Rock Cut shrines of The Trichy Rock
The most recognisable landmark of Tirucchirapally is the massive rock outcrop , rising to a height of 83 meters from the flat land all around. Bald and smooth , this rock formation is believed to be among the oldest in the continent , older perhaps than the Himalayas , and rich in quartz and feldspar . The Rock is generally referred to as "Malai Kottai" , in conjunction with the Fort ( Kottai) built upon it by the Madurai Nayaka , Vishwanatha of 16th Century . But it was not as though the Nayakas were the first to find a use for The Rock . Before them, the Pallavas, with their fondness for rock cutting technology, had tried their hand at making rock-cut shrines here. However , the Ganapathi temple at the summit was left unfinished by them , to be developed by the Nayakas later into the very famous Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple . The Pallava Cave But the Pallavas did finish one cave shrine on the southern face of The Rock,...