Avvayar Amman Or Lord Vishnu? Kurathiarai Rock-Cut Temple In Tamil Nadu Set To Receive Protected Monument Status

The Tamil Nadu government has proposed to declare the rock-cut temple in Kurathiarai, located in the Kanniyakumari district, as a protected monument, according to a report in the Hindu.

This proposal has brought attention to the history of the temple.

While the locals worship the deity as Avvayar Amman, a poet named Kavimani Desikavinayagam Pillai, who was also an epigraphist, wrote that the image carved out of the rock is actually Lord Vishnu.

In an article published in Kerala Society Papers in 1928-29, Kavimani describes his visit to the temple.

He notes that he found two brass breast caps and several female ornaments adorning the image, indicating that the temple has undergone changes by its devoted worshippers in recent times.

Visitors to the rock-cut temple can witness the depiction of a four-handed Vishnu holding a conch and Sudarsana Chakra.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, who is also responsible for archaeology, has announced that the temple in Kurathiarai will be among the 10 early Pandya period temples to be declared as protected monuments.

The small rock-cut temple measures approximately 5 feet in length and 4 feet in width.