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Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple

Kanniyakumari district, IN

Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple

Thirunandikkara Cave Temple, also referred to as Thirunanthikarai rock-cut Shiva temple, is a 9th-century rock-cut Hindu cave temple in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Shiva, with murals and inscriptions. It is attributed to the Ay king Vikramaditya Varaguna by Archaeolog

ical Survey of India, but to Pandya rulers (Nedunjadaiyan) a few decades earlier by Ajit Kumar, an archaeologist. It is part of a larger active temple complex named the Thirunanthikarai Shri Nandeeswara temple, Thirunanthikarai and is carved out of the side of a rocky hillock to the north of the temple complex. According to Rao, one of the inscriptions suggests that this may be a late 8th-century cave temple or early 9th. The square-plan temple consists of a mandapam and a small, slightly raised cell sanctum facing east. In the sanctum is a Shiva Linga. The mandapam has four Vatteluttu script inscriptions on the pillars and pilaster surface, as well as faded murals in the Kerala style. The inscriptions are in Tamil language and describe gifts made to the temple. The earliest inscription (c. 800 CE) mentions a donation to maintain the continuous lighting of a sacred lamp, pay for musicians...

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