Attractions Of Mahabalipuram: Five Rathas /Pancha Rathas

Five Rathas /Pancha Rathas 

Short Overview:

The Five Rathas are a set of magnificent monolithic rock temples. Panch is a Hindi word which means ‘Five’. These fine rock temples are located in a sandy compound. These five Rathas are the perfect examples of the evolution of Dravidian style architecture. They are built in the shape of pagodas and they look similar to that of the Buddhist shrines and monasteries. ‘Rathas’ in English mean ‘chariot’. There chariots are constructed with towers, the Monolithic temples, known as Five Rathas, from left to right: Draupadi, Nakula-Sahadeva, Bhima and Dharmaraja Rathas. The naming of these Ratha, after Pandavas and their wife the heroes of the epic Mahabharata are simply a local tradition.

Long Overview:

This historic town is located at about 60 kms away from south of Chennai. The structures built under pallavas dynasty are called Rathas because of their peculiar architecture and shape. The word ‘Ratha’ means the ‘chariot’. These temples are named after the presiding gods and their images in the temple. The ‘Ratha’ temples are the cave temple made of rocks. The Rathas are regarded as the five Rathas of Pandavas, the eminent characters of the Mahabharata. 

The stone chariots tell us stories of the bygone days of Mahabalipuram. The rock cut temples with exclusive sculptures make the temples more attractive for the tourists and archeologists alike, Draupadi Ratha- This Ratha is named after Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas, Arjuna Ratha- Arjuna is the third son of Pandu, the king of Hastinapur carved in memory of Arjuna, Durga Ratha is dedicated to Devi Durga, Bhima Ratha- the strongest son of Pandu, he was the second Pandava. Mahavishnu is the lord to whom Bhima’s chariot is dedicated, Dharmaraja Ratha- The eldest son of Pandu was known as Dharmaraj for his truthfulness. Harihara is the lord to whom the Chariot is dedicated, Nakula Sahadeva Ratha- the twin brothers Nakul and Sahadeva and the temple is regarded as their chariot. The chariot is dedicated to the god of rain, Indra.

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