Panch Pandava Mandapa

Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)


This unfinished cave temple has just five completed lion columns.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) attractions

1. Arjuna’s Penance

0.01 MILES

The crowning masterpiece of Mamallapuram’s stonework, this giant relief carving is one of India's greatest ancient artworks. Inscribed on two huge,…

2. Raya Gopura

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Generally thought to be an unfinished gopuram dating from the 16th century.

3. Varaha Mandapa

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Home to some of Mamallapuram's most brilliant carvings, the Varaha Mandapa depicts Vishnu's boar avatar, Varaha, lifting the earth out of the oceans (left…

4. Krishna Mandapa

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Just south of the Arjuna's Penance relief carving, the Krisha Mandapa has a fine 16th-century colonnade and contains a famous carving of Krishna…

6. Ganesh Ratha

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Decorated with lion-shaped pillar bases, the Ganesh Ratha is carved from a single rock and was originally a Shiva shrine.

7. Krishna's Butterball

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You can't miss this enormous boulder (and favourite photo spot), balancing precariously on Mamallapuram Hill, right opposite the compound's northernmost…

8. Lion Throne

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A beautifully carved throne or seat in the shape of a lion, a little west (uphill) from the Raya Gopura on Mamallapuram Hill.