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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Draupadi Ratha
| image = Ratha1.JPG
| alt =
| caption = Draupadi Ratha
| map_type =
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| other_names =
| proper_name =
| devanagari =
| sanskrit_translit =
| tamil =
| marathi =
| bengali =
| country = India
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]],
| district = [[Kancheepuram district]]
| location = [[Mahabalipuram]]
| coordinates = {{coord|12.60899|80.18976|format=dms|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m =
| deity = [[Durga]]
| primary_deity_Godess =
| utsava_deity_God =
| utsava_deity_Godess=
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| Pushakarani =
| Vimanam =
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| Prathyaksham =
| festivals=
| architecture =
| temple_quantity =
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| inscriptions =
| year_completed = {{circa}} 650<ref>{{cite book|title=The Culture of India |isbn=9780852297629 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2010 |page=315 }}</ref> [[Common era]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Student Britannica India 7 Vols |page=5 |author=Ramchandani, Indu |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=2000 |isbn=9780852297629 }}</ref>
| creator =
| website =
}}

The '''Draupadi Ratha''' is a monument in the [[Pancha Rathas]] complex at [[Mahabalipuram]], previously called Mamallapuram, on the [[Coromandel Coast]] of the [[Bay of Bengal]], in the [[Kancheepuram district]] of the state of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. It is an example of [[Monolithic architecture|monolithic]] [[Indian rock-cut architecture]]. Dating from the late 7th century, it is attributed to the reign of King [[Mahendravarman I]] and his son [[Narasimhavarman I]] (630–680 AD; also called Mamallan, or "great warrior") of the [[Pallava Kingdom]]. The entire complex is under the auspices of the [[Archaeological Survey of India]] (ASI), and is one of the [[Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram]] designated as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] since 1984.<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/249/|title=Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram|publisher=World Heritage|accessdate=2007-02-08}}</ref>

Resembling a chariot (''ratha''), it is carved out of a single, long stone of granite.<ref name=UNESCO/><ref name=Plaque>{{Cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Five_Rathas,_Mahabalipuram.jpg|title= File:Five Rathas, Mahabalipuram.jpg|date= 19 April 2009| accessdate=9 April 2013|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle}}</ref><ref name=ASI>{{Cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/mamallapuram/mam01.html|title=Pancha Rathas, Mamallapuram |accessdate=23 October 2012|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India}}</ref> Though sometimes mistakenly referred to as a [[temple]], the structure was not consecrated because it was not completed<ref>{{cite book|title=Art history |author=Stokstad, Marilyn |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education |isbn=9780131577046 |page=333 }}</ref> due to the death of Narasimhavarman I.<ref name=Plaque/><ref name="ASI"/><ref name=architect>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/Mahaba.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991006030700/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/Mahaba.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 October 1999|title= Mahabalipuram|accessdate=30 December 2012|publisher=UCLA Education, South Asia}}</ref> The structure is named after the common consort [[Draupadi]] of the [[Pandava|Pancha Pandavas]], of epic [[Mahabharata]] fame,<ref name="UNESCO"/><ref name="ASI"/><ref name=Rathas>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/t/019pho0000472s1u00027000.html|title=The Rathas, monolithic [Mamallapuram]|accessdate=19 February 2013|publisher=Online Gallery of British Library}}</ref> though the nomenclature is not supported by history.<ref name="Plaque"/> The unfinished structure is dedicated to the goddess [[Durga]].<ref name="Allen 1991">{{cite book|page=139 |title=Ornament in Indian Arch |first=Margaret Prosser |last=Allen |year=1991 }}</ref>

==Geography==
The site 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 {{convert|35|miles}} south of [[Chennai]] (previously known as Madras), the capital city,<ref name=Gunther>{{Cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/mamallapuram/mam01.html|title=Pancha Rathas, Mamallapuram |accessdate=23 October 2012|work=art-and-archaeology.com|first=Michael D. |last=Gunther}}</ref> while [[Chengalpattu]] is about {{convert|20|miles}} distant.<ref name="Ayyar1982">{{cite book|first=P. V. Jagadisa |last=Ayyar|title=South Indian Shrines: Illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NLSGFW1uZboC&pg=PA157|accessdate=7 February 2013|year=1982|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=978-81-206-0151-2|pages=157–}}</ref>

The Draupadi Ratha is at the northern extreme end of the Pancha Rathas,<ref name=Tatva>{{Cite web|url=http://puratattva.in/2010/08/23/mahabalipuram-the-workshop-of-pallavas-part-iii-43.html|title=Mahabalipuram – The Workshop of Pallavas – Part III|work=1. Draupadi Ratha|publisher=Indian History and Architecture, Puratattva.in|year=2013|accessdate=20 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225063607/http://puratattva.in/2010/08/23/mahabalipuram-the-workshop-of-pallavas-part-iii-43.html|archive-date=25 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> on the elongated bedrock upon which they are carved. The ground slope rises from the north end towards the southern direction.<ref name=Tatva/>

==History==
{{Main|Pancha Rathas}}
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 one is a replica of a wooden version which preceded it.<ref name="MoffettFazio2003">{{cite book|last1=Moffett|first1=Marian|last2=Fazio|first2=Michael W.|last3=Wodehouse|first3=Lawrence|title=World History of Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IFMohetegAcC&pg=PT75|accessdate=9 January 2013|year=2003|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=978-1-85669-371-4|page=75}}</ref> Though it is considered to be a monolith temple, "temple" is a misnomer given that the five rathas were never completed,<ref>{{cite book|title=Art history |first=Marilyn |last=Stokstad |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education |isbn=9780131577046 |page=333 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Rathas/><ref name=Tatva/> Even the epic name, [[Draupadi]], the common spouse of the [[Pandavas]], is not supported by history. Along with several other monuments, this ratha gained UNESCO World Heritage Site distinction in 1984 as "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram."<ref name="UNESCO" /> The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Durga, though the deity is reported to be of a later period.

==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.<ref name="Rathas" /> 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."
[[File:10 . goddess mahishasura durga on east wall ; one can see the head of the nandi , adjacent arjuna ratha & sahadeva ratha at the back.JPG|left|thumb|Arjuna and Draupadi rathas, with [[Durga]] on the east wall and Nandi on the side.]]

===Layout===
Draupadi is the smallest of the five rathas at the site and is carved out of single long stone of granite. It is built in the form of simple hut, sharing an [[upapitha]] (secondary platform) with [[Arjuna Ratha]].<ref name="UNESCO" /><ref name="ASI" /><ref name="asi">{{cite web|url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_mahabalipuram_monolithic.asp|title=World Heritage Sites – Mahabalipuram – Monolithic Temples|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|accessdate=9 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312100940/http://www.asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_mahabalipuram_monolithic.asp|archive-date=12 March 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The ratha is in a square plan and is in the shape of a ''bangla'' ("a hut in Bengal").<ref name=Tatva/><ref name=Draupadi>{{Cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/mamallapuram/mam02.html |title=Draupadi Ratha|accessdate=20 February 2013|publisher= Art-and-archaeology.com}}</ref> Its exterior dimensions are {{convert|11|x|11|ft}}, rising to a height of {{convert|18|ft}}. Over the ''upapptha'', which forms a common platform with the Arjuna Ratha, a [[stupi]] has been carved out of the bedrock in the corner and has not been separated from the main shrine. The roof has curvilinear shape and ends as a square of {{convert|2.5|ft}} at the top.<ref name=Tatva/> The finial is missing. The thatched roof, ''Kutagara'', is a Vimana shrine. It has been carved out of granite rocks, beginning from the top of the rock working downwards to the base.<ref name="Gupta2003">{{cite book|author=Gupta, Shobhna |title=Monuments Of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W4r5iLMVGkAC&pg=PA35|accessdate=3 January 2013|year=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0926-7|pages=32–36}}</ref><ref name="SchreitmüllerDhamotharan2012">{{cite book|author1=Schreitmüller, Karen |author2=Dhamotharan, Mohan |author3=Szerelmy, Beate |title=India Baedeker Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bGgf_LkeG2kC&pg=PA589|accessdate=3 January 2013|date=14 February 2012|publisher=Baedeker|isbn=978-3-8297-6622-7|pages=589–}}</ref> The roof is similar to that of a hut, with decorative motifs in the joints. The entrance of the temple faces west.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/mamallapuram/mam03.html|title=Draupadi Ratha, Mamallapuram|accessdate=20 February 2013|publisher= Art-and-archaeology.com}}</ref><ref name="varalaaru">{{cite web|url=http://www.varalaaru.com/Default.asp?articleid=741|title=The Five Rathas of Mahabalipuram|publisher=Varalaaru|accessdate=9 January 2013}}</ref> The entry door is carved over a high rise platform, which is supported by on which is supported on elephant and lion heads of large size in alternating sequence. There are "[[makara torana]]" arch decorations with two bends above the entrance door; these [[toranas]] are typical of Mahendraverma's style and are also seen in caves and later got modified to a single bend style during Rajasimha's rule. The entrance door is 6’-7" by 2’-11" in size and the chamber which houses the deities measures {{convert|6.5|ft}} in length and {{convert|4.5|ft}} width.<ref name=Tatva/><ref name="asi"/><ref name=Draupadi/><ref name="SchreitmüllerDhamotharan2012"/> The temple is classified as Manikkoil, temples with only a single-tiered roof consisting of only Kantha, [[Stupi]] and [[Kalasa]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Alayam - The Hindu temple - An epitome of Hindu Culture|publisher=Sri Ramakrishna Math|location=Mylapore, Chennai|last=Reddy|first=G.Venkatramana|year=2010 |isbn=978-81-7823-542-4|page=34}}</ref>
[[File:Draupadi Idol.JPG|right|thumb|Fresco of Durga image being worshipped by devotees within the ratha's sanctum.]]

===Features===
[[File:6 . simha vahana in front of the sanctum ; sahadeva ratha also seen behind.JPG|left|thumb|Lion sculpture next to the Draupadi Ratha]]
Numerous images of Durga are seen represented in the temple, notably on the sanctum and also on the exterior surface of the east facing wall. The [[shalabhanjika]]s or two female [[dwarapalakas]] guard the doorway, which are also in the form of the Goddess. The temple is stated to generate "primal energy" in consonance with the characteristics of deity of Durga; the dwarapalika on the left has a bow in her hand and that on the right has a sword. The sanctum depicts Durga on the back wall standing on a lotus, in what is termed as ''"sambhaga"'' (standing) posture with four hands, with the upper hands carrying a [[shankha]] and a [[chakra]] and one lower hand is in an [[vara mudra]] (posture of a blessing) and the other hand is on hip. The ornament worn is a breast-band without any halter straps.<ref name=Tatva/> She is surrounded by devotees with a devotee on her left about to decapitate himself as an offering (in another version it is inferred as a flower offering by the devotee<ref name=Tatva/>), and another devotee (with tied tresses exposing his neck to be cut<ref name=Tatva/>} on her right mutilating his body parts, also in offering; this was a Hindu rite associated with the [[Kapalika]]s. This type of offering to a goddess, though ghastly, is seen in many Durga temples; it is related to the myth of her role as [[Mahisasuramardini]] (slayer of demon [[Mahishasura]]). Durga images in niches have depictions of the goddess standing on a buffalo head representing the Mahishasura.

The adoption of the elephant-lion combination is inferred as more of a Buddhist tradition which was modified in the Pallava architectural style when animal motifs were added. The lion, which is the vehicle of Durga, is a {{convert|6|ft}} high stone sculpture carved from a boulder located in the [[prakara]] of the ratha.<ref name=Tatva/> In the three niches in the chamber of the temple carvings are shown within two pilasters with decorations of a "florid makara torana" with double bends. The depictions inside the ratha also include four ''[[ganas]]'' ([[goblins]]) at the top of the central panel, flanking Durga; two goblins on outer side are holding small swords whereas those on inner side are shown with one hand raised in worship mode.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ratha1.JPG|Draupadi Ratha
Image:Ratha1_detail.JPG|Exterior detail of Draupadi Ratha
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Mahabalipuram]]
[[Category:Pancha Rathas]]
[[Category:Historic sites in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Pallava architecture]]

Draupadi Ratha - Revision history

Sshekhar898 at 23:53, 28 March 2026