Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

2271 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Ganesha Ratha

Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu · 12.6184°, 80.1925°

Ganesha (originally a Shiva linga)PallavaMonolithic rock-cut
Sacred since
630 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
c. 650 (Pallava)
Pallava

History & significance

A monolithic rock-cut shrine at Mahabalipuram carved around 650 CE in the reign of the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I. It originally held a Shiva linga; in the 1880s villagers replaced it with an image of Ganesha with the District Collector's permission, and the old linga now stands under a nearby tree.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pallava