Pancharatha on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A 
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
is a ''pancharatha'' when there are five ''ratha
Ratha (Proto-Indo-Iranian: ''*Hrátʰas'', Vedic Sanskrit: रथ, ; Avestan: ''raθa'') is the Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot. The term has been used since antiquity for both fast chariots and other wheeled vehicles pulled by an ...
'' (on plan) or ''paga'' (on elevation) on the tower of the temple (generally a ''shikhara
''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
''). The rathas are vertical offset projection or facets.
The name comes from the sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
''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'').
Examples of pancharatha temples
*Lingaraja Temple
Lingaraja Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, India. The temple is the most prominent landmark of Bhubaneswar city and one of the major touri ...
in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...
* Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous ...
* Rajarani Temple
Rajarani Temple is an 11th-century CE Hindu temple located in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha (Orissa previously), India. Believed to be devoted to Lord Shiva, the shrine is called Raja Rani because it is made of yellow and red sandston ...
in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...
* Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti (reg ...
in Puri
Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...
, Odisha
* Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti (reg ...
in Baripada
Baripada () is a city and a municipality in Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river, Baripada is the cultural centre of north Odisha.
In recent years, it has emerged as an e ...
, Odisha
* Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti (reg ...
in Nayagarh
Nayagarh is both a town and the municipality headquarters of the Nayagarh District, Nayagarh district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Odisha.
Geography
Nayagarh is located at with an average elevation of 178 metres ( ...
, Odisha
* Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...
* Mukteswar Temple
Mukteshwar is a village and tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It sits high in the Kumaon division, Kumaon Hills at an altitude of 2171 meters (7500 feet), 51 km from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwan ...
in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...
* Brahmani temple in Baleswar, Odisha
{{gallery , title=Pancharatha temples , height=200 , width=200 , align=center
, File:Isanesvara.jpg, Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
, File:Jagannath Temple baripada 4.jpg, Jagannath Temple in Baripada
, File:Lingaraj Temple bbsr10.jpg, Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
Notes
See also
*Ratha (architecture)
In Hindu temple architecture, a ''ratha'' is a vertical offset projection on the plan of a structure, particularly of the ''shikhara'' above the sanctum. The term has the same meaning when applied to the forms of the bases of statues.
A ''rath ...
Architectural elements
Hindu temple architecture