Dating from the late 7th century, it is attributed to the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I (630–680 AD; also called Mamalla, or "great warrior") of the Pallava Kingdom.

The entire complex is under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and is one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram that were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.

[2][3][5] The structure is named after the last two brothers of the Pancha Pandavas, of epic Mahabharata fame,[1][3][6] though the nomenclature is not supported by history.

The structure is located at Mahabalipuram (previously known as Mammallapuram) on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal of the Indian Ocean in Kancheepuram district.

The structure is named after the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, the last two born of the five Pandava brothers of the epic Mahabharata fame.

It is an apsidal (horseshoe-shaped) dvitala (two tiered) free standing structure, entirely of Dravidian architecture.

The walls of this ratha also have features arranged in a sequence to delineate the "projections and recesses created by pairs of shallow pilasters."

The roof (in the form of the back of an elephant) terminates as a pyramid or finial or shikara, which is carved with motifs.

The apses on the front facade, which is also the mukha-mandapa (entrance porch) of the ratha has no decorations and the façade is supported on two pillars mounted on lion-base.

The cornice, all along the shrine, is supported on pillars with corbels and embellished with kudus (horseshoe-shaped dormer windows) with images of human head inside.