Arjuna Ratha
Arjuna Ratha is a monument from the Pallava
Period at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. Dated to the seventh century, it is an example of early
Dravidian architecture and of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century during reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I (630–680 AD) of the Pallava Kingdom. One of the Pancha Rathas, it is believed to have been completed before the Dharmaraja Ratha, and like that and the Bhima Ratha, the stone temple is a replica of an earlier wooden version which
preceded it. It is one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since
1984.
Geography
The structure is located at Mahabalipuram (previously known as
Mammallapuram) on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, in Kanchipuram district. It is approximately 35 miles
(56 km) south of Chennai (previously known as Madras), the capital
city, while Chengalpattu is about 20 miles (32 km) distant.
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 uncarved bedrock at the 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 Mahabharata name associated with
the Pandavas is not supported by history.
Architecture
All of the Pancha Rathas are aligned in a north-south direction
and share a common plinth which is north-south oriented and has a gentle slope.
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 “quasi monolithic temple form”.
Layout
The Ratha is a simple structure, resembling a small palace or
pavilion. It is carved over an elongated stone rock formation, a protrusion
above the sand near the coast (which has a gradually rising slope from the
north end to the southern end) of a moulded plinth, with a square plan similar
to the Dharmaraja Ratha. It faces west and measures 11.5 by 16 feet (3.5 m
× 4.9 m) and is 20 feet (6.1 m) in height. It is on the
same upapitha (secondary platform) as the Draupadi Ratha next to it.
Features
This Ratha is similar in form to the Dharmaraja Ratha except that
it has one less tier at the top, and has an octagonal dome with a stone lion
carved in the front yard. It is a monolithic rock-cut Ratha with
a garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum),
a dvitala (two-tiered) Vimana flying aircraft) with a mukha mandapa (inner porch).
The stupi at the top has been left uncarved as probably it was meant
to fit the shikara (pinnacle) of the Vimana; the finial is lying in a platform next to the Ratha. The front
entry to the temple has two supporting pillars and two pilasters; the latter
are carved mounted on lions facing each other. Horseshoe-shaped dormer windows
known as kudus adorn the cornices on all four sides; a human face forms part of each side. An
oblong gabled structure is carved above one cornice in the middle and two
square structures are on the corners. Kudus are also carved in the
centre of the gabled roofs.
The cutting of joints between the stones, in an irregular and
sporadic fashion, have fitted well the architectonic forms as they are aligned
in a slope on top of the cornices or cut pilasters; carving of images and
decorated motifs are also done across the joints. The sculptors skill in
carving has evolved into an almost "invisible jointing system which only
enhanced the massive quasi-monolithic quality of the structural stone
temple". Surface ornamentation is a prominent feature in the Ratha.
The Adhistanam (platform of the main deity) is in simple
Padabandha style. It has slit-niches between finely carved pillars
displaying deities such as Vishnu, Skanda on an elephant and Shiva as Siva-Vrishabhantika (riding a Nandi (bull), and figures such as Parthiharas, Amaras, a Siddha, a Chowri bearer, apsaras and others. The central sculpture is a depiction of Shiva
crossing his legs and leaning on Nandi.
One of the sculptures in the south wall is known as the "Ardhanareeswara", representing masculinity through the twist in the brows
and the holding hands and femininity in the subtle raise of Uma's hips. On
this wall the depiction of two ladies is also of note. On the first floor
of the Ratha, which is the second story of the structure, there are eight
niches. Each of these niches has carved images of couples, two on each side.
Their connotation is not clear, as, according to archaeologist Dr. Nagaswamy,
they may represent the asta-dikpalas (eight directional guardians), but this opinion is countered
by another archaeologist who states that the dikpalas are not
depicted with their consorts.
The garbha-griha or the sanctum sanctorum is a square
chamber of 4.5 by 5 feet (1.4 m × 1.5 m) in size, which is now
without any deity but based on some past finds, archaeologists have interpreted
that the sanctum housed a Shiva deity.
Nandi, the mount of Shiva, is carved on a boulder on the east back
side of the Ratha. Nandi is facing the shrine conforming to tradition. It
is a life-size sculpture facing west. Dvarapalas or guards are not carved at
the entry facade but are seen on the exterior faces of the Ratha due to lack of
space inside the shrine.
