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The Pancha Rathas-Mahabalipuram

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.

 

he 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

As one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Uploaded on May 17, 2011
Taken on May 11, 2011