The site is located at Mahabalipuram on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal of Indian Ocean in Kancheepuram district. It is approximately south of Chennai, the capital city, while Chengalpattu is about distant. The Draupadi Ratha is at the northern extreme end of the Pancha Rathas, on the elongated bedrock upon which they are carved. The ground slope rises from the north end towards the southern direction.
History
The feature of this ratha and the other four cannot be definitely dated to any other similar constructions in the past in any ancient Indian architecture. However, the five rathas have been forerunners or templates for the development of Indian temple architecture. Like the other four Pancha Rathas, this stone one is a replica of a wooden version which preceded it. Though it is considered to be a monolith temple, "temple" is a misnomer given that the five rathas were never completed, as evidenced by uncarved bedrock at the pinnacle. Hence, the rathas were neither consecrated nor worship offered. The incomplete status of all the five rathas is attributed to the death of the king Narasimhavarman I in 668 AD. Even the epic name, Draupadi, the common spouse of the Pandavas, is not supported by history. Along with several other monuments, this ratha gained UNESCOWorld Heritage Site distinction in 1984 as "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram". The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Durga, though the deity is reported to be of a later period.
Architecture
All the Pancha Rathas are aligned in a north-south direction and share a common plinth. They have no precedent in Indian architecture and have proved to be "templates" for building larger temples in the South Indian tradition of Dravidian temple architecture. Though cut out of monolithic rocks, they are carved in the form of structural temples in regular building form and hence termed as "quasimonolithic temple form". on the east wall and Nandi on the side.
Layout
Draupadi is the smallest of the five rathas at the site and is carved out of single long stone of granite. It is built in the form of simple hut, sharing an upapitha with Arjuna Ratha. The ratha is in a square plan and is in the shape of a bangla. Its exterior dimensions are, rising to a height of. Over the upapptha, which forms a common platform with the Arjuna Ratha, a stupi has been carved out of the bedrock in the corner and has not been separated from the main shrine. The roof has curvilinear shape and ends as a square of at the top. The finial is missing. The thatched roof, Kutagara, is a Vimana shrine. It has been carved out of granite rocks, beginning from the top of the rock working downwards to the base. The roof is similar to that of a hut, with decorative motifs in the joints. The entrance of the temple faces west. The entry door is carved over a high rise platform, which is supported by on which is supported on elephant and lion heads of large size in alternating sequence. There are "makara torana" arch decorations with two bends above the entrance door; these toranas are typical of Mahendraverma's style and are also seen in caves and later got modified to a single bend style during Rajasimha's rule. The entrance door is 6’-7" by 2’-11" in size and the chamber which houses the deities measures in length and width. The temple is classified as Manikkoil, temples with only a single-tiered roof consisting of only Kantha, Stupi and Kalasa.
Features
Numerous images of Durga are seen represented in the temple, notably on the sanctum and also on the exterior surface of the east facing wall. The shalabhanjikas or two female dwarapalakas guard the doorway, which are also in the form of the Goddess. The temple is stated to generate "primal energy" in consonance with the characteristics of deity of Durga; the dwarapalika on the left has a bow in her hand and that on the right has a sword. The sanctum depicts Durga on the back wall standing on a lotus, in what is termed as "sambhaga" posture with four hands, with the upper hands carrying a shankha and a chakra and one lower hand is in an vara mudra and the other hand is on hip. The ornament worn is a breast-band without any halter straps. She is surrounded by devotees with a devotee on her left about to decapitate himself as an offering, and another devotee (with tied tresses exposing his neck to be cut
