Mandagapattu Tirumurti Temple, Villupuram

Address

Mandagapattu Tirumurti Temple, Mandagapattu ,Vanniyapuram, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu 605203

Diety

Shiva

Introduction

Mandagapattu Tirumurti Temple is a Shiva temple situated in the village of Mandagapattu in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. Hewn from rock by the Pallava ruler Mahendravarman I in honour of the Hindu Trinity, the cave temple is the considered to be the oldest stone shrine to a Hindu god Shiva to be discovered in Tamil Nadu. In one of his inscriptions, Mahendravarman I boasts that he caused a stone temple to be built in honour of the Hindu Trinity without the use of brick, mortar, timber or metal. The Pallava temples along with a similar group by the Chalukyas of Badami represent the earliest Hindu stone temples in southern India. The temples were a significant architectural innovation as they marked the transition from wooden structures to stone. Other deity Laksitayatna and dedicates it to Brahma, Ishvara, and Vishnu, Shiva.

Puranic Significance

The first rock-cut temple built by King Mahendra Varma Pallava – I in the 7th century CE, Mandagapattu Cave Temple is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument. It is also called Lakshita Yathanam and predates the sculpted wonders of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram).

Century/Period/Age

7th century CE

Managed By

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Nearest Bus Station

Mandagapattu

Nearest Railway Station

Villupuram

Nearest Airport

Puducherry

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