Pancharatha

Not to be confused with Pancharatna (architecture).

See also Pancha Rathas, religious buildings in Bhubaneswar

Drawing of a pancharatha building

A Hindu temple is a pancharatha when there are five rathas (on plan) or pagas (on elevation) on the tower of the temple (generally a shikhara). The rathas are vertical offset projection or facets. The name comes from the sanskrit 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).

Triratha, Pancharatha and Saptaratha

Examples of pancharatha temples

• Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
• Rajarani Temple in Khajuraho
• Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha
• Jagannath Temple in Baripada, Odisha
• Jagannath Temple in Nayagarh, Odisha
• Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Mukteswar Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Brahmani temple in Baleswar, Odisha

Pancharatha temples

• 
  Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
• 
  Jagannath Temple in Baripada
• 
  Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar

See also

• Ratha (architecture)