Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (UNESCO/NHK)

Monolithic temples, monuments at Mahabalipuram. A huge rock measuring more than five metres in width balances precariously. The rock is known as Krishna's Butterball, one of the monuments on the World Heritage List. This rock is believed to have been in the same position for more than 1,400 years. When India was under British rule, an attempt was made to move the rock using seven elephants, but they couldn't shift it. About 30 of the monuments at Mahabalipuram are World Heritage Listed. Between the 6th and 9th centuries, this region was an important trading base for the then ruling Pallava dynasty. Varaha Cave Temple is a Hindu temple built in the 7th century. It was carved out of a huge piece of granite. Granite is very hard and requires tremendous energy and strength to carve and sculpt the rock. This one temple took several decades to complete. The carving inside the temple depicts a scene when the Hindu god Varaha saves his beloved wife from a devil. The five Rathas were discovered after being hidden underground for around a thousand years. Ratha means the vehicle of God, hence the temple shaped as a chariot. Each of the five Rathas relate to one of the main characters in the Indian mythology, the Mahabharata. This Ratha was carved from a monolith. Various architectural techniques of that time were employed for the sculpting. This is Arjuna Ratha. Its tiered roof is made in the Dravidian style of southern India. This is Bhima Ratha. The structure has a gabled roof, a style borrowed from Indian farmhouses. Making such monuments out of a single rock required very highly skilled masons and a lot of time. The Pallava dynasty contributed to the early development of the Hindu temples but fell in the early 10th century. Some of the temples have been preserved but others have been washed away by the strong currents and pounding waves from the Bay of Bengal.