There are many mandapams in Mahabalipuram. Some of the important ones are Krishna Mantapa, Mahishasuramardini Mantapa, and Varaha Matapa. Krishna Mandapam is the biggest among the Mandapams and it lies next to the Arjuna's Penance. The sculptures inside this Mandapam beautifully picturize the myth of Lord Krishna during his brave and energetic adulthood.
Mahishasura Mardini Mandapam is a rock cut temple. It consists of three small shrives in the inner wall which is exactly the typical pattern of the pallava art and architecture.
Varaha Mandapam is lies besides the Arjuna penance. There are four striking bas-reliefs, the northern one with Lord Vishnu (Varaha) Varaha (the mighty boar) standing at one feet on top of Naga, the snake king. He is rescuing Prithvi, the goddess earth from the primordial ocean.
The Ramanuja Mandapam is one of the well finished Mandapams of Mahabalipuram. It was earlier dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Vaishnavites who wanted to build a Vishnu Temple destroyed this beautiful structure.
Many of the structures in Mahabalipuram are not finished completely like the Rathas, Rayar Gopuram etc. The cause of this breakup is not known.
Location