Pancha Rathas

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A view of the 'Five Rathas' at Mamallapuram

Pancha Rathas an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century located at Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Madras in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The village was a busy port during the 7th and 8th century reign of the Pallava dynasty. The site is famous for the rock-cut caves and the sculptured rock that line a granite hill, including one depicting Arjuna's Penance. It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1]

The Pancha Rathas shrines were carved during the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Each temple is a monolith, carved whole from a rock outcropping of pink granite. The five monolithic pyramidal structured shrines are named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. As noted, each shrine is not assembled from cut rock but carved from one single large piece of stone. It is likely their original design traces back to wood constructions.^[2]

The Plaque at the Five Rathas in Mahabalipuram	Some of the Rathas	Draupadi's Ratha at Mahabalipuram	Detail on the outside of Draupadi's Ratha
The Inside of the Draupadi Ratha	The detailed edifice of Bhima's Ratha	Faces sculpted on Bhima's Ratha	Bhima's Ratha
Yudhishtir's Ratha	Elephant sculpture amongst Five Rathas	Lion sculpture amongst the Five Rathas