Krishna Cave Temple, Mamallapuram
Krishna Cave Temple (also known as Mandapa of
Krishna and Krishna Mandapam) is a monument at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in the Kancheepuram district of
the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
It is an artificial rock-cut mandapa, and one of the Cave Temples of Mahabalipuram dedicated to Lord Krishna. Part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, the temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed
in 1984. It is one of the many architecturally distinctive mandapas in
Mahabalipuram with a shallow cave portico hewn into the rock face.
Dating to the mid-seventh century, its excavated entry is seen
with columns leading to a hall. Notable carvings inside are sculpted panels
that bring out the myth of Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the cowherds and gopis (milk maids) from heavy rains and floods – the "most poetic
and endearing" Indian or Angkor sculpture-based representation of this
legend – and there are also scenes of Krishna frolicking with the milk
maids.
Geography
The Krishna Cave Temple is located in Mamallapuram (also popularly
and officially known as Mahabalipuram), a small village 30 kilometers
(19 mi) to the south of Chennai, in Kancheepuram district on the Coromandel Coast of Bay of
Bengal in the state of Tamil Nadu. The rock-cut cave is located on a
hillock next to the open rock cut bas-relief of Descent of the Ganges (Mahabalipuram).
History
The Krishna Mandapa is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the mid 7th century, of the Pallava dynasty. This rock-cut cave temple is a testimony to ancient Vishwakarma Sthapathis (sculptors).
Originally an open-air bas-relief, it was enclosed within a mandapa or cave during the 16th century
during the Vijayanagara Empire.
Layout
The Krishna Cave facing east has a length of 29 feet (8.8 m)
and height of 12 feet (3.7 m). It is a pillared mandapa.
Architecture
The rock-cut cave is simple in design and layout, with minimum
decorations. It is one of the ten caves cut out from rock faces and one of the
oldest in Mahabalipuram. In creating the cave, the sculptors worked on the rock
face to make an outline and polished the rock face to define the outline of a
façade. This was followed by the cutting of columns in the polished surface and
creating square panels on which frescoes on religious themes of the Hindu pantheon were carved.
Chisel was the basic tool used to first draw incised outlines with
projections to be carved at the later stage of sculpting. The depth was
dictated by the number of chambers to be excavated through the rock. The
carving of images was then started after polishing the walls and the columns.
The cave has nine reliefs carved on the rock surfaces, all dated
to the 7th century but further refurbished with additions made in the 16th
century. One prominent relief depicts Krishna lifting the mythical Govardhana Hill on the finger of his left hand to save the people from a
deluge caused by rains showered by Indra. People with their cattle are shown taking shelter under the
mountain.
The myth related to this depiction is linked to Indra. Indra was
annoyed with the people of the village (now Mathura) as they had discontinued
celebration of a festival in his honour. He created a huge storm with heavy rain
showers, threatening the life of the villagers. Krishna, who was from the same
village, lifted the Govardhana Hill (near Mathura), creating an umbrella of
protection and saving the village, its people, and the cowherds. In this
fresco, Krishna is flanked by three females to his right; one of them is
inferred as Radha, his childhood lover, as she is shown wearing a kirita
makuta crown, a breast band, and many ornaments. On his right stand two
figures, one male and one female. In addition, there are several other images
in the panel of animals and village folk.
In another fresco, Krishna is shown in a joyous mood with
his gopis (milkmaids), a reflection of his double role as a divine
being. Other frescoes carved on the walls of the cave depict: an elderly
person carrying a child on his shoulders, a village scene of cowherds milking a
cow with the cow licking the calf; the gopis with water pots on their heads
amidst a cowherd playing a flute; a woodcutter walking with an axe and a lady
carrying a milk pot and a rolled mat or bundle of grass; and a child hugging
her mother.
Krishna's fresco also shows him playing a flute in the fields. The
panel further depicts a standing bull, which is perfectly carved by the Pallava
artists. In particular, the carvings in the Krishna cave are reported to be
very realistic reinterpretations of Hindu mythological themes.