As of now, no one has been able to explain the existence of this rock.
Krishna’s Butter Ball is a massive boulder located in Tamil Nadu, southern India, famous for its unusual balancing position on a hillside for centuries.
According to The Epoch Times, Krishna’s Butter Ball is situated in Mahabalipuram, a town in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. Weighing over 250 tons, standing 6 meters tall and measuring 5 meters in diameter, the rock rests on a slope with a 45-degree incline.
Despite having a very narrow contact surface with the hillside below, making it seem like a light push could send it rolling down, this rock has remained in place for over 1,300 years, enduring the elements of sun, rain, and wind without budging. Naturally, this boulder has become an intriguing tourist attraction.
The rock has been balanced on the hillside for centuries. (Photo: The Indian Times).
Regardless of its enormous size, the rock remains balanced on a very small contact area with the hillside. It does not roll down nor has it moved despite various attempts to shift it. In the 7th century BC, a king from the Pallava dynasty in India became the first to attempt to move the rock to prevent it from falling into the hands of sculptors, but he was unsuccessful.
In 1908, Arthur Lawley, the governor of Madras, intended to move the rock from the hillside out of concern that it could roll down at any moment and destroy the town below. Seven elephants were used in an attempt to move it, but the rock did not budge even a little. The governor’s concerns were proven unfounded, and the town below remains safe. However, to this day, scientists have not been able to explain what keeps the rock in its balanced position.
The giant rock remains immobile despite all efforts to move it. (Photo: Wikimedia).
Locally, Krishna’s Butter Ball is referred to as Vaan Irai Kal, meaning “Stone of the Gods”. The locals believe that the gods placed the rock in Mahabalipuram to demonstrate their power to the townspeople. According to Indian mythology, the young goddess Krishna loved to eat butter and often stole it from her mother’s pots. Since the rock in Mahabalipuram resembles a drop of butter that the goddess accidentally dropped, it has been nicknamed “Krishna’s Butter Ball.”
Geologists have repeatedly sought answers to the rock’s appearance. They speculate that the rock is part of the hillside below. It may have once been a very high mountain, but as the soil in the area gradually eroded and natural processes contributed to the creation of the precariously positioned boulder.
