INDIAN HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The five monolithic temples hewn from granite and known as the Pandava Rathas are ascribed to his reign. They are: the Draupadi Ratha, the Bhima Ratha, the Dharmaraja Ratha, the Nakula and Sahadeva Ratha, and the Arjuna Ratha, named after members of the Pandava family in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Detailed explanation-2: -A ratha, meaning cart, is also the temple chariot used for processing the murti at festivals, and a “ratha temple” is one designed to resemble a cart, with wheels on the sides, and often horses. The most famous example is the Sun Temple, Konarak.

Detailed explanation-3: -Each of the five monuments in the Pancha Rathas complex resembles a chariot (ratha), and each is carved over a single, long stone or monolith, of granite which slopes in north–south direction with a slight incline.

Detailed explanation-4: -The five ratha temples commonly known as the Pancha Rathas or five chariots stand majestically on the southernmost extreme of Mahabalipuram. Built by the Pallava ruler Narsimha Varman 1 (AD 630-68) alias Mamalla in the 7th and 8th centuries, each temple is a monolith, carved out of a single rock.

Detailed explanation-5: -Mahabalipuram, the temple town of India located along the shores of Bay of Bengal. This historic town is located at about 60 kms away from south of Chennai. The structures are called Rathas because of their peculiar architecture and shape. The word ‘Ratha’ means the ‘chariot’.