Kalugumalai Jain Beds - Rock Cut Temples

A tiny tranquil town in Thoothukudi district, Kalugumalai or Kazhugumalai is famous for its ancient rock cut temples and monolithic Jain beds. The town got its name from the hills surrounding it with the same name, which translates to ‘Hill of Vultures’. Constructed in rock cut architecture, the unfinished temple is believed to have been built during the rule of Pandyan king ‘Parantaka Nedunchezhiyan’. The other portions of Kalugumalai hold the 8th century unfinished Shiva temple named Vettuvan kovil and a Murugan temple. There are approximately 150 niches in the bed, that includes images of Bahubali Gomateshwara and other saints of Jain community. Near the Jain Beds, Vettuvan koil is a Shiva temple built between the 8th and 9th century by Pandyan Maran Chadaiyan Varaguna I.

About 8 meters of the mountain is excavated in a rectangular structure and in the middle, the temple is sculpted from a single rock. The carvings reflect the southern temple style of the Pandiya period. Only the top portion of the temple is completed and the left as it is. The top portion of the temple resembles the Kailasanatha temple in Ellora. Another important temple in Kalugumalai is the Kalugasalamoorthy (Murugan) temple. It has been constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture and is said to have developed during the 18th century. The gateway leads to the sanctum and a pillared hall. The temple has many decorative sculptures. Opposite to the temple, there is a small palace which served as the local residence of the kings of Ettayapuram.