The Ganges Flows To Earth

- Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis

Following the Crack

Imagine the excitement of the sculptors and their patrons when they saw this untouched rock “canvas” spread out before them 1,400 years ago! They must have been inspired by the crack that separates the two boulders. It probably looked to them like it might be the sort of place where the Ganges River could descend to earth. And, indeed, on the ledge above it, the builders created a cistern for storing water. When that water was released, it ran along the crack to the bottom of the rock wall, creating the impression of a river flowing to earth. The water was released during special ceremonies celebrating the descent of the Ganges River.

As the sculptors began work so many centuries ago, they may have turned their attention first to the fissure, where they carved a naga king descending down the river (above).