The legend depicted in the relief is the story of the descent of the sacred river Ganges to earth from the heavens led by Bhagiratha. The waters of the Ganges are believed to possess supernatural powers. The descent of the Ganges and Arjuna's Penance are portrayed in stone at the Pallava heritage site. It is one of the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram that were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. This relief in rock is reported as a "sublime" early sculpture of the 7th century