Varaha Cave Temple
Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu
Varaha Cave Temple is a rock-cut cave temple located at Mamallapuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in Kancheepuram District in Tamil Nadu, India. It is part of the hill top village, which is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the north of the main Mahabalipurm sites of rathas and the Shore Temple. It is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century. The temple is one of the finest testimonial to the ancient Hindu rock-cut cave architecture, out of many such caves also called mandapas. Part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, the temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as inscribed in 1984 under criteria i, ii, iii and iv. The most prominent sculpture in the cave is that of the Hindu god Vishnu in the incarnated form of a Varaha or boar lifting Bhudevi, the mother earth goddess from the sea. Also carved are many mythical figures.
From the Wikipedia article Varaha Cave Temple, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it is
Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu. Open in Google Maps
How to reach
- By train: nearest station Chengalpattu Junction railway station (CGL), about 12 km by road.
- By air: Chennai International Airport (MAA), about 54 km by road.
In-depth temple guides nearby
- Arulmigu Devarajaswamy (Varadharaja Perumal) Temple – Chinna (Little) Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram district (about 49 km)
- Sri Kamakshi Ambal Devasthanam – Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram district (about 54 km)
- Arulmigu Ekambareswarar Temple (Ekambaranathar Temple) – Periya Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram district (about 55 km)
- Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Temple – North Mada Street, Mylapore, Chennai (about 67 km)
- Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy Temple, Tiruttani – Tiruttani (Malaikoil), Tiruvallur district (about 96 km)
Timings and rituals for this temple aren't in our guide yet – check locally before you travel. More temples in Tamil Nadu