A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c21.68

c21.68

Mention must be made in passing of the existence of rock-cut *maṇḍapas* in the Pāṇḍya country. These have not received much attention, but doubtless they were contemporary with the Pallava *maṇḍapas* and are more or less in the same style. One prominent example with sculptured scenes on its walls is found at Tirupparan-kunram, near Madura, hidden behind a good-sized medieval temple of Subrahmanya and serving as its *garbhagriha*. Other instances of temples built in front of rock-cut *maṇḍapas* are known, e.g. at Śingaperumāḷ-kōyil in Chingleput district.