Mahishamardini Mandapa

At the southern end of the Mamallapuram Hill complex, the Mahishamardini Mandapa is carved from the rock, displaying very fine scenes from the Puranas (Sanskrit stories from the 5th century AD). These include Vishnu asleep on the coils of a snake (left) and Durga with her lion vehicle, defeating the demon-buffalo Mahisha (right). The central shrine contains an image of Murugan, seated between Shiva and Parvati (his parents).