Caption: The Cover photo - Pancha Ratha - POI 44A.
#Mahabalipuram POIs & Accessibility - 44A - Pancha Ratha - single POI - Zone - 4 - TravellerG
Dear friends,
This post is a member of the Mega - Series of 51 posts, about Mahabalipuram, created as a Total “Photo-Walk and Traveller Guide” covering all the “Tourist Destinations” of Mahabalipuram. The 51 POIs are grouped into 4 Zones & a few stand-alone monuments according to the location of monuments. In other words, if one visits 4 zones, all the important POIs can be covered.
List of POIs & Headings - Here.
| POI | POI (Monument) Name | GMaps | TG Posts’ | Heritage | Photos | Visit | Monument | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Links | Links | IMP | IMP | Priority | Type | (Minutes) | |
| ZONE -1 | ||||||||
| 1 | Murugan Temple | Here | Here | 4 | 4 | Low | Structural | 15 |
Introduction to Mahabalipuram:
Mahabalipuram is a picturesque historical coastal city in Tamil Nadu around 60 km from Chennai. One of India’s oldest cities. Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) stands at the top of the popular tourist destinations in Asia.
The previous post (POI No -44) of this series about the 'Nandi Statue’ is Here
The next POI No -45 is ‘Mukundanayanar’, Here.
This POI: Pancha Rathas
Location: This is a virtual PoI, representing all the monuments in the “Pancha Ratha” compound.
Zone Map:
Photo - 1. Caption: India Map & the zone map of Zone - 4, Mahabalipuram.
Pancha Rathas (Pandava Ratha or Five Rathas).
There is no physical PoI for this - instead, this PoI is described here as many people write a single review for all the monuments in this compound.
The Pancha Rathas’ (Five Rathas or Pandava Rathas) monumental complex has five Rathas & 3 statuses (Mahabalipuram). This is almost a rectangular fenced compound.
The complex was created by King Narasimhavarman I (630–668 AD) using monolithic Indian rock-cut architecture. We can presume that there was a hillock here which was shaped into these monuments by removing unwanted portions - really a marathon work…is it not?
Why the name Rathas?
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Each monument resembles a chariot (Ratha) used by the temples during the festivals.
Which are the 5 Rathas:
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The five Pandava brothers were Dharmaraja (Yudhishtir), Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula & Sahadeva(Wiki “here’). Out of the five, the first 3 brothers have independent rathas and Nakul & Sahdev share one Ratha.
Draupadi, the common wife of the five brothers also has a separate Ratha. When Dharmaraja Ratha is also referred to as Shiv Ratha, the Draupadi Ratha is also mentioned as the Durga Ratha.
What are the 3 Statues?
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The three statues are:
- the “Tiger Statue” at the entrance - the ‘Vahana’ (vehicle) of Goddess Durga
- the “Elephant Statue” behind the Tiger Statue - dedicated to “Airaavatha” (a mythological white elephant, the Vahana of Lord Indra) &
- the “Nandi Statue” (at the backside of Arjun Charriot) which is the Vahana of Lord Shiva.
The Layout of the Monuments within the compound.
Photo - 2. Caption: The layout of the Pancha Ratha Compound (For a rough idea only).
This Ratha complex comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and is a member of the 40 monuments which are under the UNESCO World Heritage “Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram”.
Photo - 3. Caption: The Pancha Ratha Compound. (*Tiger or lion)
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*Photo - 4. Caption: The Draupadi chariot, the Arjuna Chariot, the Tiger statue and the Bull statue.
Photo - 5. Caption: Facade of the Yudhishtir Ratha (Chariot).
Photo - 6. Caption: The Bhima Ratha.
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*Photo - 7. Caption: Side view of the Arjuna Ratha.
Photo - 8. Caption: Facade of the Nakul and Sahadev Chariot.
Photo - 9. Caption: The Draupadi Chariot.
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*Photo - 10. Caption: The Elephant statue.
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*Photo - 11. Caption: The Tiger Statue.
Photo - 12. Caption: The Bull (Nandi) statue in a lying posture.
Accessibility: It is difficult to push the wheelchair through the sand dunes.
- The Google Maps link of the POI = Here
- Reference Link (Wiki) = Here
- Heritage Importance = 4/5
- Photographic Importance = 5/5
- Visit Priority = Very Important
- Monument Type = Statue
- The Duration to see the POI = 4 minutes.
- Entry: Adult = INR40, Foreigner = ₹350 & Camera – INR 20.(Kindly reconfirm the entry fee & visiting hour before your trip).
- Official Visiting hours: 9 am to 5:30 pm.
- Photography: All monuments are very good for photography; approximately you may need not less than 45 minutes to 1 hour to cover them. Open-air structure and hence comfortable to shoot almost at any time; however, HDR in ON position may help you to some extent. There are statues (Base-reliefs) on different Open-air structures and hence comfortable to shoot almost at any time; however, HDR in the ON position may help you to some extent. From 11 am to 3 pm it will very hot and also better to avoid photography.
- How to reach: By Railways: Nearest Railway stations are Chengalpattu (29 km) and Chennai (48 km) well-connected with many Indian cities. By Airways: Chennai International Airport (55 km) away from Mahabalipuram. By Road: Private/Public bus services can be availed from many cities of Tamil Nadu and South India including Chennai and Chengalpattu to reach Mahabalipuram.
Flash photography is prohibited in all the monuments of Mahabalipuram.
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