| What is depicted
here in the great open-air sculpture has a story behind it and has been the subject of
difference of opinion among historians. The older theory is that it represents the penance
of Arjuna during his exile in the Himalayas, to get from Lord Siva His famous weapon of
war, Pasupata, and to conquer the Kauravas. This popular interpretation is generally
accepted by all. The comic scene in the relief will amuse visitors where a cat is standing
doing penance, while big and small rats are freely playing around the feline Tapaswi. Some historians like Ferguson, Burgess, Vogel, Touvean, Dubreine and
Langhurst have not accepted the above theory but put forward different ones, which are
given below.
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