Monday, November 20, 2017

Pallava Cave Temples, Rockfort, Trichy

Pallava Cave Temples, Rockfort, Trichy
Pallava Cave Temples are located as part of Rock Fort Temple Complex located in Trichy City in Trichy District of Tamilnadu. The 83-m high cliff in the centre of Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) city - Rockfort - contains several exciting monuments of the past. There are two cave temples in this complex - the upper cave temple and the lower cave temple. The upper cave temple was built by Mahendravarman Pallavan; the lower one, as per ASI, is believed to have been built by Narasimha Varma Pallavan. Rocks shaping the Rockfort are extremely old - over 3 billion years.


Mythologically this rock is considered to be a place where, according to Ramayana, Lord Ganesha ran away from king Vibishana. One of the most interesting and even somewhat mysterious is rock-cut temple - Lalitankura Pallavesvara Griham. This is the southernmost Pallavan cave temple and it contains several valuable works of art. According to inscriptions in the cave temple, it has been created during the reign of Mahendravarman I - in 600 - 630 AD. This is not the first rock-cut temple here - some 500 years earlier here was created a cave - resort for Jain ascetics with a number of inscriptions.


And it is neither the last one - approximately a century later, during Pandya dynasty, there was created another cave temple below the Lalitankura Pallavesvara Griham. Several later temples were built around Rockfort and on top of it and around the cliff there has grown large city with more than million inhabitants. But at the time when Pallavan artists climbed the Rockfort to start their hard work, this was comparatively inaccessible and desolate place where the city only started to develop.


Cave Temples
There are two cave temples in this complex - the upper cave temple and the lower cave temple. The upper cave temple was built by Mahendravarman Pallavan; the lower one, as per ASI, is believed to have been built by Narasimha Varma Pallavan. The Cave temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Lower Cave Temple:
For brief details, please refer below link;
Upper Cave Temple:
For brief details, please refer below link;
Connectivity
Pallava Cave Temples are located at the mid of Rock Fort Temple Complex. Rockfort is located at about 5 Kms from Trichy Central Bus Stand, 1.5 Kms from Chatiram Bus Station, 5 Kms from Trichy Railway Station, 4 Kms from Woraiyur, 14 Kms from Thiruverumbur, 4 Kms from Srirangam, 7 Kms from Thiruvanaikoil, 6 Kms from Trichy and 10 Kms from Trichy International Airport. Lots of buses ply from both Central & Chathram bus stands of Trichy. One can get down at Main Guard Gate or Teppakulam to reach Rockfort. 

References