The Ganges Flows To Earth

Let’s travel to the southeastern coast of India where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean. Then, it’s off to an extraordinary place called Mahabalipuram(also spelled Mamallapuram), where Hindu stone sanctuaries from the seventh and eighth centuries c.e.dot the shoreline. One of the most remarkable of the monuments is a huge carving (pictured here).Measuring 98 feet long and 49 feet tall, it stretches across the surface of two boulders. This stone relief depicts the dramatic descent of the Ganges River,which, legends tell us, began in the heavens and then flowed gently to earth, thanks to the help of the Hindu deity Shiva.

 

- Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis

Following the Crack

Imagine the excitement of the sculptors and their patrons when they saw this untouched rock “canvas” spread out before them 1,400 years ago! They must have been inspired by the crack that separates the two boulders. It probably looked to them like it might be the sort of place where the Ganges River could descend to earth. And, indeed, on the ledge above it, the builders created a cistern for storing water. When that water was released, it ran along the crack to the bottom of the rock wall, creating the impression of a river flowing to earth. The water was released during special ceremonies celebrating the descent of the Ganges River.

As the sculptors began work so many centuries ago, they may have turned their attention first to the fissure, where they carved a naga king descending down the river (above). Nagas, or serpents, are worshiped in India as protectors of rivers, wells, lakes, and seas. They are believed to bring rain, and, in doing so, fertility and prosperity as well. The naga king is depicted as half-human and half-cobra, displaying a hood that rises behind his head like a halo. His serpent wife precedes him down the river as they descend to earth.