Kunnandarkoil Cave Temple

The Kunnandarkoil Cave Temple, in the village of Kunnandarkoil in Pudukkottai district, is a rock-cut Shiva temple; the name means 'temple of the lord of the hill'. A Muttaraiyar chief, lieutenant of the Pallava king Nandivarman II, cut it in the 8th century, and later additions came under the Vijayanagara Empire. Its style is seen as late Pallava and early Chola, and inscriptions from the Pallava, Chola, Chalukya, Pandya and Vijayanagara periods survive. The Archaeological Survey of India protects it.

The east-facing sanctum holds a linga worshipped as Parvathagiriswarar, reached through a pillared hall and guarded by doorkeeper figures, with inscriptions on their bases. Unlike later Chola temples, the sanctum walls are plain, without niches. The cave also holds three life-size sculptures of forms of Shiva and two portrait figures, one identified as the Muttaraiyar chief who built the temple and the other as his assistant.