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Sittannavasal is a small village located 16 kilometres from
Pudukottai and 58 kilometres from
Trichy, which has the remains of
a 2nd century BC Jain cave temple. It is a celebrated Jain centre having a
cave inhabited by monks in the 2nd century BC and a rock-cut temple of the
7th century AD.
The cave temple is said to have been excavated in 7th century AD by the
Pallava king Mahendravarman.
Temple Architecture
The rock cut cave temple had beautiful paintings in natural colours
similar to Ajanta and stone beds known as "Eladipattam". Another
attraction was a cave in which the Jain monks sought refuge in those days.
There are a few sculptures of Jain Thirthangaras in the Ardha Mandapam and
inner shrine of the cave temple.
The ceiling of the Ardha Mandapam contains fresco paintings of the 7th
century AD. Many of the paintings are typical of the 9th century Pandyan
period and include exquisitely detailed pictures of animals, fish, ducks,
people gathering lotuses from a pond and two dancing figures.
One can see inscriptions dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. There
are many pre-historic burial sites around Sittannavasal and among the
relics unearthed are burial urns, cists and Kungupatarai.
Tourists can approach Sittannavasal either from
Trichy or
Pudukottai. Trichy being an important city
of Tamil Nadu is well connected by all means of transport, so it is
advisable to access Sittannavasal from Trichy.
Air: Trichy has an
airport. Various airlines connect Trichy
with Chennai,
Sharjah, Kuwait and Colombo.
Rail: Trichy is an
important junction on the Southern Railway. It is connected with
Chennai,
Thanjavur,
Chidambaram,
Madurai,
Tirupati,
Tuticorin, Tenkasi, Quilon,
Rameshwaram,
Bangalore,
Coimbatore,
Mysore, Kochi,
Kanyakumari and Mangalore.
Road: Sittannavasal can be accessed easily by road either from
Pudukottai or
Trichy. Trichy is well connected
by road with important places of South India and buses at regular interval
are available from Trichy to Sittannavasl. For local transport taxis, auto
rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are also available.
Accommodation is available at the moderate class and small budgeted hotels and lodges in Trichy or Pudukkottai. For tourists staying in Trichy, even luxurious accommodation is available.
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