The Siva temple is adjoining to the Vishnu shrine, in the eastern side.
It is considered to be older than the Vishnu temple.
It is ascribed to the 8th century on the basis of epigraphical and architectural
evidences. An inscription dated in the 16th year of the Pallava King Danti-varman
(775 – 826 AD) mentions that Videl-vidugu Muttaraiyar (விடேல் விடுகு முத்தரையர்)
also called Kuvavan Sattan (குவாவன் சாத்தன்) cut this temple out of the
Thiru-valattur-malai (திருவாலத்தூர்மலை), and installed a lingam.
In the 11th century Veera Rajendra-chozha (வீரராஜேந்திர சோழன்) inscription,
the deity is called as Vagisvara (வாகீஸ்வரன்).
There are a number of inscriptions here, which mention about grants
and donations by various chiefs.
The Temple Architecture:
There are remains of a ruined compound wall for this temple complex.
The temple complex includes a structural sub-shrine of the Goddess Vadivulla-mangai
(வடிவுள்ள மங்கை), facing south and another structure, on the north-west
corner, which might had been the kitchen.
The front mandapam, as one enters the main temple, has slender pillars
in characteristic 15th century Vijayanagara style. There are a few Chozha
inscriptions on the outer side of the northern wall. In side the mandapam,
on the western wall, near to the cave facade is one Adithya-Chozha I (ஆதித்ய
சோழன், about 871-907 AD) inscription. Perhaps, the original 9th-10th century
Chozha construction was renovated during the Vijayanagara period (15th century
AD).
There are a few loose idols, which have been kept very recently and
are under worship by local people. There is an arch in front of these sculptures,
which is also a recent one.
The rock-cut shrine
Siva cave temple
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Beyond this mandapam, to the right is the rock-cut shrine of Siva.
It measures 22.5 feet long, 15.5 feet wide and 8 feet high and in typical
Pallava style. There are two massive short pillars and two pilasters of
same type on the northern facade of the cave. The upper and lower parts
of the pillars are cubical, while the middle is octagonal.
The front part of the cave is a narrow hall running east to west.
The rear part has the garbha-griham (கர்ப கிரகம்) with an ardha-mandapam
(அர்த்த மண்டபம்) in front.
The west facing garbha-griham is in the form of a cubical cell measuring
7 feet long, 7 feet wide and 7 feet high and its floor reached from the
ardha-mandapam by a short flight of steps. Unlike in the
Thirumayam (திருமயம்)
Siva cave temple, the lingam inside the garbha-griham is not carved out
of the living rock.
The Dvara-palaka-s (துவார பாலகர்) are two-armed. The one on the south
side bears a bull’s horn, on his head. It seems to be portrait sculpture,
probably of the chief who built this temple.
The nandi carved out of living rock
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The ardha-mandapam measures 12.5 feet long and 13.5 feet wide and
has a nandi placed on a pedestal. The nandi is carved out of the living
rock.
On the walls of the ardha-mandapam are some interesting panels with
figures in bas-relief. On the southern wall is the Sapta-matrika (சப்தகன்னியர்)
frieze with Ganesa and Veerabhadra (வீரபத்திரர்) at each end.
The frieze of Sapta-matrika
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The Sapta-matrika sculpture here will interest iconographers and
those interested in it from religious and tantric aspects, because
it is at least 1200 years old.
On the western wall are much-defaced figures, probably of Gangadhara
(கங்காதரர்), Vishnu, eight-armed Durga in standing pose and Mahishasura-mardini
(மகிஷாசுர மர்தினி).
The Mahishasura-mardini panel is of particular interest. The goddess
here, as at Mahabalipuram (மகாபலிபுரம்), is represented with a benign
countenance, eight-armed, astride on her lion, and aiming a spear
at the asura (அசுரன்). This is, unfortunately, much disfigured.
Defaced Mahishasura-mardini panel
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There is another bas-relief figure of
Chandikesvara (சண்டிகேஸ்வரா) on
the north-east corner, facing south.
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