Pancha Rathas, Mahabalipuram

The Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) are five monolithic rock-cut temples carved from single large outcroppings of pink granite by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I in the 7th century CE. Each ratha is named after a Pandava and represents a distinct temple type — from the simple barrel-vaulted Draupadi Ratha to the complex multi-storey Dharmaraja Ratha.

Architecturally, these are prototypes that established the Dravidian temple idiom, making them among the most important 'founding documents' of South Indian religious architecture. They remain unfinished, which makes them invaluable for understanding the Pallava stone-carving process.