Vijayalaya Choleeswaram

Vijayalaya Choleeswaram on the rocky Narthamalai hill in Pudukkottai is a remarkable 9th-century temple that marks the transition from Muttaraiyar to Early Chola rule. Built by Vijayalaya Chola (the founder of the Imperial Chola dynasty) after his victory over the Muttaraiyars, it combines rock-cut and structural elements and features some of the finest early Chola sculptural panels of Shiva, Brahma, and celestial attendants carved in granite.