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All India Mahabalipuram Krishna's Butter Ball

Krishna's Butter Ball

This precariously balanced boulder is said to be a hunk of stolen butter dropped by the gods.

Mahabalipuram, India

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claude chappe
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Krishna’s Butter Ball   Dey.sandip on Wikipedia
Krishna’s Butter Ball   Dey.sandip on Wikipedia
Krishna’s Butter Ball   James Burke on Flickr
Krishna’s Butter Ball   Xcibaangel on Wikipedia
Butterball and 3-legged dog   vturano / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Forever (hopefully) perched on a steep rock slope in the historic town of Mahabalipuram, India, the massive round boulder known as Krishna's Butter Ball refuses to give in to gravity or the shoves of tourists.

The giant boulder appears to be frozen in its roll down the hill it sits on, and no one is quite sure why. The huge boulder is likely a glacial erratic that got stranded in a serendipitous position on the hill, but local legend has another version of the story. According to Hindu mythology, when the great god Krishna was just a baby, he was fond of stealing butter. Following this tradition, the big orange stone has been likened to a giant dollop of purloined butter that the god dropped.

The actual name of the stone is "Vaan Irai Kal," which translates to "Sky God's Stone," and according to one source, the more playful name was given to the rock by a local tour guide. However it got its sort of silly name, it stuck.

Reinforcing the stone's strangely balanced position, the slippery stone slope is used by local children as a slide. Today Krishna's Butter Ball is a popular tourist attraction. Visitors to the site love to try to get behind the stone and try to push it down the hill. So far no human power has been able to budge the buttery boulder.

Best of all, sometimes the local goats climb on top of it. It's adorable. 

Related Tags

Rocks Geology Legends
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Added By

claude chappe

Edited By

littlebrumble, EricGrundhauser, lucasstrittmatter, Collector of Experiences...

  • littlebrumble
  • EricGrundhauser
  • lucasstrittmatter
  • Collector of Experiences
  • vturano

Published

July 21, 2015

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Sources
  • http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/11/krishna-butter-ball-balancing-rock-at.html
  • http://www.messagetoeagle.com/krishnasbutterball.php#.Va1gLxNViko
  • http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-science-behind-the-Butter-Ball-rock-in-Mahabalipuram
  • http://www.stoneproject.org/krishnas-butter-ball-mamallapuram-india.html
Krishna's Butter Ball
Mada Koil Street
Mahabalipuram, 603104
India
12.618136, 80.192875
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tiger Cave

Mahabalipuram, India

miles away

Alamparai Fort

Edaikazhinadu, India

miles away

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Chennai, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

India

Places 2

Nearby Places

Tiger Cave

Mahabalipuram, India

miles away

Alamparai Fort

Edaikazhinadu, India

miles away

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Chennai, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

India

Places 2

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