A Hindu temple is a pancharatha (Sanskrit: पञ्चरथ, IAST: pañcaratha) when there are five ratha (on plan) or paga (on elevation) on the tower of the temple (generally a shikhara).[1] The rathas are vertical offset projection or facets. The name comes from the sanskrit Pancha (=five) and Ratha (=chariot), but the link with the concept of chariot is not clear.
There are also temples with three rathas (triratha), seven rathas (saptaratha) and nine rathas (navaratha).[1]
Examples of pancharatha temples
- Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
- Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
- Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneswar
- Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha
- Jagannath Temple in Baripada, Odisha
- Jagannath Temple in Nayagarh, Odisha
- Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
- Mukteswar Temple in Bhubaneswar
- Brahmani temple in Baleswar, Odisha
Pancharatha temples
-
Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar -
Jagannath Temple in Baripada -
Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Temple Architecture of Orissa". Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-10-05.