Earth:Krishna's Butterball

From HandWiki
Short description: Monument in Mahabalipuram
Krishna's Butterball
Krishna Butterball Below Mahabalipuram Sep22 A7C 02490.jpg
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 12°37′09″N 80°11′32″E / 12.6191°N 80.1923°E / 12.6191; 80.1923
Composition
granite[citation needed]

Krishna's Butterball (also known as Vaan Irai Kal[1] and Krishna's Gigantic Butterball) is a gigantic balancing rock, granite-boulder resting on a short incline in the historical coastal resort town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu state of India.[2]

Being part of the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built during the seventh- and eighth-century CE as Hindu religious monuments by the Pallava dynasty, it is a popular tourist attraction locally.[3][4][5] It is listed as a protected national monument by the Archeological Survey of India.[6]

Etymology

People visiting Krishna's Butterball

The original name, Vaan Irai Kal, according to the Atlas Obscura, translates from Tamil as "Stone of Sky God".[1] According to Hindu scriptures, lord Krishna often stole butter from his mother's butter handi; this may have led to the namesake of the boulder.[1] In 1969, a tour-guide is said to credit its present name, Krishna's Butterball, to Indira Gandhi who was on a tour of the city.[7]

History

The Pallava king Narasimhavarman (630–668 CE) also made a failed attempt to move the boulder.[1] The Indian Tamil king Raja Raja Chola (985 and 1014 CE) was inspired by the balance of this massive stone boulder and it led to the creation of never-falling mud dolls called Tanjavur Bommai, which having a half-spherical base tends to come back to its original position every time one tries to make it fall.[citation needed] In 1908, then-governor of the city Arthur Havelock made an attempt to use seven elephants to move the boulder from its position due to safety concerns but with no success.[citation needed] On 12 October 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a photo in front of Krishna's Butterball holding hands during their second "informal summit".[8]

Details

Krishna's Butterball is located in the tourist town Mahabalipuram in Chengalpattu district in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India . It is easily accessible via the East Coast Road (ECR) at a distance of 55 km (34 mi) from Chennai Central railway station and 53 km (33 mi) from Chennai International Airport.[9][10] To the south, Pondicherry is 95 km (59 mi) distant.[11]

The boulder is approximately six metres (20 ft) high and five metres (16 ft) wide and weighs around 250 tonnes (250 long tons; 280 short tons).[12] It seems to float and barely stand on a slope on top of 1.2-meter (4 ft) high plinth which is a naturally eroded hill. It is said to have been at the same place for 1,200 years.[1][13] A part of the boulder on top back has broken away, making it look like a half-spherical rock from the back, while it appears round shaped from the other three sides.

Gallery

  • Viewed from south

  • Viewed from southwest

  • Viewed from west

  • Viewed from north

  • Viewed from northeast

  • Viewed from east

  • Viewed from southeast

In media

  • Krishna's butter ball was shown in an episode of History TV18's television infotainment show, OMG! Yeh Mera India, hosted by Krushna Abhishek.[14]


See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Krishna's Butter Ball". http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/krishnas-butter-ball. 
  2. ↑ Eric Grundhauser (4 August 2015). "The Delicately Balanced Beauty of Krishna's Butter Ball". Slate. http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/08/04/the_delicately_balanced_boulder_known_as_krishna_s_butter_ball_is_a_lovely.html. Retrieved 21 May 2016. 
  3. ↑ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 399. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA399. 
  4. ↑ "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram". UNESCO.org. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/249/. Retrieved 23 October 2012. 
  5. ↑ Neha Vashishth (16 April 2016). "These Mysterious Places In India Totally Defy Gravity!". Dainik Bhaskar. http://daily.bhaskar.com/news-hf/LIF-WEW-weird-places-in-india-where-gravity-has-no-power-5300560-PHO.html. Retrieved 22 May 2016. 
  6. ↑ "Alphabetical List of Monuments – Tamil Nadu". http://asi.nic.in/alphabetical-list-of-monuments-tamil-nadu/. 
  7. ↑ "Krishna's Butter Ball - Ancient Aliens In India? ~ Places on the planet you must see". http://www.phenomenalplace.com/2013/12/krishnas-butter-ball-ancient-aliens-in.html. Retrieved 21 May 2016. 
  8. ↑ Ramakrishnan, T. (2019-10-11). "Camaraderie marks start of Modi-Xi 'informal summit'" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/camaraderie-marks-start-of-modi-xi-informal-summit/article29660482.ece. 
  9. ↑ "Chennai Central Railway Station - Mahabalipuram route". https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_car&route=13.0824%2C80.2756%3B12.6196%2C80.1936#map=10/12.8506/80.2345&layers=C. 
  10. ↑ "Chennai International Airport - Mahabalipuram route". https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_car&route=12.9761%2C80.1486%3B12.6196%2C80.1936#map=11/12.7964/80.1741&layers=C. 
  11. ↑ "Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram route". https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_car&route=11.93%2C79.83%3B12.62%2C80.19#map=10/12.2779/80.0123&layers=C. 
  12. ↑ Samonway Duttagupta (5 April 2016). "7 of the most incredible natural wonders in India". India Today. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/7-of-the-most-incredible-natural-wonders-in-india-maharashtra-lonar-tamil-nadu-kerala-valley-of-flowers-karanataka-travel/1/635723.html. Retrieved 21 May 2016. 
  13. ↑ Neha Borkar (7 February 2016). "This Is Krishna's Mysterious 'Butter Ball' Rock And It Has Never Rolled Downhill". IndiaTimes. http://www.indiatimes.com/culture/travel/this-is-krishna-s-mysterious-butter-ball-rock-and-it-has-never-rolled-downhill-250079.html. Retrieved 29 September 2016. 
  14. ↑ https://www.historyindia.com/



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Earth:Krishna%27s_Butterball&oldid=3297276"