Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

2271 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Thirupparankundram Rock-cut Cave Temple

Thirupparankundram, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu · 9.8742°, 78.0708°

Shiva (Umai Andar)PandyaRock-cut
Sacred since
700 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th–13th c. (Pandya)
Pandya

History & significance

A rock-cut Shaiva shrine on the south face of Skandamalai near Madurai, its earliest excavation dated to the 8th-century early Pandya period and enlarged under Maravarman Sundara Pandya in the 13th century. An inscription there records tax-free land granted for its upkeep, and the cave is a protected national monument carrying reliefs of the Shaiva saints Appar, Sambandar and Siruthondar.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pandya