Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple

Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple at Mahabalipuram is a rock-cut cave shrine from the 7th-century Pallava period, dedicated to Goddess Durga in her form as Mahishasuramardini — the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahishasura. The cave contains one of the most celebrated bas-relief panels in Indian art: a dynamic sculpture showing Durga with eighteen arms astride a lion, defeating the demon, balanced by an equally famous panel of Vishnu in cosmic sleep (Anantashayana). The cave is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.