Opposite to the structural temple
Vijayalaya Chozhisvaram (விஜயாலய சோழீஸ்வரம்)
there are two cave temples, excavated on the steep slop of the rock. Of these,
the one on the northern side is popularly called Samanar-kudagu (‘cave-of-the-Jains’).
This cave temple is also called Padhinen-bhumi Vinnagaram (பதினென்பூமி விண்ணகரம்).
‘Padinen’ refers to the ‘eighteen regions’ (seats of the corporation of Ainurruvar-ஐனூற்றுவர்).
Vinnagaram means temple for Vishnu.
The Samanar-kudagu
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Perhaps, it was originally a Jaina cave in the 7th century AD, but converted
into a Vishnu shrine in 12th or 13th century AD. The date of this conversion
is still under debate.
After this conversion it came to be called as Thirumer-koil (திருமேற்கோயில்)
or Merrali (மேற்றளி) and Padhinen-bhumi Vinnagaram. Presently it looks like
a Vaishanavite shrine.
The garbha-griham
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It consists of a rectangular garbha-griham (கருவறை) and an ardha-mandapam
(அர்த்த மண்டபம்) in front, both excavated from the living rock.
Presently the garbha-griham is empty, except for a broken stone pitham (பீடம்).
This pitham is also carved out of the living rock.
The ardha-mandapam has two massive pillars and two pilasters in the front,
also carved out of the rock. It houses twelve identical but wonderful relief
sculptures of Vishnu on the walls.
The ardha-mandapam
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Each of them is six feet five inches tall and carved on the rock. The sankhu
(சங்கு, conch), chakra (சக்கரம், discuss), the garments and the ornamentation
deserve praise. One of the lower hands is in the abhaya-mudra (அபய முத்திரை,
pose indicative of protection) and the other touches the thigh. The twelve figures
perhaps represent those of the twelve common names of Vishnu – Kesava (கேசவன்),
Narayana (நாராயணா), Madhava (மாதவன்), Govinda (கோவிந்தன்), Trivikrama (திரிவிக்கிரமன்),
Vamana (வாமனன்), Achyuta (அச்சுதன்), Sridhara (ஸ்ரீதரன்), Padmanabha (பத்மநாபன்),
Damodara (தாமோதரன்), Vasudeva (வாசுதேவன்) and Madhu-sudhana (மதுசூதனன்).
The plinth of maha-mandapam with beautiful dynamic frieze of vyali-s, elephants
etc
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In front of this cave temple is a stone plinth of the maha-mandapam (மகாமண்டபம்).
Judging from the remains, this mandapam must have been a closed one supported
by square pillars, with walls ornamented with pilasters crowned with capitals.
On the plinth of this mandapam, above the kumudam (குமுதம்), runs a beautiful
frieze of lions, elephants, and vyali-s (யாளி). At the corners are projecting
makara (மகரம்) heads, with human figures sporting inside their gaping mouths.
Carved with loving care, these graceful figures of elephants, lions and vyali-s
in playing are one among the finest in existence in this region. They exhibit
high levels of creativity, artistic skill and imagination of the sculptors.
A dvara-palaka
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There are a number of loose sculptures broken parts sculptures kept on this
plinth and also inside the ardha-mandapam. Those on the plinth include two dvara-palaka-s
(துவாரபாலகர்), a Sapta-matrika (சப்த கன்னியர்) group and an Ayyanar (அய்யனார்).
Those inside the ardha-mandapam include two Ganesa-s. All these sculptures are
excavated in and around Narttamalai.
There is an inscription on the moulded basement dated in the 45th year of
the Chozha king Kulottunga I (முதலாம் குலோத்துங்கன்) (1115 AD). This inscription
registers a sale of land by the Nagarattar (நகரத்தார்) to thevan-periyan (தேவன்
பெரியன்) also called Mudikonda-chozha (முடிகொண்ட சோழன்) Telungai-araiyan (தெலுங்கை
அரையன்) for the conduct of daily worship to the arumanikka-azhvar (அருமாணிக்க
ஆழ்வார்) of Thirumer-koil.
There is also another inscription dated 1228 AD on the rock, north of the
cave temple (PSI 281) of the reign of Mara-varman Sundara-pandya I (முதலாம்
மாரவர்மன் சுந்தரபாண்டியன்) mentioning that the ‘western temple’ was consecrated
and in it were installed the idols of Vishnu and those of his consorts.
So the date of conversion of the Jain cave into the Vishnu shrine is still
under debate.
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