Sittannavasal

      Sittannavasal is 16 km from Pudukkottai. Sittannavasal (‘sith-thana-na-vaa-sal’) is the best-known archeological site in Pudukkottai.  It is famous for its cave paintings, which are second only in importance after Ajanta paintings in the art history of India.  It is perhaps the only place where you can find inscriptions in Tamil from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD. Also there are megalithic monuments such as stone-circles, urn and cists burials spread I the plain around the hill.  Sittannavasal is a corruption of sit-tan-na-va-yil, which means ‘the abode of great saints’.

      Sittannavasal is located on Pudukkottai-Annavasal-Viralimalai main road about 16 kilometers from Pudukkottai.  The village lies to the right of the road from Pudukkottai to Annavasal.  An arch put up  by the Government welcomes the visitors.  On the main road before one takes a turn to enter Sittanavasal and on the roads leading to the monuments, there are remains of prehistoric burial sites.  Most of the monuments of this place are in and around a hill, which runs along the north-south direction.  The hill itself is not very tall, reaching to about 70 meters.  Following this road off main road one reaches the foothills of the hillock at which the road takes a left turn.  It is from here one starts the climb to the Jain caverns, called Ezhadippattam. The cavern contains a number of stone beds and inscriptions.  Futher traveling on the road would take you to the western slope of the central hillock.  From here one makes a short climb of some steps to reach the Jain cave temple, and its world famous mural paintings.  Town bus and taxi services are available from Pudukkottai.

      Sittannavasal is the most renowned site in the district.  Most of the monuments of this place are in and around a rocky hill.  On the western side of the hill is the celebrated Jain Rock Temple with relics of Paintings, which have an important place in the Indian art history.  On the eastern side is the natural Cavern with rock beds where Jain ascetics practiced severest penance, over more than a thousand years since 3rd century BC.  There are innumerable Tamil inscriptions here.  To the north of this natural cavern, on the eastern slop of the rock is a small rock-cut temple submerged in a tarn called Navach-chunai.  There are megalithic monuments like burial urns, stone circles, cairns, dolmens and cists in plenty, near to the hillock.