RAS question
The Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram are named after:
Correct answer: (C) The five Pandavas and Draupadi.
The Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram are named after the five Pandavas and Draupadi.
Explanation
The Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram are not named after Pallava rulers, Jain figures or Buddhist monks. The set is identified through the names Draupadi Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Dharmaraja Ratha and Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha, linking it to the Pandavas and Draupadi from the Mahabharata tradition. The Archaeological Survey of India page on the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram also describes these as among the most important monolithic temples at the site and says they are known after the famous five Pandava brothers. The architectural point matters too: each ratha was carved out of a single rock, and the forms vary, with square, rectangular and apsidal plans represented across the group.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The names listed for the rathas are Draupadi, Arjuna, Bhima, Dharmaraja and Nakula-Sahadeva, not the names of five Pallava kings.
- (B) The cited ASI account connects the Five Rathas with the Pandava brothers, while the given names do not correspond to Jain Tirthankaras.
- (D) Nothing in the names or the ASI description links the Five Rathas to Buddhist monks; the naming tradition is Mahabharata-linked.
Concept
This tests Pallava-period rock-cut architecture through the Mahabalipuram monument group. RAS repeats such questions because site names, patronage context and monument typology are frequent Ancient Indian art-and-architecture markers.