Varaha Cave Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the nearest airport.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is Chengalpattu Junction (CGL).

• By road

  MTC and TNSTC buses run from Mamallapuram to Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram. The temple is about 58 km from Chennai city and is easily reached by road from Chennai and Pondicherry.

Why devotees come here

Varaha Cave Temple is a small rock-cut temple on the hills of Mahabalipuram town in Tamil Nadu. Its main sculpture shows Vishnu as Varaha, the boar, lifting Bhudevi, who personifies the earth, from the sea.

Legend says the demon Hiranyaksha took the Earth and sank it into the ocean's depths during the Samudra Manthan, the cosmic ocean churning. The main sculpture shows Vishnu as Varaha, the boar, lifting Bhudevi, who personifies the earth, out of the sea. Legend also says the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I, known as Mamalla, built the cave as a tribute to Vishnu.

The cave is an example of rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century. Its style developed under the Pallava kings Mahendra Varman I and Narasimhavarman I. The caves and rathas are attributed to Mamalla's reign, during the year 650 AD. The temple is part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1984.

The temple is small and carved from one piece of pink granite. Its mandapa, or hall, is cut into the rock face. In Pallava style, the cave front consistently has finely carved columns set on seated lions. The large northern side-wall panel also shows Varaha lifting Bhudevi.

Tips for your visit

• It is not the most visited monument in Mahabalipuram, because of its hidden location on the hill.
• It is the earliest known monument in Mahabalipuram.

Questions people ask