Mahabalipuram is the new name of the old village of Mamallapuram,
meaning "the Great Wrestler." The relief here is variously titled but
historically is the story of an ascetic monk who tried to convince the
gods to restore the flow of the Ganges river to the earth. "The Descent
of the Ganges" is the largest bas-relief in India and an important
monument to the Pallava Empire of south India.
