Varaha Cave Temple

The Varaha Cave Temple is a 7th-century shrine to Vishnu cut from a single rock in Mamallapuram, near the Bay of Bengal, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tradition holds it was made under the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, known as Mamalla. The Shore Temple and the Pancha Rathas lie about 2 km away.

Its central panel shows Vishnu as Varaha, the boar avatar, who dived into the ocean, defeated the demon Hiranyaksha and raised the earth on his tusks; the earth goddess Bhudevi is shown with him. Other carvings on the walls show Vishnu, Shiva, Durga and Ganesha, as well as scenes from daily life in Pallava times.