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Early medieval · Hindu · India
Kunnandarkoil Cave Temple
Kunnandarkoil, Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu · 10.5822°, 78.8972°
Shiva as ParvathagiriswararMuttaraiyar, under the PallavasRock-cut
Sacred since
700 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th c. (Muttaraiyar); later Vijayanagara additions
Muttaraiyar, under the Pallavas
History & significance
A rock-cut Shiva temple in Pudukkottai district believed to date to the 8th century under the Muttaraiyar kings, who were lieutenants of the Pallava ruler Nandivarman II, and later expanded under the Vijayanagara Empire. It is read as a specimen of late Pallava art and of early Chola work.