Sahadeva Ratha - Mamallapuram
Introduction
If I miss the Five Ratha Complex and still claim to have visited Mamallapuram, people might literally laugh at me. Yes! It is one of the most picturesque and famous monuments of the heritage-rich town.
My previous five posts give a detailed introduction to Five Rathas and exclusive coverage of Draupadi, Arjuna, Bhima, and Dharmaraja Rathas. As it is a series of articles, please access these links and go through the content if you have not read them.
This article focuses on Sahadeva Ratha.
(Note: I wrote about most of the monuments in Mamallapuram about ten years ago in my blog. This series of articles is my attempt to provide much detailed coverage on all aspects of Pandava Rathas.)
Layout
Like other Rathas on the premises, it is named after a Pandava brother, Sahadeva. Till the early 19th century, it was called Nakula Ratha. Arjuna's Ratha was called Sahadeva Ratha, and Ganesha Ratha (not located on this premises) was called Arjuna Ratha. Later, as the names were altered, people started calling this monument Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha, and in the recent past, it became Sahadeva Ratha. However, all these names are misnomers. There is no connection with any of the Pandava brothers.
Architecture
Each temple in the complex is designed uniquely. And this shrine has its unique design of apsidal shape resembling the rear part of an elephant. Hence this architectural style is called Gajaprshtha in Sanskrit and "Thoonganai" in Tamil.
Gajaprshtha style seems to be a favorite of Pallavas. Many temples were built by them later with the same design. Although Buddhist chaityas and other Hindu temples followed similar designs in other parts of India, it is the first apsidal structure in Tamil Nadu.
The 16 feet high monolithic temple has garbha griha (sanctum) and a small mukha mandapa on the front side. A small flight of rock-cut steps is provided to reach the floor raised above an adhisthana (platform).
The rectangular-shaped sanctum is empty without any painting, relief image, or sculpture. There are no Dwarapalas (gatekeepers) at the entrance. Otherwise, we could have identified the presiding deity based on their features.
The mandapa is supported by two Simha-vyala based pillars and elephant-based pilasters. This has this unique feature unlike other shrines having all pillars and pilasters with Vyala bases.
The cornice that runs all along the shrine has kudus with inset human faces. (Kudu is a horseshoe-shaped arch serving as a decorative motif.)
The shrine has two tiers, and hence it is known as Dvi-tala Vimana. The cornice of the first tier, too, has kudus in all four directions.
The decoration scheme in each story has an oblong-shaped mini shrine in the middle (called Sala) flanked by two square-shaped miniature shrines (called Kuta). These shrines are interconnected with cloisters (called Harantara). All these small shrines and cloisters have Kudu designs on their top.
The shikhara (cupola) is apsidal in shape. A relief image of an octagonal-shaped miniature shrine is found as a decorative element on the front. This shrine has vimana too in octagonal shape. The apsidal end of shikhara has a large kudu with a shrine inside. The other two sides of shikhara have three shrines with kudu on top. The central shrine is bigger than the other two.
Elephant
An almost life-size elephant carved out of stone is found next to the monolith. Most scholars believe it is engraved next to the shrine to emphasize its apsidal design.
The figure is not complete. The space between the front and rear legs was not cleared. The feet were not completely carved. The trunk is a little crude in workmanship. There are empty holes in the place of tusks.
A few scholars relate this with the vahana (mount) of Indra and believe that the temple is dedicated to him. However, I think it must be a temple of Shiva. All Gajaprshtha temples built by the Pallavas and renovated by the Cholas later are dedicated only to Shiva and no other deity.
Happy travelling.
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment