Introduction
If I miss the Five Ratha Complex and still claim to have visited Mamallapuram, people might literally laugh at me. And, by any chance, if I miss out on Dharmaraja Ratha and claim to have seen the Five Ratha Complex, people may consider me insane. Yes, it is the pinnacle of early temple architecture of Dravidian style.
It is the largest and grandest among all the monolithic structures of the Five Ratha complex and the entire Mahabalipuram town. This unfinished poetry in stone is the first monolithic temple to have three tiers and three sanctums, one over the other. It is an incredible achievement of Pallava sculptors. It stands tall as a testimony for their incomparable workmanship.
My previous four posts give a detailed introduction to Five Rathas and exclusive coverage of Draupadi, Arjuna, and Bhima Rathas. As it is a series of articles, please access these links and go through the content if you have not read them.
Five Rathas in Mamallapuram
Draupadi Ratha
Arjuna Ratha
Bhima Ratha
This article focuses on Dharmaraja Ratha. I will continue to cover the remaining one Ratha in my subsequent post.
I have written this article to easily make even laymen understand complex technical terms. Hence, I have used simple language. Meantime, I have ensured not to leave any stone unturned to cover all aspects of this extraordinary monument. Also, I have introduced the "Glossary" section for the first time in my blog. As many technical terms repeatedly appear in this article, I think there is a need to have this section.
(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.)
Glossary
A
Abhanga - One of the four types of body postures. It has a single bend.
Abhaya Mudra - Hand gesture of fearlessness/protection Adhisthana - Main base
Akshamala - Rosary beads
Alindra - The gap between two or more walls
Anarpita hara - Two or more walls having cavity in-between
Asana - Stance; Also, refers one of three types of Asanas - "Seated posture"
Ashtasra - Octagonal
Archana - Praying God by offering flower
Atibhanga - One of the four types of body postures. It has two bends.
B
Bahuvalaya - Bangle
Bandha - Tie
Bhanga - The bend in the body of an icon; position or posture; inflexions of body
C
Chakra - Discus
Chamara - Fly-whisk
Channaveera - A cross belt worn by warriors
Chatura - Square
Chatura mudra - A hand gesture, where the thumb is held at the base of index, middle and ring fingers to form a square
Chin mudra - A hand gesture, where the thumb and index fingers touch at the tips while the remaining fingers are extended
D
Damaru - Two-headed drum
Danda - Staff
Dravida - One of three main temple architecture styles
Dwarapala - Door-keeper
G
Garbha griha - Sanctum
Griva - Architectural component below the dome
Guru - Teacher or mentor
H
Hara - Wall covering ambulatory outside
Harantara - Covered pathway or cloister
Hasta - Hand gesture; also known as "mudra"
J
Jata bhara - Mass of matted hair
Jata makuta - Matted hair that is ornamentally coiled to form a tall crown
K
Kapala - Skull
Kapota - Cornice
Karanda makuta - The basket or bowl shaped crown. Compared to Kirita makuta, it is small in size and shorter in height.
Karnakuta - Corner shrine
Kataka mudra - In this hand gesture, the middle and ring fingers are bent to form an arch, with the thumb slightly bent. The other fingers are erect. It might denote holding of some materials.
Katarimukha mudra - In this hand gesture, the little and ring fingers are bent and pressed against the thumb, while the index and middle fingers are stretched to form a scissor
Katyavalambita hasta - A posture where hand remains bent a little at the elbow and placed on the waist
Koshta - Niche
Kirita makuta - The conical or cylindrical crown with lot of ornamentation
Kuncita mudra - It is an elegant dance posture with heels thrown up and toes bent down
Kudu - Kudu is a Tamil term which means a horseshoe-shaped arch serving as a decorative motif. It is also called Nasika
Kundala - Ear-ring
Kuta - Square-shaped shrine
L
Lamba hasta - In this hand gesture, the hands are seen hanging down
Langula bhitti - Plough-shaped corner walls
M
Makara - A mythical creature
Makara kundala - Ear-ring shaped like Makara
Makuta - Crown
Mandapa - A pavillion
Misra - Composite
Mudra - Hand gesture; also known as "hasta"
Mukha mandapa - A pavillion in front of the sanctum
Mushti - Fist
Mushti hasta - Forming a fist by joining all the fingers tightly together
N
Nivitam - Yagnopavitam that is worn around the neck and over the chest
P
Padaraksha - Footwear
Pancha - Five
Panjara - Offset window or balcony
Pasa - Noose
Patra kundala - Cylindrical ear-ring resembling Palmyra leaf
Prachinavitam - Yagnopavitam that is worn over the right shoulder and under the left arm
Prati - Repeat
Pratibandha - The design/pattern that gets repeated
Pratimalakshana - The body postures of the sculptures
Prayogo chakra - Discus ready to be hurled, with its sharp edge pointed outwards
R
Ratha - Monolith temple
S
Sala - Oblong-shaped shrine
Samabhanga - One of the four types of body postures. Here, the body is in equipoise posture, with the right and the left of the icon are disposed symmetrically.
Sayana - Reclining posture
Shanka - Conch
Shikhara - Cupola
Shilpashastra - The science of architecture
Simha-vyala - Vyala or Yali is a mythical creature; Simha-vyala is a vyala with lion face
Sthanaka - Standing posture
Suchi mudra - It is a hand gesture, where the hand is in fist, with the index finger extended and held upright and straight
T
Tala - Unit of floor
Tri - Three
Tribhanga - One of the four types of body postures. It has bends in three parts of the body.
U
Udarabandha - A broad belt worn around the waist
Upapitha - Sub-base
Upavitam - Yagnopavitam that is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm
V
Varada mudra - The hand gesture of granting boons, with an open palm and the hand pointing downwards
Vastra - Cloth
Vimana - The super-structure over the sanctum or the entire structure of the sanctum from top to base
Vyala - Vyala or Yali is a mythical creature
Y
Yagnopavitam - Sacred thread worn over the body
Yali - Vyala is called Yali in Tamil
Layout
Dharmaraja Ratha, located on the southernmost corner, is the fourth monolithic structure from the north in the Pancha Ratha Complex.
Like other Rathas on the premises, it is named after a Pandava brother, Dharmaraja. However, there is no connection with any of the Pandavas. It is a Shiva temple. As per two inscriptions in this temple, it was called Atyantakama Pallavesvara Griham initially.
The tallest west-facing monolithic structure is carved on the same whale-backed hillock as Draupadi, Arjuna, and Bhima Rathas.
The strikingly charming temple has three floors, and hence it is called Tri-tala Vimana. All stories follow the square plan. The entire structure is topped with an ashtasra (octagonal) griva and shikhara (cupola). These features make it a Dravida vimana of the misra (composite) variety.
(For the benefit of beginners: Dravida is one of three main temple architecture styles).
As the temple is designed to have central cell enclosed with passageway called alindra, the design is called anarpita hara.
(For the benefit of beginners: Hara is a technical term in temple architecture which means the wall bordering an ambulatory outside).
Architecture
As stated already, the temple has three floors. All the floors are square in plan, and all of them are designed with a central cell or sanctum. The ground floor is the tallest among all floors. The upper floor is almost finished, the middle floor is less finished, and the ground floor is hardly finished. It is evident that the sculpting was started from the top.
This 41 feet high structure is the only monolithic temple designed to have a sanctum on each level. And, among all five Rathas in this complex, inscriptions are found only here.
Sculptures
There are life-sized sculptures found on all three floors. The ground floor has 8 sculptures, the Middle floor has 21 sculptures, and the Upper floor has 19 sculptures. Before providing a detailed account of all these sculptures, let me brief some fundamental elements of iconography and a few technical terms. It will help the readers to understand and appreciate the icons better.
Asana
There are three main types of Asanas (stances) of icons, Sthanaka (standing), Asana (seated), and Sayana (reclining). All 48 Koshta icons in Dharmaraja Ratha are found in the standing (sthanaka) posture.
Bhanga
Depending on how the body is bent or inflections, the posture can be classified into four types, namely Samabhanga, Abhanga, Atibhanga, and Tribhanga.
If the figure is in equipoise, the posture is called Samabhanga. Here, the icon's right and left sides are disposed of symmetrically.
If there is one bend in the posture, it is called Abhanga. Here, the bodyweight is supported by one leg. Knees are stretched, and the hip is pushed out on the side, which is not supporting the weight.
If there are two bends in the posture, it is called Atihanga or Dvibhanga. It is a noticeable diagonal bend in the torso with knees bent.
If there are bends at three body parts, it is called Tribhanga. Here, one side of the hip is raised, whereas the torso is curved to the opposite side. There are sharp curves in the hips and shoulders. The head is titled at an angle that results in an aesthetic S position. It is considered a graceful pose par excellence.
The sculptures of this three-storied monument are either in Samabhanga or Tribhanga postures.
Mudra
The number of arms for each icon would vary. The figures of humans would have two arms, and that of celestials generally have four arms or even more than that. The sculptures of this monument mostly have four arms, and a few of them are found with two arms.
The science of architecture is called Shilpashastra. As per the Shilpashastra texts, Pratimalakshana, meaning "the body postures of the icons," are classified in three divisions: hastas, asanas, and bhangas. Asanas and bhangas are already briefed. Hasta, also known as mudra, refers to gestured made with hands. Mudra usually indicates some action which the deity or human depicted as the sculpture is shown to be engaged in.
Some of the mudras commonly found in the sculptures in this monument are described below.
Abhaya mudra - It is the gesture of fearlessness and protection. Here, the hand is held up with an open palm.
Chatura mudra - Here, the thumb is held at the base of the index, middle, and ring fingers to form a square
Chin mudra - In this gesture, the thumb and index fingers touch the tips while the remaining fingers are extended.
Kataka mudra - In this posture, the middle and ring fingers are bent to form an arch, with the thumb slightly bent. The other fingers are erect. It might denote holding of some materials.
Katarimukha mudra - In this gesture, the little and ring fingers are bent and pressed against the thumb, while the index and middle fingers are stretched to form a scissor
Katyavalambita hasta - A posture where the hand remains bent a little at the elbow and placed on the waist
Lamba hasta - In this hasta, the hands are seen hanging down
Mushti hasta - When all the fingers are joined tightly together to form a fist, its called Mushti hasta
Suchi mudra - If the hand is in the fist, with the index finger extended and held upright and straight, it is called suchi hasta.
Varada mudra - It is the gesture of granting boons. Here, with an open palm, the hand is pointing downwards.
Most of the sculptures of the monument have their right hands in abhaya mudra and their left hands resting on their waists, called Katyavalambita hasta.
Besides the above-mentioned hand gestures to convey some messages, there are other types of mudras too, such as Vastu Rupa mudra and Ayudha grahana. In Vastu rupa mudra, the deity's hands appear to hold or play something. In Ayudha mudras, the Gods or humans have various weapons and other materials in their arms. They will be covered in detail when the features of the individual sculptures are explained.
The postures of the body, hand gestures, and weapons carried alone would not make the understanding of iconography complete. The ornaments worn by the figures would also provide an interesting study.
Ornaments
Yagnopavitam is the sacred thread worn over the body. There are three positions in it. If it is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm, it is called Upavitam. If it is worn in the reverse order, it is called Prachinavitam. If it is worn around the neck and over the chest, it is called Nivitam. Most of the sculptures in this shrine wear yagnopavitam.
The headdress or headgear is a distinctive feature of iconography. They are called makutas, which literally means "crowns". Makutas can be classified into three broader categories. Kirita makuta is a conical or cylindrical crown with a lot of ornamentation. Karanda makuta is a basket or bowl-shaped crown. Compared to Kirita makuta, it is small in size and shorter in height. If the matted hair is ornamentally coiled to form a tall crown, it is called Jata makuta.
The icons of Dharamaraja Ratha have any of the crowns mentioned above. In some sculptures, minor variations can be noticed.
The ornaments that adorn the icons are also as per the rules of Shilpashastra. There are specific names given to those ornaments. The ornament around the neck or below is called Kanthi or Kanthika. The ornament worn around the waist like a belt is called Kati bandha. Additionally, a broad flat band called Udarabandha can also be seen around the waist. The bangles are called Kankanas.
The ear ornaments are called Kundalas. Among five types of kundalas, the icons of this shrine are mostly adorned with Makara kundalas and Patra kundalas. Makara kunalas is shaped like the mythical Makara creature. Patra kundala is a cylindrical ear-ring resembling a palmyra leaf.
