Krishna's Butterball, Granite boulder in Mamallapuram, India.
Krishna's Butterball is a balancing rock in Mamallapuram within Kanchipuram district in India. Weighing around 250 tons, the granite sphere rests on a tiny contact patch along a sloped hillside and appears ready to roll away at any second.
The formation emerged in the seventh century during the reign of the Pallava dynasty. In 1908, Governor Arthur Lawley tried moving it with seven elephants and failed completely.
The name references Krishna's fondness for butter in Hindu stories. The Tamil term Vaan Irai Kal translates as Stone of Sky God and reflects its seemingly supernatural perch.
The formation sits within the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram, roughly 55 kilometers south of Chennai. Visitors can walk around it and attempt to push it themselves, though none ever succeed.
The rock inspired the design of Tanjavur Bommai dolls, which right themselves after being tipped. These traditional toys use a half-spherical weighted base modeled after how the boulder maintains its position.
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