Isanesvara Siva Temple in Bhubaneswar
AHindu temple is a pancharatha when there are five ratha (on plan) or paga (on elevation) on the tower of the temple (generally a shikhara).[1] 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).[1]
Pancharatha temples
