Nandi

Pancha Rathas, Mamallapuram

A life-size sculpture of Shiva's mount Nandi kneels behind Arjuna Ratha, on the shrine's east side. Four of the shrines open to the west. The fifth, Nakula Sahadeva, opens to the south. The bull faces west (on the other side, the lion faces north and the elephant faces south). Behind the bull is a remnant boulder from the original outcropping.