My first, most obvious choice for this week’s photo challenge, was a pretty shot of an airplane wing, floating high above the skies of Bangkok. After all, what could have more weight, yet be more weightless, than an airplane?
But then, I remembered a massive stone I’d seen on a visit to the ancient town of Mamallapuram, India. When I found out it was called KRISHNA’S BUTTER BALL, a full post had to be dedicated to the gravity-defying lump of lard. Clearly.
Perched magically on a steeply sloping rock, the monolithic stone weighs over 250 tonnes, and is over 20 feet in height. It’s also immovable…at least by the force of 7 elephants.
The spherical stone gets it’s gratifying moniker from Hindu mythology which remarkably describes the god, Krishna, as a butter-stealing baby, who’s apparently as butter-fingered, as he is butter-loving. Because he drops a glob of his treasure to earth to become Krishna’s Butter Ball. I guess gods are clumsy like that…
Krishna’s Butter Ball
When we visited, we were lucky enough to happen upon a Kollywood scene being filmed. That is, until an errant goat decided to seek shelter from the searing sun, under the shade of the massive boulder. What ensued was 20 minutes of hapless production assistants attempting to chase the creature out from under it’s cooling shadow, without much luck.
Indian film set problems, I suppose. 😉
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- Kollywood film crew
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- The Butter Ball
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- An errant goat
Jeff | Planet Bell
That butterball looks like it could slide off and smash someone. I think I’d keep away.
Shelley @Travel-Stained
Or at the very least, melt in the heat of Indian summer. 😉 But nope, 7 elephants couldn’t push it over, which of course, gave rise to any number of alien intelligence theories…
Sonia D'Costa
That goat looks like a toy near that boulder…
Shelley @Travel-Stained
That boulder was huge. Still wondering how the heck it stays in place, without rolling down and smashing people 🙂
Sonia D'Costa
Me too… one of the wonders of nature. Really glad I came across your pics.
twobrownfeet
When we visited Mahabalipuram, it was really hot. It was not just goats who hoped for comfort in the shade of the butter ball. We too, took a brief break to escape the heat! 🙂
Shelley @Travel-Stained
It was super hot when we visited too…almost unbearable for us Canadians. 🙂 That goat was hilarious. They would chase it out, and then it would come right back and sit under the shade a few minutes later. I felt sorry for those poor PAs…