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MAHABALIPURAM

Mammalapuram(Mahabalipuram), close to Chennai(madras) about 56


kms, is on the shores of the Bay of Bengal , along the Eastern coast.

Mamammalapuram known for its rock carvings and monolithic


structures carved out from large pieces of GRANITE STONES has the
famous SHORE TEMPLE the only one to have survived the ravages of
nature.

Temple also known as the PANDAVA CHARIOTS (temples) , six now lie
submerged in the sea.

PALLAVA DYNASTY 630 AD to 668 AD.

Mahabalipuram, or Mamallapuram, was a port founded on the coast by


Narasinghawarman I (around 630–670 A.D.). The site comprises a group of eight
rathas. They are not real rathas but stone imitations of wooden shrines, carved in
large single rocks.
•MAHABALIPURAM WAS THE SITE OF INITIAL DRAVIDIAN EXPERIMENTATION IN BOTH ROCK-
CUT & FREE STANDING TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE.(PALLAVA DYNASTY PHASE2)

•IT PREVAILED FROM 6TH TO 7TH CENTURY A.D

•CITY GAINED ITS NAME FROM NARASINHA VARMA MAMALLA.

•MAMALLA OR MAHAMALLA,MEANS “GREAT WRESTLER”

•5 MONOLITHIC RATHS ARE NAMED AFTER VICTORIOUS PANDAVA BROTHERS OF THE EPIC
MAHABHARATA AND THEIR WIFE DRAUPADI.

•THE MAJESTIC LIONS,ELEPHANTS & SACRED NANDI BULL GUARD THE RATHAS.
THE RATHAS ARE:-
(1) DRAUPADI RATHA
(2) DHARMARAJ RATHA
(3) BHIMA RATHA DRAUPADI ARJUN DHARMARAJ
(4) NAKUL & SAHADEV RATHA RATHA RATHA
RATHA
(5) ARJUN RATHA
(6) GANESH RATHA
(7) VALAINKUTI RATHA
(8) PIDARI RATHA
(9) SHORE TEMPLE

BHIMA NAKUL &


RATHA SAHADEV
RATHA
FIVE RATHAS : GENERAL VIEW – NORTH WEST

FIVE RATHAS : GENERAL VIEW – NORTH


EAST
SITE PLAN OF THE RATHAS
f
b c d
a

g e
1.DRAUPADI RATHA
•1ST FROM MAIN ENTRANCE

•SIMPLEST, RESEMBLING A HUT


(KUTAGARA VIMANA:-SHRINE WITH
ROOFED CHAMBER)

•MEASURES 14’*11’*14’.

SHAPE:- SQUARE IN PLAN HAS


FEMALE DWARPALS ON EITHER
SIDE OF SHRINE, ONE HOLDING A
BOW & OTHER A SWORD.

FACES WEST, SHARES A TERRACE


SUPPORTED BY ELEPHANTS &
DEDICATED TO SHIVA & DURGA.
2.DHARMARAJ RATHA (YUDHISHTIRA)

•GRANDEST OF ALL RATHAS

•3 STOREYED SHRINE OF
SANDHARA ( WITH AMBULATORY ) ,
ALL STOREYS FUNCTIONAL
.THATCHED ROOF.

•SQUARE BASE PLAN UPTO 3RD


LEVEL & OCTAGONAL IN GRIHA &
SHIKHARA, MAKING IT 8 FACED.

•DIMENSION: 29’*27’*29’

•ADITALA ( BASE ) HAS 4 CORNER


SINHAPADA PILLARS & CARDINAL
ENTRANCES.
The shrine is obviously incomplete.

It is a larger version of the Arjuna ratha,


having an added course on its pyramidal roof.
The temple roof, like most in India, is covered
with repeating elements .

Typically south Indian, the ones here consist


of small "model" shrines at various scales of
size, false windows, horseshoe-shaped arches,
and little "rooflets" which are barrel-shaped
when placed on the side of the roof and
squared-off when placed on the corner of the
roof.

The building is topped by an octagonal-shaped dome, the


shikahara

In this photo, the west face (entrance) of the shrine is in


sunlight. People are scrambling down the shadowed north
face to the left.
SINHAPADA STAMBH

THE SPATIAL MANDAL IN THE RATHA


SALA meaning WAGON ROOF

DHARMARAJ RATHA BHIMA RATHA


3.BHIMA RATHA
•BHIMA SHRINE RESEMBLES
BUDDHIST PLACE OF WORSHIP-A
BARREL LIKE ROOF WITH CURVED
VAULT, STUDDED WITH SMALL
HORSE SHOE WINDOWS .

•ONE STOREYED, RECTANGULAR IN


PLAN & ACCOMODATES THE
RECLINING VISHNU IDOL.

•IS VARYING INTERPRETATION OF


BUDDHIST CHAITYA HALL

•DIMENSION:- 48’*25’*26’

•BARREL ROOF CALLED SALA OR


WAGON , IS SINGLE STOREYED
The large shrine echoes palace
architecture with its barrel vaulting
and long columned porch.
Seated lions are carved in front of
the columns. The lower part of the
shrine is mostly unfinished, since
the excavators naturally worked
from the top down.
4. NAKUL-SAHADEV RATHA
•2 STOREYED, FACES SOUTH.

•FRONT ELEVATION SIMILAR TO


BHIMA RATH.

•DEDICATED TO INDRA.

•REPRESENTS GAJAPRASTHA (BACK


OF AN ELEPHANT ) BECAUSE OF
ITS APSIDAL PLAN FROM
BASE TO SHIKHAR .

•HAS SERIES OF STUPAS ON


SHIKHAR RIDGE.

•REAR VIEW RESEMBLES HIND


QUARTER OF ELEPHANT.

•PARALLEL TO ADJACENT
ELEPHANT IMAGE, ALSO FACING
SOUTH.
5. ARJUN RATHA
•FACES WEST

•ARJUN’S PENANCE : ARJUN IS


SHOWN STANDING ON ONE LEG
TO PLEASE LORD SHIVA INTO
HELPING HIM WIN BACK PANDAVA
EMPIRE.

•ADJOINS DRAUPADI RATH,


SHARES PLINTH WITH IT WHICH
HAS ELEPHANTS & LION
FIGURES CARVED WHICH SHOWS
PALLAVA SYMBOL OF POWER.

•THERE IS A MUKHAMANDAPA
( ENTRY HALL ) WITH 2
SINHAPADA PILLARS.

•BHUTMALA IS CARVING OF
GOBLINS & GHOSTS DONE ON
WALLS .
VALAINKUTTI , GANESH
& PIDARI RATHAS

•GANESH RATHA
RESEMBLES DRAUPADI
RATH, A CRUDE VILLAGE
LIKE HUT WITH SMALL
SHRINE.

•VALAINKUTTI & PIDARI


RATH WERE LEFT
INCOMPLETE .
THE SHORE TEMPLE
•STANDING ALONE ON THE
SHORE, PROTECTED BY A WALL
TO MINIMIZE EROSION.

•THERE WERE ABOUT 7 SUCH


SHORE TEMPLES , 6 WERE
VICTIMS OF EROSION.

•HAS 3 SHRINES , 1 DEDICATED


TO LORD VISHNU & THE
OTHER 2 TO LORD SHIVA.

•FROTHY WAVES FORM A


STRIKING BACKDROP TO THE
TEMPLE.

•TEMPLE PROTECTED BY ROWS


OF ROCK- CARVED BULLS.
BRAHMA CHANDA NARAPATI SINHA
PALLAVA
VISHNUGRIHA

TRITALA
VISHNU CHANDA

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