly above them.
 Celestials

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

Hosts of celestials and

animals join the
elephants on their
pilgrimage to the
Ganges. There aren't
any humans on this
side of the rock, which
depicts the natural
and celestial worlds.
Monkeys

Arjuna's Penance,
Mamallapuram

This marvelous
sculpture group is
located just beside the
right end of the relief,
but it is a separate
carving. The mother is
nursing her baby
while being groomed
by a subordinate. A
little boy, sitting
(unposed!) on the edge
of the plinth, provides
a sense of scale and a
humorous imitation.
Arjuna's Penance, perhaps the world's largest bas-relief, is the universe itself in stone, throbbing with
a vastness of conception. Legend has it that King Bhagiratha had to bring down to earth the celestial
Ganga to sanctify and redeem the cursed souls of his ancestors. But the river in its torrential spree
would deluge the earth, and so he had to undergo a penance to propitiate Shiva who finally received
the flood in his matted locks and let it flow down. This was a sight for the world's creatures to see and
they gathered round. The cleft in the rock depicts the descent of Ganga, a theory supported by the
ruins of a stone water tank on the hill. There is a forest with tribal people and all forms of fauna, just
as they would appear in their habitat. Women clothed in an aura of amazing grace, a rich inner beauty
transfiguring the plainest of them. The whole scene has a dimension of humor too! Juxtapositioned
against the ascetic is a cat doing rigorous penance too, eyes firmly shut, even to the delectable mice
scampering around within easy reach.

A concord of lexeme on the rocks of history

Arjuna's Penance has the magically sculpted scene, which opens the doors of cosmic imagination for
man it has over 100 figures of gods and celestial creatures, birds and beasts, man and saint. All these
figures are carved either facing or approaching the fissure and generally with hands folded in
reverence.

Legends associated with the monument

The cleft in the rock depicts the descent of River Ganga (also known as Ganges), brought to earth by
King Bhagiratha to redeem the cursed souls of his ancestors. On the left side of the fissure can be
seen a simple temple which contains a four-armed deity, probably Shiva. The fissure is sculptured with
Nagas. Above the fissure and on either side of it are flying figures of Gods and below are some
sculptures of animals of which giant elephants are the most impressive and are considered to be the
noblest creations of the human mind.

Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and a consummate archer, is shown

standing on one leg, doing penance to obtain a boon from Lord Shiva.
There is a forest with tribal people and all forms of animal life, just as
they would appear in their habitat. Women are clothed in an aura of
indescribable grace, a rich inner beauty transfiguring the plainest of
them. The comic scene in the relief will amuse visitors where a cat is
standing doing penance, while big and small rats are freely playing
around the feline 'Tapaswi'.

Arjuna's Penance is located in Mamallapuram or Mahaballipuram !

Arjuna's Penance or Bhagiratha's Penace is the name of a massive open air bas-relief monolithdating
from the 7th century CE located in the town of Mahabalipuram in Southern India. Measuring 96 feet long
by 43 feet high, the bas-relief is also known as The Descent of Ganga. The bas-relief has two names,
because there is not full agreement regarding which stories the mural depicts.

Interpretations
In one interpretation, a figure in the bas-relief who is standing on one leg is said to be Arjunaperforming
an austerity Tapas to receive a boon from Shiva as an aid in fighting the Mahabharata war. (The boon
which Arjuna is said to have received was called Pasupata, Shiva's most powerful weapon).

The bas relief is situated on a rock with a cleft. Above the cleft was a collecting pool, and at one time,
water may have flowed along the cleft. Figures within the cleft are said to represent Ganga or the River
Ganges and Shiva. This provides the basis for an alternative interpretation of the mural. Rather than
Arjuna, the figure performing austerities is said to be Bhagiratha. Bhagiratha is said to have performed
austerities so that Ganga might descend to earth and wash over the ashes of his relatives, releasing them
from their sins. To break Ganga's fall from heaven to earth, she falls onto Shiva's hair, and is divided into
many streams by his tresses.
[edit]Figures

One of the notable, and perhaps ironic figures in the bas-relief is the figure of a cat standing on one leg
(apparently as an austerity). This may be related to the Panchatantra story of the cat who poses as an
ascetic in order to lure a hare and a bird to come near. (When near, he devours them.)