 The
Naval (jambu) tree near the Navach-chunai
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The Navach-chunai is a tarn situated on the eastern slope of central
part of the rocky hillock. It is about one kilometer north of the
Ezhadippattam, at a somewhat lower level than it. Reaching there requires a
lot of rock-climbing and trekking and would need somebody to guide.
The pool takes its name from a naval-maram (நாவல் மரம்) or jambu-tree (Syzygium
jambolanum) close by.
 The
Navach-chunai, another view
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Like the Talai-aruvi-singam tarn (தலை அருவி சிங்கம் சுனை) of Narttamalai
(நார்த்தாமலை) (on the Mela-malai, மேலமலை), this contains inside, a submerged
rock-cut shrine. Stylistically it is a late Pandya temple (13th century AD).
It contains a Siva lingam in the centre and a narrow passage to walk round.
The water is occasionally baled out, and the lingam worshipped. This is
locally called the Jambunatha's cave (ஜம்புநாதர் குகை).
 Burial
site surrounded by a stone circle in the vicinity of the
Sittannavasal-Pudukkottai road..
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Megalithic burial is a typical mode of disposing the dead in most part
of Tamilnadu in the past. Some suggest the period 3rd century BC to 1st
century AD is considered to be when this was practiced. It may be remembered
that this period is also the period of Sangam. Loosely called ‘dolmans’,
these are stone-capped burial monuments with chambers and similar interment
arrangements in stone. These monuments are found in many places in Tamilnadu
like the districts of Chengalpattu (செங்கல்பட்டு), Vellore (வேலூர்),
Pudukkottai (புதுக்கோட்டை), Ramanathapuram (இராமநாதபுரம்), Salem (சேலம்),
Coimbatore (கோயம்புத்தூர்) and Tirunelveli (திருநெல்வேலி).
Locally known as Pandava-kuzhi (பாண்டவர் குழி, ‘pits-of-Pandava-s’),
mandavar-kuzhi (மாண்டவர் குழி, ‘pits-of-the- dead’), kurangup-pattadai (குரங்குப்பட்டடை),
or kurangup-pattarai (குரங்குப்பட்டரை, ‘monkey’s-workshop’) and
mudu-makkal-thaazhi (முதுமக்கள் தாழி, ‘burial-pots-of-the-old-people’). The
last name is the most widely used.
Along the western base of the hill, and beneath the central and southern
parts of it, we can see the shrines to Ayyanar (அய்யனார்), Pidari (பிடாரி),
and other village deities. From this one may infer that there must have been
a village close to the hill on the site now covered by the dry fields.
 The
shrine of the village deities surrounded by terracotta horses
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