Do you know Tamil Nadu has 57 Amazing Rock Art Sites Protected by Archaelogical Society of India

There are 57 rock art sites in Tamil Nadu and over 800 across India. In Tamil Nadu, Perumukkal near Tindivanam is remarkable for pictographs. Alambadi, near Villupuram is famed for its rock painting of a cow’s digestive system. Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, a world heritage site, and Edakkal in Kerala are among other noteworthy sites in India.

According to the ASI, Bhimbetka has more than 700 rock shelters, of which over 400 have paintings. It is located about 45 km south east of Bhopal on the road to Hoshangabad. Earliest human activities are known from stone tools, including hand axes, cleavers and pebble tools.

At Bhimbetka, engravings of a small cup like depression at the end of the auditorium rock shelter dates to nearly 1,00,000 years.Edakkal has rock etchings on cave walls which fascinate archaeologists, artists and historians alike. The name itself means a ‘stone in the middle’.

MUKTHIYALEESWARAR KOIL & SEETHA CAVE – PERUMUKKAL

This temple, which had originally been built in brick, was converted into a stone temple during the period of Vikrama Chola (1118-35 CE). The deity of the temple is known as Tiruvanmikai Eswaramudayar as well as Perumukkal Udayar in Tamil andMukthiyaleeswarar in Sanskrit. The donations made by the Chola, Pandya, Sambuvaraya, Vijayanagara rulers have been recorded in more than 60 inscriptions found on the temple walls and vatteluthu inscription dating back to 5th century CE in the seetha cave rock.

A cave found on the western side of the hillock is called Seetha cave with some carvings and vatteluthu inscriptions.

Location: 11 km from Tindivanam enroute Marakkanam (Pondicherry Route)