Kottukal Cave Temple

The Kottukal Cave Temple, known in Malayalam as Kaltrikkovil, is a rock-cut temple at Kottukal village near Anchal in Kollam district, about 45 km from Kollam. It was cut between the 6th and 8th centuries, and historians link it to Nedila Paranthaka Nedumchadayan, ruler of nearby Chadayamangalam. The village name itself refers to carved rock.

The temple is hollowed from a huge boulder that, seen from afar across the surrounding paddy fields, resembles a sleeping elephant. Two east-facing chambers, each about 10 feet by 8, are cut into it under a single rock roof, with a figure of Ganapathy between them; the smaller holds Hanuman and the larger a monolithic Nandi, and Shiva is worshipped as a linga. A local story says forms of Shiva, Nandi among them, carried the great rock here, resting it on a smaller stone called Chummaadu Para. Daily rituals are performed under the Travancore Devaswom Board.