Govardhana Giri

From the Olakkannesvara temple head south and take the steps to go down the hill towards Mada Koil street. Turn left and continue on that path for about 400 m until you see a monument called the Krishna Mandapa on your left.

This pillared pavilion is called the Krishna Mandapa. Originally, this monument was an open air bas-relief, just like the Arjuna’s Penance bas relief. Later, during the 16th century Vijayanagara period, it was enclosed within this structure. Inside, you can see a beautifully carved panel that shows a scene from the Hindu god, Krishna’s life. Krishna is the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

The panel depicts the story of the Govardhana hill. Story goes that Krishna was once living in a village called Brindavan. As a little boy, Krishna was full of mischief, a complete prankster and the darling of the whole village. Even as a young child, he had already faced off with angry demons, and the entire village had learnt to look up to him in times of difficulty.

Now, every year, the people of Brindavan celebrated a festival dedicated to Indra, the king of heaven. Indra was also the god of rains and this festival was a way to honour him and keep him in good humour. One particular year, Krishna convinced the people of the village to stop celebrating the festival. His argument was that the Gods didn’t need to be cajoled to do what was their duty anyway.

The people of Brindavan were uneasy to give up the festival. An angry Indra could easily make his clouds bypass their village! But Krishna was persistent and finally got the villagers to his side. The villagers abandoned the idea of the festival and went about their work.

Indra was furious and decided to teach Krishna and the entire village an unforgettable lesson. He unleashed a torrential downpour on Brindavan. The lands flooded, the rivers overflowed and houses got washed away. Not an inch of space remained dry. The desperate villagers turned to Krishna for help. And Krishna literally moved mountains to help them out. Near Brindavan was a hill called the Govardhan. With a casual flick of his wrist, Krishna hoisted the hill up into the air and comfortably balanced it on the little finger of his left hand. The hill now served as a giant umbrella for the whole village - the people, their cattle and livestock too. They stood there, all dry and secure, making a complete mockery of Indra’s plan. Indira realised he had been outsmarted by a young lad. And soon it struck him that this boy could be none other than Lord Vishnu himself. Indira had learnt his lesson and didn’t trouble the people of Brindavan again. Life went on as before.

On the panel, you can see an entire village sheltered under the mountain – milkmaids carrying pots on their heads, toddlers with their mothers, a woodcutter with an axe, cows, calves and even a life sized bull. The tall figure in the centre with one hand stretched is Krishna. And on his outstretched hand is a hill called Govardhana. The figure which is as tall as Krishna is believed to be Balarama, Krishna’s brother. With Krishna in their midst, no one seems unduly worried, and it is business as usual.