Next to this Mandapa is a very small but beautiful Ganapathi Shrine, which mostly stands here from the same time period. It became never famous as other temples did, so no much further buildings (like agraharams, kitchen etc.) were built.
Anyhow I did enter the Mandapa and also saw those carvings of those eclipses, nagas attacking the Sun and Moon, different beast eating each other and also the very strange carving of this supposed Danish soldier. Actually i did find 2 carvings of foreign sailors which is indeed from the 13th century (as they fit the other drawings), but how they come on those pillars no idea. The Danish colony landed only in the year 1620 AD on the indian coast, and the Mandapa maybe was rebuilt and those carvings placed on in that time. Sadras, a commerical port for the danish crown for business was not far from mahabalipuram, as well madras was occupied by danish power in that time.
Then i have found those funny drawing what is for sure a later replacement of carving on those pillars. A funny face not very artistically drawn...!
But all in all the Danish soldiers in this mandapa is unique, as i have never seen any foreigner carvings either in Mandapas or other religious places in south india.
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