Arjuna's Penance

Also called the Descent of the Ganges, this huge bas-relief in Mamallapuram was carved in the 7th century under the Pallavas. It measures roughly 100 feet across and 43 feet in height, and its surface is crowded with gods, saints, birds and animals.

The panel can be read in two ways. One reading sees Arjuna of the Mahabharata doing severe penance beside a river to win powerful weapons; the other sees King Bhagiratha performing austerities to bring the Ganges down from the heavens to earth. Stone carvers descended from the families who made such works still live around Mamallapuram and keep up the craft, shaping blocks of stone into sculpture.