Four Famous Mahabalipuram Cave Temples

Mahabalipuram Cave Temples in Tamil Nadu is a popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the Kanchipuram district. These rock-cut caves also known as mandapas are located on the hillock of town, overlooking the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu, India. There are a total of eleven mandapas or caves seen in Mahabalipuram. Among them, the popular ones are Krishna Cave Temple, Varaha Cave Temple, Panchapandava Cave Temple, Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa and Trimurti Cave Temple.

Popular Mahabalipuram Cave Temples in Tamilnadu

Krishna Cave Temple

Krishna Cave Temple or Mandapa of Krishna or Krishna Mandapam is a cave temple located at Mahabalipuram in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is an artificial rock-cut mandapam. This is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The Krishna Cave has a length of 29 feet and height of about 12 feet. Notable carvings inside are sculpted panels brings out the myth of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the cowherds and milk maids from heavy rains and floods.  Creator of this cave is Pallava dynasty.

Address: West Raja Street, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India
Phone: +91 44 28334822


Krishna Cave Temple or Krishna Mandapam in Mahabalipuram

Varaha Cave Temple

Varaha Cave Temple or Adivaraha Cave Temple or Varaha Mantapa is a rock-cut cave temple located at Mamallapuram in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. The most prominent sculpture in the cave is that of Lord Vishnu in the form of Lord Varahamurthy. This temple is one of the finest testimonial of rock-cut cave architecture.  There are also various mythical figures carved out in this rock cave. This cave is located on a hill.

Address: Mada Koil St, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India

Varaha Cave Temple or Adivaraha Cave Temple in Mahabalipuram

Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa

Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa or Yampuri is a rock-cut cave temple located at Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is dedicated to the Goddess Mahishasuramardini, who is considered an incarnation of the Goddess Durga. This Cave Temple has many interesting architectural features ; one is of Vishnu reclining on the seven hooded serpent, the second is of Goddess Durga maa, the main deity of the cave temple slaying the buffalo headed demon Mahishasura and the third sanctum also has a sculpture of Lord Maha Vishnu.

Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa or Yampuri in Mahabalipuram

Panchapandava Cave Temple

Panchapandava Cave Temple or Pancha Pandava Temples or Mandapa of the Five Pandavas is a rock-cut cave temple located at Mahabalipuram in Kancheepuram Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is near the open air bas-relief of Arjuna’s Penance. This cave temple is remained unfinished. The entrance is east facing. The temple has the longest cavern of about 50 feet long. The creator of this temple is Narasimhavarman I,  the Mamalla of Pallava Dynasty.

Panchapandava Cave Temple in Mahabalipuram

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