BY-

PANCHA RATHAS :
BHIMA RATHA

Sanjay.K.S

DSATM

INDEX
1. Intro/history of rathas
2. Some info
3. Location
4. About bhima-ratha
5. Geography and history
6. Architecture
7. Features
8. Plan/elevations
9. Views
10.Some of our sketches
11. What did we learn??

INTRO
Our team visited Mahabalipuram,Tamil Nadu. for the case
study project
about pancha rathas which is a place of Architectural
interest, and a UNESCO
World heritage site.( as in VTUs scheme and syllabus.)

HISTORY OF THE RATHAS

According to a plaque displayed at the site by the ASI, the
Pallava dynasty had
planned the structures as models of chariots in rock based on
prototypes of ancient rathas built in wood.
The Pancha Rathas were carved during the reign of King
Mahendravarman and his son Narasimhavarman .
Work on these five rathas was discontinued following the death
of Narasimha Varman in 668 AD.
The purpose of their construction is not known as the structures
were not completed.
Part of the collection within the Group of Monuments at
Mahabalipuram, they were classified as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1984.

Pancha Rathas
Pancha Rathas(also known asPandava Rathas) is
a monument complex atMahabalipuram, on
theCoromandel coast of theBay of Bengal, in
theKancheepuram districtof the state ofTamil
Nadu,India. Pancha Rathas is an example
ofmonolithicIndian rock cut architecture. These 7th
century shrines (or temples; either term is appropriate) were carved
during the reign of King Mamalla after whom the site is named.
The temples are unfinished, and so were never consecrated or used
for worship. It is attributed to the reign of
KingMahendravarman Iand his
sonNarasimhavarman I(630680 AD; also called
Mamalla, or "great warrior") of thePallava Kingdom.
An innovation of Narasimhavarman, the structures
are without any precedent inIndian architecture. The

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.
The structures were never consecrated because
they were never completed following the death of
Narasimhavarman I. The structures are named
after thePancha Pandavas and their common
wifeDraupadi of epicMahabharatafame. In order
of their size, they include theDharmaraja
Ratha,Bhima Ratha,Arjuna Ratha,Nakula
Sahadeva Ratha, andDraupadi Ratha.

LOCATION MAP

Bhima Ratha
Bhima RathaisamonumentinthePanchaRathascomplex
atMahabalipuram,ThemonumentislocatedatMahabalipuram
(previouslyknownasMammallapuram)ontheCoromandelCoastof
theBayofBengalofIndianOceaninKancheepuramdistrict.Itis
approximately35miles(56km)southofChennai(previouslyknown
asMadras),thecapitalcity,whileChengalpattuisabout20miles
(32km)distant.
Resemblingachariot(ratha),itiscarvedoutofasingle,longstoneof
granite.Thoughsometimesmistakenlyreferredtoasatemple,the
structurewasnotconsecratedbecauseitwasnotcompleted
followingthedeathofNarasimhavarmanI.Thestructureisnamed
afteroneofthePanchaPandavas,ofepicMahabharatafame,
thoughthenomenclatureisnotsupportedbyhistory.Itisdedicated
toVishnu.

History
The feature of this ratha and the other four cannot be definitely dated
to any other similar constructions in the past in any ancient Indian
architecture. However, the five rathas have been forerunners or
templates for the development of Indian temple architecture. Like the
other four Pancha Rathas, this stone edifice is a replica of a wooden
version which preceded it. Though it is considered to be a monolith
temple, "temple" is a misnomer given that the five rathas were never
completed,[ as evidenced by un-carved bedrock at the ground floor
and pinnacle. Hence, the rathas were neither consecrated nor worship
offered. The incomplete status of all the five rathas is attributed to the
death of the king Narasimhavarman I in 668 AD.Even the epic name
associated with thePandavas is not supported by history

Geography

The monument is located at Mahabalipuram

(previously known as Mammallapuram) on
the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal
of Indian Ocean in Kancheepuram district. It
is approximately 35 miles (56km) south of
Chennai (previously known as Madras), the
capital city, while Chengalpattu is about 20
miles (32km) distant.[

Architecture
All the Pancha Rathas are aligned in a north-south direction and
share a common plinth. They have no precedent in Indian
architecture and have proved to be "templates" for building larger
temples in the South Indian tradition of Dravidian temple
architecture. Though cut out of monolithic rocks, they are carved in
the form of structural temples in regular building form and hence
termed as quasimonolithic temple form.

Layout

Bhima Ratha is anektalaor single tiered oblong temple, with a

barrel-vaulted roof and ornate columns. It is the third ratha after
Draupadi and Arjuna Rathas, carved over an extended long pink
granite rock out crop that gradually rises from the north to south. It
is cut out over a base plan of 42 by 24 feet (13m 7.3m), and
rising to a height of 25 feet (7.6m) over two floors. The ground floor
has remained incomplete. The unfinished features of the lower floor
gives a picture of what was planned to be built, namely
acircumambulatory passage supported on pillars mounted with lion
posts as the base. The oblong scheme of the layout is conjectured as
a plan that was intended to house anAnantashayana

Features
TherathaisreminiscentofBuddhistcave
architecture,suchasSala-Sikhara.Archaeologist,
however,areoftheopinionthatthestupasuggestsa
shikhara(templetower)style;therearetwelvesuch
stylesdepictedinalltherathasexperimentedby
sculptorsduringthePallvavaperiod.Itisalso
mentionedthatithaspalacearchitecturalstyle
consideringitsbarrelvaultingandlongcolumned
porch.Theroofsectionresemblesaboat.TheBhima
Rathahasapillaredopenveranda,acolumnwitha
Pallavaseatedlion,and"horseshoe-archdormerlike
projections"calledkudus.
Thesedecorationsarecarvedontheexternalfacesoftheratha,abovethe
corniceswhichalsoformsthedividinglinebetweenthegroundfloorandthefirst
floorofthestructure.Oblong-shapedshrinesarecarvedatthecorniceslinkedwith
apassage.Thesmallshrineshaveawagon-typeroofsupportedonlionmounted
pillars.Theendsofthegableshavefinedecorativemotifs,withaminiaturemodel
ofasquareattheCentre.Thenichesseenarecarvedwithregularspacingand
aresupportedontwopilasters.Nasikasarementionedininscriptionsinsidethe
temple.

Plan

REAR ELEVATION

FRONT ELEVATION

SIDE ELEVATIONS

INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE VIEWS

Sketches