At a distance of 1.5 Kms from Mahabalipuram Bus Station, Pancha Rathas (5 Chariots) – 5 monolithic pyramidal constructions named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. It has been categorised as a UNESCO World Heritage Website as a part of ‘Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram’.
An fascinating facet of the rathas is that, regardless of their sizes they don’t seem to be assembled – every of those is carved from one single massive piece of stone.
The Pancha Rathas shrines have been carved in the course of the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Every temple is a monolith, carved entire from a rock outcropping of pink granite.