Just an hour's drive from Chennai is located Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram as commonly called, the place known for its unique artifacts and natural structures which science has failed to reason about. one such structure is Krishna's butterball while entering Mamallapuram.
The site is under Archaeological Survey of India and one needs to buy a ticket of rupees 40 to enter the premises where butterball rock is located . For foreigners, the ticket amount is a little high. Seen from a distance the rock boulder on a sloped hillock looks like a butter ball Or Vaan Irai Kal which means stone of Sky God in Tamil. This 250 ton boulder has balanced itself miraculously on a tiny base for thousands of years and never slipped down the slope rock on which it is kept. It is said that Lord Krishna who was fond of butter must have dropped a bolus of butter which fell here and turned into a giant lump. It is also believed that the God of the Sky meticulously placed the rock in a position from where it never falls.
Not that humans never tried to move this piece of rock. Many kings and administrators who ruled India in the past made vain attempts in moving the rock. In the 7th century AD King Narsimhavarman of Pallava dynasty ordered his men to remove it but all attempts turned futile . In 1908, erstwhile Governor of Madras Sir Arthur Lawley decided to remove the boulder so that people staying in the town had no risk. Even seven elephants deployed for the task could not move it. So now it is popular amongst tourists.
This 20 feet high and 5 meter wide rock boulder stands on less than 4 feet base without any support has amazed the scientists for long. It still remains a mystery. There are other monuments of interest in Mahabalipuram. Intricately carved temples and rock cut caves, portraits of deities. It is the World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO of the 7th century. Arjuna penance is a huge rock canvas showcasing gods, demigods, beasts. Arjuna is shown praying and doing penance to obtain divine weapons from Lord Shiva. Bhagirath's penance is also sculpted on two rocks.
