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