Mahishasuramardini Mandapa
| Mahishasuramardini Mandapa Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple | |
|---|---|
Mahishamardini Rock Cut Mandapam | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Kancheepuram district |
| Deity | Vishnu, Durga and Somaskanda |
| Location | |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
| Geographic coordinates | 12°37′00″N 80°11′30″E / 12.6167°N 80.1917°E |
| Architecture | |
| Creator | Pallava dynasty |
| Completed | Mid-7th century |
| Temple(s) | 1 |
| Inscriptions | Inscribed in 1984 under Asia-Pacific of UNESCO |
Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa (Cave Temple; also known as Yampuri) is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century, of the Pallava dynasty. It is a rock-cut cave temple located on a hill, near a lighthouse, along with other caves in Mamallapuram. Mamallapuram, also popularly known as Mahabalipuram, is a small village to the south of Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1984. This Cave Temple has many interesting architectural features of which three exquisitely carved reliefs on the cave walls of three sanctums are prominent. One is of Vishnu reclining on the seven hooded serpent, Adishesha, another of Durga, the main deity of the cave temple Durga slaying the buffalo headed demon Mahishasura, and the third sanctum has a sculpture of Shiva.